The purpose of ecotourism is to foster an appreciation of nature and culture while promoting conservation, supporting sustainable community development, minimizing tourism’s negative impacts, and providing for the active, beneficial involvement of local communities. Ecotourism is also committed to sustainable operations and environmentally sound practices.
Gain the skills necessary to:
- successfully and safely organise and conduct ecotourism activities
- learn to interpret your local flora and fauna and more.
Course Aims:
- An ability to analyse the structure of interpretive ecotourism in your country.
- To recognise factors of the environment and their significance to ecotourism.
- To plan an ecotour.
- Create/develop interpretation aids for a selected ecotourism activity.
- Develop a display with an ecotourism theme.
- Determine the specific name of a range of natural features in a selected wilderness area including:
- Birds
- Fish
- Shells
- Other animals
- Plants
- Lead an interpretive tour with an ecotourism theme.
- Develop innovative concepts in interpretation for a selected aquatic ecotourism activity.
- Identify geological and geomorphological factors of interest to ecotourists.
There are 10 lessons in this course:
- Ecotourism Basics
- Definition of ecotourism
- Negative ecotourism
- Ecotourist profile
- Administrative concerns
- Safety
- Interpretive Services in Ecotourism
- Interpretation as a key element of ecotourism
- Interpretation techniques
- Sign design
- Ecology and Conservation
- Definition of ecology
- Ecosystem function
- The web of life
- Habitat and niche
- Humans in the environment
- Plant and Animal Classification and Identification
- Classification of organisms
- Basic taxonomy
- Using keys for identification
- Other methods of identification
- Geology/Geomorphology
- Types of rocks
- Types of minerals
- Soils
- Soil formation
- Soil classification
- Interpreting Aquatic Environments
- Marine environments
- Freshwater environments
- Fish
- Shells
- Crustaceans
- Interpreting Land Environments
- Introduction to interpreting land environments
- Relevance of interpreting land environments
- Planning an Ecotour
- Destination
- Transportation
- Accommodation
- Ecotour Displays
- Design concepts
- Zoo design techniques
- Leading an Ecotour
- Advertising
- Group preparation
- Planning the tour
- Group surveys for feedback
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.