What is Ecotourism?
Responsible travel to natural areas
that conserves the environment and
improves the well-being of
local people.
Principles
of Ecotourism
Ecotourism is about uniting
conservation, communities, and sustainable travel to:
- Minimize impact.
- Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
- Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
- Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
- Provide economic, health and empowerment benefits for local people.
- Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climate.
Tajik Threshold
Issues
• Is there a commitment
to the long-term sustainability and vitality of Tajikistan tourism through
promotion and protection of its special outdoor places?
• Are there
concentrations of agricultural chemicals and salts in the soil and groundwater,
pockets of high air pollution caused by industry and motor vehicles, water
pollution from agricultural runoff and disposal of untreated industrial waste
and sewage, poor management of water resources, and soil erosion?
• Is the Tajik visa regime tourism friendly?
TIES Member NGO’s in
Tajikistan:
Zeravshan Tourism
Development Association
Murghab Eco-Tourism
Association
Some
Ecotourism Sites in Nevada
Great Basin National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Tahoe (and Tahoe Rim Trail)
Ruby Mountains and Marshes / Lamoille Canyon
Cathedral Gorge State Park
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
Valley of Fire State Park
Spring Mountains National Recreation Area
Desert National Wildlife Refuge
Toiyabe National Forest
Vegas Valley Rim Trail (in construction)
The Springs Preserve
20 scenic highways in Nevada and one All
American Road
Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area
Proximate
Sites to Nevada
Grand
Canyon National Park (Crown Jewel)
Death
Valley National Monument
Joshua
Tree National Park
Colorado
River
Kings
Canyon National Park
Sequoia
National Park
Yosemite
National Park (Crown Jewel)
Tahoe National Forest
Ecotourism
Opportunities
o Develop
synergy with conservation / transportation agencies and NGOs.
o Conference
or Summit on best practices
o Create
marketable programs like Scenic Highways / Scenic Overlooks / Top Photo
Opportunities
o Alternative
transport (train, motor coach)
o Invite
National Geographic Magazine / N.G. Traveler and Ecotourism specific magazine editors to
Tajikistan
• There’s no 2nd
chance for a 1st impression.
• The simpler
explanation to any problem is generally the correct one. (Occam’s Razor)
• In tourism, synergy is
not just important, it’s imperative.
