"An ecosystem is a unit of biological organisation
interacting with the physical environment such that the flow of energy and
mass leads to a characteristic trophic structure and material cycles."
- Eugene Odum "the grandfather of ecology"
What is Ecotourism
Eco-tourism is derived from two words - 'Ecosystem' & 'Tourism'.
Together it is made Eco-tourism. To understand Eco-tourism we have to
understand our Ecosystem first.
Ecosystem is the system in which we live - the system which include the
earth, the water, the sky and ofcourse the living and the non-living objects
in all these systems. It is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and
micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a
But, there is no such specific and particular spatial unit or scale to
measure an Ecosystem. Thus, the term "ecosystem" does not,
necessarily, agree to the terms "biome" or "ecological zone",
but can refer to any functioning unit at any scale. It could, for example,
be a grain of soil, a pond, a forest, the sea, the river, a biome or the
And, tourism means - 'the practice of traveling for pleasure.' Thus, a
tourism which contains a visit to an Ecosystem is known as Eco- tourism.
But, that is not all. Eco-tourism is not only travelling to such
Ecosystems, but also conserving them. Basically Eco-tourism means -
"Tourism involving travel to areas of natural or ecological interest,
typically under the guidance of a naturalist, for the purpose of observing
wildlife and learning about the environment and at the same time focus on
wildlife and promotion of understanding and conservation of the environment."
This is a conscientious form of tourism and tourism development, which
encourages going back to natural products in every aspect of life and help
preserve nature. It is also the key to sustainable ecological development.
We & Our Environment
The race for becoming the most advanced and most developed state in the
world, has led man to destruct the natural resource in our stock and our
biosphere. Today, most of the underground and above the ground resources are
on the verge of finish, resulting in abrupt climate, natural disaster and
more. Now, man is facing two very extreme dangerous conditions - 'Global
Warming' & 'Greenhouse Effects', both of which will lead to the total
destruction of the Planet Earth. It is now high time, we should (the entire
Human Community) start our bit of job to save our Earth from complete
destruction. It is now every man's duty to do as much possible to save our
Today, there are "Green Laws" of conservation, which are making
people aware of how man and the environment can live beneficially for more
time to come and Eco-tourism is one way to maximise the environmental and
social benefits of tourism, not forgetting the economic developments.
Everyone is a stakeholder in the process and we clearly need to avoid our
past shortcomings and negative impact. In India too the movement is
gathering momentum with more & more travel and travel related
organisation's are addressing the needs of the eco-tourists and promoting
eco-tourism in the country.