Hawaii faces great opportunity and great risk as it moves into ecotourism, said members of a panel speaking at the Hawaii Conservation Conference in Waikiki yesterday. Ecotourism touted at conference
By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comA Texas-based consultant whose company helps create themed ecotourism trails on the mainland told the conference of more than 300 Hawaii conservation scientists that ordinary people can become "stakeholders" and supporters of preserving natural areas when they have positive, hands-on experiences there.
Ninety percent of the U.S. population lives in cities, said Ted Eubanks, president of Fermata Inc. Just because "the average American doesn't know a duck from a chicken" and is not a member of the Sierra Club, that doesn't mean he or she isn't interested in preserving the wild, he said.
"Research shows that 61 percent of tourists seek attractions in the natural world when on vacation," he said.
"Soft adventures" including camping, hiking, biking, wildlife-watching, horseback-riding, canoeing and water skiiing are on the agendas of 46 percent of tourists, "and obviously Hawaii can provide all of the above," Eubanks said.
People also want to visit places they've never been, that are remote and untouched, that teach them something about a culture and that allow them to learn a new skill. For example, he said, on a trip to the Grand Canyon, people don't want to "go to the edge, look and leave. They want to get on a horse and go to the bottom of the canyon," and even to learn how to saddle their own horse.
Ecotourism can be an important way to attract support for conservationists from non-naturalists in government and the tourism industry, he said.
Panelist Curt Cotrell, director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Na Ala Hele trails program, acknowledged he was dragged "kicking and screaming" into regulating private contractors who take tour groups on public trails.
Cotrell said he still sees the highest use of public resources as allowing local residents access, while preserving the resource itself. But after a couple of years of private ecotour operators using public trails on a limited basis "without the sky falling," Cotrell said he's coming to believe that a balance can be found.
Panelist Rob Pacheco, operator of Hawaii Forest & Trail, agreed that more state maintenance of parks and natural facilities is key in supporting any growth in ecotourism. He asked that the state upgrade the public restrooms and other infrastructure "to match the beauty of the (natural) places."
Pacheco said ecotourism operators must self-regulate to make sure they aren't spoiling the environment they are sharing with their customers.
"No matter what we do, limiting the size of groups or the number of visits, we do have an impact," he said. Each site has specific threshholds that should not be exceeded, he said.