Indigenous Ecotourism: nature conservation, tourism and Indigenous land rights

Abstract

Worldwide, Indigenous peoples are becoming more involved in the tourism industry and particularly ecotourism. "Indigenous peoples comprise five per cent of the world's population ... occupy 20% of the world's land surface but nurture 80% of the world's biodiversity on ancestral lands and territories" (UN, 2002: 2-3). Ecotourism enterprises controlled by Indigenous people in tribal reserves or protected areas include cultural ecotours, ecolodges and bungalows, hunting and fishing tours, Indigenous cultural attractions and other nature based facilities or services. This paper reviews Indigenous ecotourism as a special type of nature-based tourism and examines the conservation and community benefits from Indigenous-owned and operated ecotourism businesses or joint ventures. It compares Indigenous ecotourism in developed and developing countries. A new book by Zeppel (2006) evaluates global case studies of Indigenous ecotourism projects in the Pacific Islands, Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. The role of environmental NGOs and government organisations in supporting conservation and Indigenous ecotourism projects is also highlighted. The paper discusses key factors and constraints for sustainable development of lndigenous ecotourism and explores the growing links between biodiversity conservation, ecotourism and Indigenous land rights. A framework for evaluating and assessing the environmental, cultural, social and political impacts of Indigenous ecotourism is also presented.