4.6: ecotourism and central place theory

the positives and negatives of ecotourism

• ecotourism: an environmentally responsible way of travel with the intent of visiting natural areas and wonders
• positive impacts
  • educate tourists about local conservation efforts and research developments in fragile natural areas
  • travelers can acquire firsthand experiences with these places
  • gain knowledge on ecosystems, biology and geology of environments
  • money spent on ecotourism can aid conservation efforts
  • eg. repopulating endangered species, reforestation initiatives
  • many natural sites are located in less-developed countries (eg. Ecuador, Nepal, Madagascar), so tourism helps boost their economies fairly significantly
• negative impacts
  • tourism → development → increased popularity of natural areas as tourist destinations → demand for hotels and other construction in the area → pollution, destruction of the natural environment, and displacement of indigenous peoples
  • this decreases the integrity of local communities and depletes community benefits from the economic gain from ecotourism
  • not all “ecotourist” organizations are actually environmentally friendly
• advantages of ecotourism
  • can educate travelers and provide jobs to local residents, but may negatively impact the environment
  • ecotourism lets countries profit from natural wonders rather than destroying them for land
  • builds economies from the preservation rather than destruction of the environment
  • ensure genuine ecotourist intentions by checking website for waste management, recycling, renewable energy use, and energy efficiency policies
  • economic benefits include increased employment for local population and increased quality of the available jobs
• problems with ecotourism
  • ecotourism can increase appreciation for nature and commitment to conservation while being bad for the people and animals it’s supposed to help
  • the international ecotourism society and international union for conservation of nature have created standards for ecotourism; trips must:
  • visit natural environments
  • do nothing to change or adversely affect these areas
  • provide cultural and economic advantages to local communities
  • greenwashing: the act of businesses advertising themselves as ecotourists when they’re not really environmentally friendly
  • environmental impacts
  • increased popularity of destination → decreased resources → decreased natural attractions
  • can foster exploitation of these areas

central place theory

• helps find the most profitable locations for new stores
• theory developed in the 1930’s by Walter Christaller, elaborated upon further by August Losch and Brian Berry in the 1950’s
• market area of a service
  • central places are located centrally and have many business competing with one another within them
  • this forms a settlement pattern, market areas create nodal regions
  • hexagons are drawn around nodes as a compromise between circles and squares
• range of a service
  • range is the radius of the circle/hexagon drawn to portray the area of a service market
  • people will travel short distances for daily necessities (consumer services) such as grocery stores and pharmacies
  • they will travel longer distances for not strictly necessary services such as concerts, professional sports games, theater performances, etc.
  • people go to the nearest available service
  • irregularly-shaped circles encapsulate all area where one store is closer than all competitors
  • it is also adjusted in relation to time (eg. 1 hour = 60 minutes on a free way but 30 in a city)
• threshold of a service
  • after identifying range,