Families for Conscious Living
"Together, We Are The Re-Generation!"
FCL's Mission as a 501C3 national nonprofit is to provide: - Connections to help families find one another to create places of belonging through self-directed community groups- Insights to balance heart-centered parenting with informed living choices- Inspiration, resources and support for parents to connect with self, family, local and global communities - ...learn more
GROUP DETAILS
Created: May 14, 2008
Updated: Aug 10, 2009
Membership: Open To Apply
Private
Ecotourism Site Assessment
Determine whether viable ecotourism opportunities exist at a siteSolution Info Hide
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Problem
A local entrepreneur, whether from the private sector, a nongovernmental organization (NGO), or even government entity, who is considering entering the ecotourism business and who wants to assess the viability of this option in order to minimize commercial risk and maximize the chances of success.
Action
Section 1, Ecotourism Assessment, will help the reader to determine whether viable ecotourism opportunities exist at a site or if they can be developed either with available financial and manpower capacities or with capacities that can be harnessed and developed in a reasonable time and at a reasonable cost.
Section 2, Business Planning, if opportunities exist, will help the reader to develop a business plan that defines the "product" or service, identifies existing or potential customers and the channels to reach them, analyzes the competition, as well as clarifies a niche and estimates income and expenses, staffing needs, and the start-up capital required.
Section 3, Operations, highlights some key steps that are required to begin to make an ecotourism business operational.
In the process of taking readers step by step through these three phases, the manual will introduce them to a number of tools including the use of participatory (ToP] planning, Porter's five forces, quantitative and qualitative survey methods, resource and capability analyses, setting of smart objectives, financial forecasting, profit and loss analyses, and the drafting of business plans.
Results
These two projects went through the ecotourism site assessment process:
La Ruta Moskitia, Honduras (www.larutamoskitia.com)
La Ruta Moskitia has helped strengthen the community of the Rio Plátano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras, doubling the number of visitors to the area and creating 150 new jobs that support over 750 family members. The ecotourism program dedicates a percentage of its revenues to conservation projects in the reserve, and works with Rare and community members to inspire residents of Rio Plátano to protect and care for the natural resources upon which the ecotourism industry depends.
La Ruta Moskitia was created as part of a Rare program dedicated to helping rural communities find sustainable alternatives to environmentally-threatening practices. Rio Plátano, sometimes referred to as “the last lungs of Central America,” faces significant environmental threats, including illegal logging, grazing, slash and burn agricultural practices and unsustainable fishing. By reminding residents that ecotourism business is a means of livelihood and support, Rare encourages residents to help halt these environmental threats.
“Ecotourism has brought a much-needed influx of money and attention to the region,” said Elmor Wood, executive director of La Ruta Moskitia. “People here are proud to open their communities and share the richness of the area with visitors. They are also coming to understand how to best care for the environmental resources that their livelihoods -- and the world’s clean air -- depend on.”
La Ruta Moskita is also working to establish a local non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to expanding community projects. This NGO, in combination with support from Rare, is expected to help La Ruta Moskita continue to grow and benefit the region and its people.
Sian Ka'an, Mexico (www.siankaantours.org)
The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, located in the state Quintana Roo the Yucatán Peninsula, is Mexico’s third largest protected area. Its 1.3 million acres comprises tropical forests, marshes, mangroves, and a large marine section intersected by the world’s second largest coastal barrier reef, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The reserve is home to 800 plant species and provides habitat to 350 avian as well as jaguars, ocelots, and spider and howler monkeys. The reserve also contains 23 archeological sites. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
So it’s not surprising that in the language of the Mayan peoples Sian Ka’an means “Where the sky is born.” But this extraordinary area of incredible biodiversity is threatened by development spreading south from the international tourism mecca of Cancun. Sian Ka’an faces habitat loss, forest fires, and pollution.
In 2004 Rare Enterprises—along with the UN, Aveda, and the Mexican government—facilitated the launch of the first-ever community tour operator and marketing alliance within the reserve, called Community Tours Sian Ka’an (CTSK) to promote sustainable tourism and conservation while offering local communities a livelihood. CTSK, an alliance of several local cooperatives, now employs a third of the labor force in the reserve, with revenue benefiting 75 percent of the families in the surrounding communities.
CTSK offers myriad activities, including snorkeling, snuba (combining snorkeling and scuba diving) bird watching, visits to Mayan archeological sites, and saltwater fly-fishing in the world-famous Ascension Bay. To learn about CTSK, visit its Web site at www.siankaantours.org.
Community Tours Sian Ka’an was named to Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s “Green List,” which honors tour operations that benefit the local economy, the environment, and the consumer. CTSK has recently partnered with Expedia.com to launch a new World Heritage site vacation package on the online travel service’s Web site, which will certainly increase tour traffic.
By seamlessly linking livelihood to conservation, CTSK has created a win-win situation. As Manuel Cahuich, of the CTSK member cooperative Cooperativa de Servicios Turisticos Vigia Grande, said, “Since Community Tours Sian Ka’an came together, business in my cooperative has increased tremendously, and I now understand the importance of conserving our natural resources.”
