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Placing a monetary value on local goods and services should not be an anathema to environmentalists; indeed, it should be welcomed as an effort to include local farmers and craftsmen into the domestic economy
Getting the definitions right International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” It differs significantly from mainstream ecotourism in the sense that it focuses on the livelihood of the communities that are directly involved in the industry. Ecotourism also emphasises on sustainability – making sure that the incomes generated with the trade goes back to the industry to keep it going.
Does Bangladesh have what it takes? Excluding its capital, Bangladesh is somewhat of an untapped treasure, not getting enough global attention and enjoyed mostly by the locals. Be it the mystical forests of the Sunderbans, the breathtaking tea gardens of Sylhet, or the tropical paradise of Cox’s Bazar – the natural beauty of this country is mostly admired by Bangladeshis escaping the noise and bustle of the city. Tourists who do visit mostly stay in hotels and rarely get a fully authentic experience of the Bangladeshi culture. How is it going to change, then? With ecotourism on the rise in the region, tourists will now be able to experience the true colours of Bangladesh, unblemished by mass tourism. We began to see the positive effects of nature-friendly tourism in Cox’s Bazar, St Martin’s Island, Sylhet, and even in the economically undeveloped areas in Rangpur and Dinajpur.
It’s all in the economy Counter-intuitively enough, ecotourism starts with economics, something a lot of ecotourism purists seem to treat as an anathema. Shezad Ahmed, a local consultant on ecotourism, explains it well: “The essence of ecotourism – or any tourism, for that matter – starts with trying to capture or put a monetary value on the goods and services produced within a local community. Without understanding the market prices that a region or locality can command within an economy, we might as well just be admiring nature without really making any money out of it.” Money seems to be central in starting any ecotourism business. By capturing a share of the monetary value of the benefits derived from the local environment, ecotourism will be better able to finance management activities to protect natural and cultural resources, and move on to broader social objectives of providing for scientific research and education, as well as provide an income base for the local community members. Given that Bangladesh faces a paucity of basic infrastructure, ecotourism offers the attractive allure of not being capital-intensive. “It’s not about building roads, bridges, and canals; it’s about linking markets,” Shezad says, “So the farmer who has been using chemical-free fertiliser for the last decade has to be made into a hero, a driver within the community, as opposed to commercial farming which has lost connection to the soil. That’s the kind of paradigm shifts we are talking about in ecotourism.”
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