Ecotourism is most common in developing countries, but these nations rarely have regulations or laws concerning the responsible practice of this tourist trade, according to Sujata Narayan, author of the Impact of Ecotourism on Costa Rica.
According to IslandResort.com, 90 percent of the revenue generated from ecotourism in locations such as Nepal and Zimbabwe go to other countries. Ecotourism is generally ineffective if only a small portion of the money spent by travelers returns to the communities visited.
Scientists researching the impact of ecotourism have found that even low impact activities such as hiking and wildlife watching had an impact on the numbers of certain carnivores in the Californian forest. The numbers of bobcats and coyotes seen living in the area dropped dramatically since ecotourism began.
With large numbers of visitors to an ecotourism destination, habitats become disrupted. Sujata Narayan points out that more than 200,000 visitors enter Costa Rica's national parks each year. As a result, the parks have disruption of trails and native habitats, as well as pollution and litter.
Because many of these areas were once isolated, the cultures and peoples living there now are having their lifestyles disturbed because the increase in visitation and other changes, such as the building of trails, that come with ecotourism. Simply by interacting with these cultures, even if intentions are good, the cultures are altered.
