| Eco-Tourism
in Puerto Vallarta.
Texto and Photos By: Alejandro
Martinez – Nature
Tours
 One
of the most rapidly growing industries in the world
is tourism. It used to be called the “clean industry”
due to its apparently non-aggressive effects on the
environment, but that has proven to be wrong. More recently
and gaining ground quickly, eco-tourism has emerged
as the means to fulfil the expectations for a new and
alternative way to interact with our environment. We
have to be very careful to differentiate between the
two. Many definitions have been proposed for eco-tourism
and most everyone can come up with his or her own definition
for this activity. However, the main goal in any case
is not to cause an impact, or if possible to have a
positive effect on natural resources. This would imply
a way to understand and value these resources for their
regeneration, to overcome their destruction and create
a symbiotic relationship between resources and visitors
where both would benefit from the experience. This might
be easier to say than doing it, especially in overpopulated
underdeveloped countries where pollution and garbage
mean “progress” and natural resources are
under constant pressure.
There is no doubt that the continuing
destruction and over-exploitation of our environment
all over the world since last century have brought many
species to the brink of extinction, and Mexico has not
been the exception…
On the other hand now we have the
oft-mentioned “self-sustainable development”
as a counterpart, which tries to establish a self-regeneration
model based on ethical regulations for a responsible
interaction with these resources, without compromising
them for future generations. Preserving them is the
key to healthy eco-systems and therefore the principles
that sustain the development of this new kind of tourism.
At this point the most important challenge to overcome
in Mexico these days, is the conservation of these resources
and the ability to get every sector of society involved.
These are the foundations of eco-tourism. Locally, Puerto
Vallarta has a great bio-diversity in multiple eco-systems
as it is already a natural paradise which represents
the basis of its tourist industry. Transforming it into
anything else would be condemning it to an inevitable
decadence. The blessings of eco-tourism are many, and
what Puerto Vallarta needs most is to turn a potentially
sad destiny into a promising future.
Hopefully, we will prevail by preserving
what we have, proud to protect and to share our beloved
paradise with our visitors. And that indeed is the main
goal of eco-tourism.
Alejandro
Martinez
alex@pvmirror.com
Archives
by date |
Current
Weather Report
