At the end of September 2011, the occasion being the World Tourism Day (27th September), the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), an organization of which the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is also a member, promoted its view on the positive influence that ecotourism has on forestry.
Moreover, an increasing number of governments are considering ecotourism as a means to promote sustainable forestry management and support local communities.
Despite the grave economic situation in the last couple of years, according to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), international tourism has demonstrated healthy growth, with almost 5% in the first half of 2011, setting a new record of 440 million arrivals, according to the UN WTO. Moreover, in the UNWTO long-term forecast, Tourism Towards 2030, released in October 2011, international tourism is expected to continue to grow in a sustained manner in the next two decades.
Ecotourism, as a niche within the larger tourism industry, is one of the fastest growing segments of tourism worldwide, according to the FAO. Therefore, the perspective for long-term sustainable economic growth has the potential to stimulate also forestry funds to participate on the forest ecotourism market. In addition, through forest ecotourism, private companies will have the opportunity to make profit out of socially responsible investments.
Ecotourism involves responsible traveling to natural areas, with the purpose to educate the traveler without the environmental and cultural impact that may come as a negative consequence of traditional tourism. By definition, the more preserved a tourist site or object is, the more attractive it will be for potential visitors. And as forests and their wildlife are among the primary settings for ecotourism activities, it is only natural to assume that promoting forest preservation and investing in ecotourism would be the way to attract more ecotourists.
Forest ecotourism may be particularly beneficial in developing countries, which generally experience more difficulties in promoting sustainable forest management and obtaining much needed investments through forestry funds or other sources of financing.
According to Edgar Kaeslin, Forestry Officer in Wildlife and Protected Area Management at FAO, “Ecotourism has a far greater potential for contributing to income and livelihoods in poor rural communities than what is realized”.
Therefore, the possibilities that ecotourism provides in terms of forest preservation and local economy need to be looked into, especially considering the extent to which some indigenous communities depend on forests for their livelihood. In addition, ecotourism brings more income to local population than commercial conventional tourism that relies mainly on mass hotel chains and large tourist companies.
One of the most famous examples of ecotourism in developing countries is the interest attracted by the endangered mountain gorilla species in Uganda. Ecotourism activity surrounding the gorillas significantly helped to boost the economy of the country and at the same time led to a rise in the numbers of mountain gorillas.
Another African country where forest tourism is likely to benefit from increased governmental support is Tanzania, since the Ministry of Natural resources and Tourism recently introduced the Tanzania Forest Fund among whose purposes is to support sustainable utilization of forest resources.
Despite its indisputable benefits, however, ecotourism still poses certain dangers to nature and local communities. A lot of activities which are advertised as eco-friendly may lead to damage of natural sites and there is always the risk that due to the growing popularity of ecotourism, possible participation of forestry funds and involvement of larger tourist companies may diminish the financial benefits to local communities.
Nevertheless, at present, the benefits of ecotourism seem to outweigh the risks, specifically with regards to forest tourism, which has turned into a successful way of promoting forest conservation. One of the ways to further increase the positive influence of ecotourism is to ensure the involvement of local population into ecotourism services, which may be achieved through training and education. In addition, income from forest tourism should be used in order to promote sustainable forestry management.
In the last few years, the UN FAO has been providing technical assistance to various countries such as Laos, the Philippines and Tunisia to develop ecotourism as a sustainable forest use and recently started implementing an $18 million program in collaboration with Pacific islands (Fiji, Niue, Samoa and Vanuatu) aimed at developing ecotourism as a major component of sustainable forest management. This is undoubtedly a clear sign for the potential benefits of forest tourism.
People who like to travel are considering doing freelance work.
With the rising prices of commodities, it is not surprising that people are looking for other ways to earn money. Extra work is no longer an exception but a rule especially in cities where the cost of living can be really high. Now, people hold two or three jobs just to make both ends. And this is not just a trend for students but also for people who have established careers. Nowadays, everyone is doing a sideline for that extra income.
One of the most popular sources of extra money while traveling is doing freelancing. Unlike part-time jobs like babysitting on weekends or doing some hours at the local movie house after work, freelancing allows you to practice your profession. This way, you are able to use what you are already doing in your regular job and apply the things that you already know or in short your expertise.
Freelancing also affords the person more free time compared to other side jobs. This is because freelancing does not require the person to render a specific number of hours. Jobs are often per project basis. The schedule is given at the start of the contract. It is up to the person to manage or budget his time so that he can finish the job on or before the deadline. This is actually one of the good things about freelancing. The job is finished when the person is finished with it.
Another great thing about freelancing is that you can do it without being physically present. The World Wide Web and the faster transfer of data allow people to telecommute. Although they would still be doing the job, they need not be in the same area or location as the company they are working for. They can do the transactions over the internet. You can even be living in the Asian regions and do a freelancing job for a company based here in the United States.
But of course, not all things are as easy as it seems. Like everything in this world, freelance work can also be hard, especially if you are not used to doing it. Freelancing to be really successful, one must remember some important points. Here are some of them.
Build a reputation
Remember that freelance work only survive through referrals and repeat job orders. Unlike your regular job, which has a steady amount of income and a steady number of work, freelancing assignments will largely depend on the orders from people that you have already worked with and those people who have heard of your services.
The industry is quite small, when you think about it and it is important to make sure that you do your job well. Guard your reputation especially your work ethics and attitude as this will help or break your freelance career.
Make sure that there is no conflict
Although there really is no law against freelancing unless it is stipulated in the contract that you have signed when you were hired; it is still important that you consider ethical points before accepting a job.
One of the things to look into is the conflict with your company and the freelancing assignments that is being offered to you. It is ethical to refuse freelance assignments from companies that are a direct competitor of the company you are working for.
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