Nature conservation in danger when tourism collapses in the pandemic.

08/12/2020 Business, World

(CNN) – Two decades ago, Rosa María Ruiz purchased 4,000 acres of land (9,885 acres) of land along the Beni River, near the small village of Rurrenabaque, with the aim of transforming a heavily landscaped patch of the Bolivian Amazon into a thriving private nature reserve.

The Bolivian eco-warrior had just succeeded in creating what the Wildlife Conservation Society considers to be the most biodiverse protected area on the planet, the nearby Madidi National Park, but received its focal criticism of Madidi’s protection under government control. her out. Undeterred, they set up their own private park and named it Serere after a gangly bird with a blue face and punk rock hair.

Fast forward to early 2020, and Serere Eco-Reserve was home to more than 300 bird species and some of South America’s most escaped mammals, including dwarf leopards, nocturnal monkeys, jaguars, tapirs and giant anteaters. The revival of this little swamp of the Amazon was made possible by the support of foreign eco-tourists who paid about $ 100 a day for all-inclusive nights filled with walking, conservation lessons and family-style food from the garden to the place.

Rosa María Ruiz has fought for decades to protect the Bolivian Amazon.

Courtesy Madidi Travel

Then, of course, the pandemic hit, and Serere has not welcomed a single visitor since March 23rd. With no incoming funds, and not much in the way of savings, Ruiz had to cut staff from 40 to just seven rangers who were already chasing poachers and saw about 7 acres of forest plundered for timber (a trend reflected across the Amazon Basin) .

“We can not continue with the rate we are at now without further support,” she says, noting a GoFundMe campaign has been created to address the emergency response. “It is obvious that if we do not have a presence and protection in Serere, especially because of the economic crisis that everyone is living in now, then those who are hard will continue to cut down the trees and sell wood for easy money.”

It is a predicate to do with highly respected conservation projects across the developing world, which have spent much of 2020 navigating the new reality of trying to protect wildlife while dealing with the fiscal fallout from Covid-19.

Serere Eco-Reserve in Bolivia has not welcomed visitors since March 23.

Courtesy Madidi Travel

Wildlife tourism: An industry at risk

In the early days of the pandemic, the internet was booming with stories of wild springs in Barcelona, cougars in the Chilean capital Santiago and dolphins in canals in Venice (the latter being viral fake news). Animals, it seems, were flourishing in the era of coronavirus lockon.

These “good news” stories of animals roaming free were what we all hung on to at the time, but they overshadowed a more unfortunate reality.

Tourism has been the vulnerable pillar on which thousands of conservation projects have stood for decades, helping to protect wildlife, commercial and refugee animals, rehabilitate livelihoods and educate the public about sustainability. When that pillar overnight in the midst of global travel constraints collapsed, the system collapsed.

Wildlife reserves in the developing world, unlike American National Parks at present, are low. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a good thing for animals.

Not only does the presence of eco-tourist keep poachers and loggers on the bay, but at well-managed reserves, their fundraisers, veterinary programs and rescue centers for animals in parts of the world that do not lack robust public parking systems.

It also provides a vital source of income for rural and disenfranchised communities.

A 2019 estimate from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) put the direct value of wildlife tourism at $ 120 billion. It generates 21.8 million global jobs and is primarily vital in Africa (where it accounts for 36.3% of the travel and tourism sector), Latin America (where it accounts for 8.6%) and Asia. Pacific Ocean (where it is 5.8%).

This income has virtually evaporated as a result of Covid-19, putting the animals – and those who care for and depend on it – at risk.

Most of the elephants at the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayaboury, Laos, were rescued from the logging as a tourism sector.

Mark Johanson

Start for money

The Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) is a 6,000-hectare (14,825-acre) reserve in northern Laos that cares for 34 rescued Asian elephants, helping them resuscitate and, eventually, return to the wild. Laos has fewer than 400 wild elephants and about the same number in captivity, according to government estimates, making programs like this essential to tip the scale.

Some 85% of the ECC’s income comes from paid visitors and volunteers, who spend around $ 110 a day on multiple educational stays that do not involve invasive riding or bathing with animals.

Even though Laos has so far been largely spared by the coronavirus, with just 20 confirmed cases, tourism at the ECC is limited to a few expats and local people. Now the search for donors and money has been granted to stay afloat, keep its 34 mahouts (elephant trainers) deployed and carry out its larger mission to use elephants as a symbol to raise awareness for the conservation of less-favored regional habitats. contain iconic endangered species.

“I was quite happy with the ECC’s business model, because we were kind of independent of donor money, thanks to this income generated by tourists,” explains founder Sebastien Duffillot. “Going back to paying for money is not ideal because funds are not so easy to get these days and the tourism model was much more sustainable.”

A ranger on a de-snaring patrol in Kenya’s Mara Triangle contains items he has collected.

Adam Bannister

To stop support, fund a ranger

Africa is probably the most affected by the sudden decline of ecotourism. Some 67 million tourists visited the continent in 2018, according to the UN World Tourism Organization, with many encouraged by the opportunity to go on a once-in-a-lifetime safari.

“Thanks to the pandemic, we are seeing massive numbers of people completely out of work,” said Soraya Shattuck, executive director of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF), a non-profit that promotes the environment and culture. of the travel community utilizes efforts for maximum impact.

“Not only did hotels and lodges have to close their doors, but think about the impact this has had on the wealthy people involved in this industry,” she adds. “That means the chefs, the drivers, the hotel staff, the artisan salesmen, the rangers – all these people who depend on visitors have no more income, and they can be the primary income generator for their whole family.”

Shattuck says that without extra eyebrows in the parks of the continent, some communities are drawn into poaching out of despair. They do not necessarily focus on elephants and rhinos, she explains, but set strings for other bushmeats that they can either sell or use to feed their families.

The ATCF is trying to tackle the problem with a campaign to fund rangers hoping to stream money for those at the forefront of the environmental crisis.

Cheetahs, one of the most endangered of the big cats in the world, run across the Mara Triangle in Maasai Mara, Kenya.

Tyler Davis

The signs of silver linings

A 2019 WTTC study found that the average time from impact to economic recovery after disease outbreaks is 19.4 months for the travel industry. That, of course, is just an estimate. If there is one thing that is certain about the current pandemic, it is that everything remains uncertain.

Yet there are some signs of hope on the horizon.

China, the largest market for illegal wildlife products, has suspended trade in wildlife and promised to impose a permanent ban on the sale and consumption of wildlife (although this has yet to be finalized). In addition, a recent report by the Wildlife Justice Commission found that trade has been severely curtailed by current travel restrictions.

Several travel brands, including luxury outfits and Beyond, offer virtual safaris that keep guides paid and raise money for community development projects, while others, such as Desert & Delta Safaris, sell vouchers for future trips, a percentage of which are aimed directly at emergency conservation initiatives in local communities living near wildlife.

In the ecotourism sector, Shattuck says it has seen an increase in partial share of financial resources, where companies will add a mandatory fee (per guest, per night) that goes directly to conservation efforts.

“The goal is to protect the communities that protect these natural habitats,” she says. “So, if you had to cancel your $ 5000 safari, you can have an extra $ 50 in your pocket today to make sure that when you go next year the place is still intact.”

Governments are so envious of the human need of Covid-19 that there has not been much investment in the natural need. However, the two intrinsically linked.

Coronavirus is caused by transmission of zoonotic diseases, which most commonly occur when wild animals come in close contact with each other and humans. There are most chances of this on wildlife and in conflict between humans and animals such as poaching.

By protecting wildlife and their natural habitats, we can simply protect ourselves from the next pandemic.

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