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ECOCLUB, Issue 93
that the very foundation for business success in the long term was to protect the natural and cultural heritage of our planet. I
started calling this idea "conservation sociology" in the 1970s. In the 1980's, I was referring to it as environmental tourism and
by 1990, it had morphed into ecotourism. During this same time period, other people in Africa and elsewhere in the world were
having similar ideas and eventually we would connect with each other and put in motion a global ecotourism movement. I still
believe in it as passionately today as I did in the shadows of Mount Kenya when these thoughts first entered my mind 29 years
ago. Along the way, there have been many challenges but we have learned from failures and built upon the successes.
I think it is accurate to say today that ecotourism was the catalyst for transforming the way we travel. There are now hundreds of
successful ecotourism projects and businesses around the world. Sustainable tourism, agro-tourism, geotourism, green travel -
all of these different offshoots of responsible travel practices grew out of the early days of ecotourism.
ECOCLUB.com: Is there a real need for Ecotourism certification? Is it feasible?
Costas Christ: I think that certification will eventually come whether we think it should or not. Travellers continue to ask for an
easier way for well-meaning tourists who want to take a nature or adventure trip to have some kind of label or certification that
they can rely on to know what companies are doing the real work to make tourism an opportunity for our planet and not a threat
to it.
We do not yet have a globally accepted standard for ecotourism certification nor an easy way to fund such a global certification
scheme but Eco-Australia's certification program, Rainforest Alliance's "Smart Voyager" certification and the CST program in
Costa Rica are examples of the evolution of working certification programs that seem to be having a good impact.
ECOCLUB.com: In relation to your experience in Africa, does tourism make a real difference? Can it really bring
peace and prosperity or are these prerequisites? Do luxury safaris and exclusive lodges adequately benefit local
communities overall, apart from a handful of community-owned luxury lodges? Is luxury and exclusivity morally
acceptable in this continent, or should tourists rather patronise more modest outfits?
Costas Christ: Africa should cast its net wide and have all forms of tourism from low cost safaris to high end luxury. Of course,
what type of tourism you have varies from destination to destination, but certainly there are excellent luxury camps like Campi
Ya Kanzi in Kenya or Phinda Private Reserve in South Africa that have had major positive impacts on the lives of local people
and protection of nature. Tourism done well according to the principles of sustainability, can make a significant contribution to
the economic well being of rural peoples and the protection of wildlife in Africa. And a prerequisite for tourism's economic and
social benefits is peace and stability. At the same time, tourism can also lead to more peace and stability between countries. The
East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are continuing to look at how they can once again (post cold-war era)
create a working East African Community of nations to promote economic and political cooperation through the movement of
tourists across their borders. In Mozambique, the Peace Park that straddles Mozambique and South Africa came together as a
way to facilitate tourism economic development in the region as well as promote conservation and peace.
So tourism can play an important role in building bridges of cooperation and understanding between the governments and
peoples of different countries. Also, when it comes to international tourists, having more Americans and Europeans travelling to
Africa in a responsible way allows them to get to know Africans first hand. It helps to dispel the myths and stereotypes about
Africa and Africans and allows Westerners an opportunity to understand that Africa is not just a place of tragedy but one of
hope, incredible natural history and about the strength and dignity of her peoples.
ECOCLUB.com: As an ecotour operator and activist do you voice your concerns about human rights and social
injustices or do you prefer to "leave only footprints" as the mantra goes?
Costas Christ: My entire involvement with ecotourism from the very beginning has been about addressing fundamental human
needs - the right to education, health care, clean water, food, and social justice - just as much as it has been about protecting the
environment and saving wildlife.
In the late 1980's, I was declared persona non grata and ordered out of Kenya by the Moi regime because of my stinging
political criticisms published in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune about the government's human rights
abuses, rampant corruption and escalating wildlife poaching in and around national parks. A close friend of mine - an old Kenya
park ranger who was like a mentor to me - was killed by poachers in 1989 who drove on the main road right into Meru National
Park in day light and drove out with no problem whatsoever. To me that is as much a human rights abuse as it is a crisis for
protecting wildlife. Kenya is much better off today than it was then with leaders like Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari
Mathai, serving in the government which is why it has also had a resurgence in tourism in recent years. But economic and social
justice along with protecting nature are core values that should be found in all ecotourism practices.
ECOCLUB.com: Recently when you were presenting the prestigious 2007 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, in
Portugal, you stated: "the winners represent a major turning point in the global tourism industry. Gone are the days
when there were only a handful of ecolodges or a few small tour operators who were doing sustainable tourism
