Rainforest Tours: Nature Appreciation or Ecological Destruction?

Perhaps so, but many would argue that this is natural and unavoidable. Species are introduced into new areas constantly and we are powerless to stop it. Even strict quarantine laws at continental borders cannot totally eradicate the introduction of foreign species into a continent. This position holds that the environment, and more specifically the rainforest, is resilient and dynamic. A tour group will have little effect on the rainforest as a whole and their advocacy may do more to preserve the area than their walk did to destroy it.

In the same vein, there are rainforest advocates who concede that small, controlled tour groups allow non-natives the opportunity to see this dwindling resource firsthand before it disappears. The benefit is two-fold; first, more people will have the opportunity to see the rainforest before it is gone and second, they may, in turn, become advocates for preservation themselves.

We must ask ourselves which path treats this part of nature with the most respect while taking into account the insatiable human need for exploration; absolute protectionism or moderate environmental conservation? Perhaps if we could turn exploitation into constructive use and destruction into education, we would be on the path to living in balance with the rest of our planet.

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