Good examples of wildlife tourism
The impact of seeing animals in the wild is a highly emotional one, touching the psyche in multi-dimensional ways. For people growing up in the Global North this is probably informed by books we have read growing up, or films we have seen. From Kipling to Call of the Wild, wildlife have been at the center of storytelling for many of us since an early age. Yet wildlife and conservation storytelling in tourism is still thin on the ground, despite the fact that many of the tales to be told are verging on epics, and true ones not fictional.
For tourism destinations this lack of storytelling in wildlife content may be due to the simple fact that images of tigers, gorillas or whales sell trips. The stories of the person who works tirelessly to protect against poaching, polluting, exploitation and unethical practices are somehow less interesting to them. But not to travelers, in our view. When you meet a local community who have campaigned to protect wildlife in a way that also invites sustainable tourism, it makes you want to travel there and see the fruits of their labor. It’s not all about the Big Five of safaris either. Sometimes it’s the quiet wildlife rescuers that are the ones to watch.
Bears and rewilding in Kočevsko, Slovenia
The reintroduction of bears in Slovenia and other parts of Europe has been a major feature of rewilding work, and the organization Rewilding Europe has led on a lot of these. The vast, ancient forest region of Kočevsko in Slovenia is an important case study in welcoming the concept of rewilding and bringing back its bears. This has taken time and a lot of collaboration between a wary local community, conservationists and forest services. However, reintroducing bears is no picnic and, as with all change, education and training have played an important part.
As part of this process, observatories have been built where local people have been learning more about bear behaviour which, in turn, has alleviated any fears that have been handed down through the generations. During the pandemic, forest walking and a deeper connection to nature have grown in popularity, and understanding the importance and presence of bears in these forests has developed as a result.
Local communities also understand that ecotourism products that revolve around bear and wildlife watching can only bring good to the region, especially as nature tourism is going to be one of the biggest growth areas moving forward. It is of no surprise, therefore, that the Kočevsko tourist board has given bears and other wildlife watching tours prominence on their website.
Ecological Sanctuary of Pipa, Brazil
Gaining international recognition for protecting wildlife in Brazil can be tricky given that the Amazon rainforest is what gets the limelight most of the time. Not to ignore the plight of the rainforest of course, we can’t overlook the stories of conservation elsewhere in Brazil. The Ecological Sanctuary of Pipa, on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic in the municipality of Tibau Do Sul, is one of those, protecting a 2 kilometer corridor of ancient Atlantic forests that once covered a vast coastal area.
As well as protecting indigenous plants and trees in this clifftop sanctuary, the owner and passionate conservationist David Hassett has created a wildlife cocoon overlooking the beaches of Baía dos Golfinhos and part of Madeiro Beach. He has done this in partnership with the Tamar Project whose mission is “to develop conservation and research actions for sea turtles.” In addition to contributing towards sea turtle conservation, the 80 hectares of protected forest are also a safe haven for reptiles, racoons and a plethora of important insects. They have even discovered a new species of bird, the Chorozinho-da-Caatinga.
One of the reasons that this project was a finalist in the Green Destinations Awards in 2021 is because this sustainable development has largely been thanks to the commitment of the community who feel a real sense of ownership of this new wild space on their doorstep.