Bird watching is a popular activity at Doi Inthanon National Park in Thailand
Bird watching is a popular activity at Doi Inthanon National Park in Thailand
The brilliant Green-tailed Sunbird emerged from behind the rhododendron, offering a group of excited British birders a satisfying look. This race of sunbird is endemic to Doi Inthanon National Park and a key tourist attraction for some visitors. After four days of bird watching in the area, these birders had spotted a total of 165 species, leading one veteran to describe the park as one of his "favourite places" in the whole world.
This sentiment is widely shared. In 1993, more than 900,000 people visited Doi Inthanon in northern Thailand, triple the number of a decade earlier. Most tourists come to enjoy the scenery, relax with friends, or make a pilgrimage to the summit of Mount Doi Inthanon, which is the highest peak in the country. Others, such as these birders, come specifically to experience the stunning biodiversity in the park. Growing numbers of Thais have also taken up birding, or "du nok" as it is called in Thai.
Birding is a popular form of "ecotourism", an activity that may ultimately help governments improve their management of natural resources. Ideally, ecotourists visit sites such as Doi Inthanon National Park to observe wildlife and spend money in the area. As a result, governments and locals have economic incentives to maintain these areas in a natural condition to ensure continued visits by ecotourists. Ecotourism is therefore promoted as a tool for biodiversity conservation and rural development.
To achieve these twin goals, however, careful management and planning is required. Before promoting ecotourism activities, park managers should assess and mitigate the potential impacts from ecotourism. We analyzed these impacts during an IDRC-funded study conducted at Doi Inthanon, in which 857 park visitors were interviewed. The study evaluated and compared the impact of ecotourists versus conventional tourists. In economic terms, we found that visitors to Doi Inthanon spent a total of CA$12.5 million in Thailand during their stay and that ecotourists spent 33% more than other tourists, including a higher amount inside the park.
Today, 13% of the land base of Thailand is environmentally protected. However, efficient management of the protected areas is constrained by low budgets. Park entrance fees have the potential to contribute directly to management expenses, but are currently channelled into the Thai government's general revenues. Doi Inthanon now has a two-tiered fee system, where foreigners pay a higher amount (CA$1.25 compared to $0.25) per person.
To increase revenues from ecotourism, some governments may be tempted to create additional parks. However, this approach could backfire if popular sites receive more funding for conservation purposes than less popular but more ecologically important sites. Another strategy is to request donations from park visitors. More than 80% of the tourists we surveyed said they would be willing to contribute to conservation efforts at Doi Inthanon -- one respondent said she would have made a donation "if only she knew where to give." However, other tourists were skeptical that their donations would be used efficiently and expressed concerns about the potential for corruption.
Ecotourism has the potential to cause harmful environmental impacts. One issue is the harassment of wildlife. For example, some birders attract birds by whistling or playing a tape- recorded song, which brings them out into the open to confront the "intruder". When used too often, however, this strategy may cause birds undue stress. Another issue is trampling. Birders often venture off the trail in pursuit of birds, damaging the underlying vegetation and soil in the process. To reduce this problem, park managers have constructed a raised boardwalk around a heavily-used bog at the summit of Doi Inthanon.
Litter is also a concern. Most of the birders we surveyed were conscientious about keeping the park clean. But Phil Round, an ornithologist and conservationist in Thailand, says that even when litter is placed in garbage bins, it may end up being thrown into the woods and burned. Similarly, air pollution can be a problem on busy weekends when up to 5,000 vehicles travel to the summit each day. Fortunately, some tourists use public transport, especially trekkers and birders.
Besides its economic and environmental impacts, ecotourism can have social effects. At Doi Inthanon, more than 4,000 people, including Thais, Karen, and Hmong, inhabit some 600 villages located in the park. Hilltribe villagers earn a living by growing rice and cash crops, such as ornamental flowers and strawberries, which are often sold in nearby cities. About 80% of villagers also collect plants and fuelwood for personal use or to sell. Villagers raise additional revenue by selling garden produce and handicrafts to tourists. If hilltribes can benefit economically from ecotourism, they may support habitat-protection initiatives and depend less on unsustainable uses of park resources.
Currently, around one-third of all tourists stop at the hilltribe villages, where their contact with residents is mostly restricted to the souvenir trade. The exception are trekkers whose goal is to experience village life and interact with the locals. For hilltribe villages, the impacts of tourism include increased commercialization, altered food habits, and the substitution of traditional dress for Western clothing such as t-shirts. More than 60% of the trekkers we surveyed felt that their contact with village residents had negative economic and social impacts.
By contrast, the impact of ecotourism is generally more benign. At the Doi Inthanon Birding Center, birders are given the opportunity to share the excitement of recent sightings with each other. The Center, operated by a Thai birder, is a place to exchange news and gossip over a delicious Thai meal. It was here that a bird watcher from England celebrated a rare milestone -- sighting his 2,500th bird species (out of some 9,000 known species around the world).
The primary goal of Thai national parks is to conserve the land in a natural state, while providing opportunities for education and recreation. Compared with other types of tourism, ecotourism has the most potential to meet these goals. It is clear from our research that ecotourists are distinct from conventional tourists and have different -- and often more beneficial -- environmental, social, and economic impacts on protected areas.
Glen Hvenegaard is a geography professor at Augustana University College in Camrose, Alberta and the 1993 recipient of IDRC's Young Canadian Researcher's Award. Philip Dearden is a geography professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Resource Persons:
Glen T. Hvenegaard, Department of Geography, Augustana University College, 4901-46 Avenue, Camrose, Alberta, T4V 2R3, Canada; Tel: (403) 679-1574; Fax: (403) 679-1129; E-mail: hveng@augustana.ab.ca
Philip Dearden, Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3P5, Canada