Ecotourism Talk

Hello everyone, welcome to Explorers Inn. I am going to give you a short talk about Ecotourism, the resident naturalist duties and my personal project within the lodge. First of all, let me introduce myself: my name is Romain, I am 21 years old, and I am enrolled here at Explorers Inn as a Resident Naturalist. The resident naturalist program is part of an Ecotourism strategy adopted by Explorers Inn since its creation thirty years ago. Our main duties consist in: 1. Climate monitoring, by taking everyday the minimum and maximum temperature and humidity, and also the precipitation everyday. 2. Maintenance, of the trails system (with more than 30 km), the RN bungalow and the library, the medicinal garden near bungalow 7 and the discovery centre upstairs in the dining room also have to be maintained. We also need to think about how we could improve things as well. 3. Talks like I am doing now 4. Create display about wildlife, the local people, the destruction of the Amazon forest, or anything related for the guests interest. 5. Teach English and other European languages to the guides and the staff, and also we have the opportunity to learn Spanish and other languages (such as Portuguese for example) 6. Mark the trails by putting a pole every 50 meters in order to calculate the distance of each trails. 7. Interact and mix with the guests to make their stay more enjoyable. 8. Assist on research project including the monitoring of the macaws in the colpita, the otters and the caimans in Cocococha Lake. In consist in counting how many they are, which species are present at what time, what are their behaviour and so on 9. Finally we have to produce weekly plans and monthly reports, about what we have done within the lodge. This program is not paid but in exchange we have a free room and board during our stay and if anybody is interested in the Resident Naturalist program, I can give you the list of our duties more in details after my talk.

Here, on the display that I have made, we have the definition of what is Ecotourism first developed bi the TIES, The International Ecotourism Society, which is Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of the local people. Explorers Inn participate in Ecotourism activities and tries to improve the following principles: Minimize the impact on the environment. For example, in cococha lake, we cannot go all around the lake with the canoes in order to conserve the ecosystems and to not disturb the giant otters who lives in their natural habitat. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect. Provide positive experiences for both the visitors and the hosts. This is also the role of the resident naturalist to create a link between those two during the meals. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation. For example, Explorers Inn is linked with Trees organization which works for conservation, preservation of the rainforest of Tambopata National Reserve and develop Research Project. Provide financial benefits and empowerment of local people. Explorers Inn is closely linked with the local Community of La Torre since its creation. It is located an the other side of the Tambopata River. For example, the community offer fruits and vegetables to Explorers Inn, and in exchange we give them the right to go up river to Puerto Maldonado with us. We also give them our kitchen waste to feed their pigs and they let the visitors to have a free tour within the community to sell man made handicrafts. Finally, to raise sensitivity to host countries political, environmental, and social climate.

Do you have any questions about Ecotourism in General? I will be pleased to answer all your questions.

In my case, I am enrolled here as a resident naturalist as it is part of the foundation degree in International Adventure Tourism Management that I am undertaking within Newcastle College in the United Kingdom since last September. Therefore, I have to produce an Ecotourism Evaluation Study in order to assess the current state of the ecotourism product that we offer, and it will also help us to improve our services and activities. My report includes 4 chapters commissioned by Chris Kirby, the RN coordinator. 1. What Ecotourism experiences does Explorers Inn offer from the point of view of the staff and the visitors. 2. What are the ecotourism expectations of visitors before they arrive at the lodge and how do these compare with their actual experiences. 3. After that, I have to think about what are the limitations of our activities and how we could improve and develop new activities. 4. Finally, my reports ends with indicators that the lodge could use in the future to gauge how effective its Ecotourism activities are. For this study, I have produce a questionnaire for you to complete which will help me to obtain the information I need. It would be very nice if you could do this for me as I am leaving very soon, and I need to do the most that I can. So is everybody Okay to do the questionnaire? It will take you between 20 and 30 minutes to fill it, and you can leave it at the reception anytime you want before your departure. Thanks a lot for your cooperation.