2008 News Archive - Holidays - Tourists can make "positive impact" through conservation

24 01 2008

Mexico is fast gaining a reputation as a top nature holiday destination among holidaymakers wishing to discover more about the country's varied ecosystem.

As such, a number of new conservation tourism programmes have been launched by the government in a bid to protect the natural world which is drawing in much of the Mexico's foreign tourism.

Ocean Conservancy announced the Sea Turtle Ecological Expeditions (SEE Turtles) conservation tourism programme, which aims to inform tourists about the areas in which sea turtle conservation efforts are underway.

"Our programme aims to empower and support communities by encouraging tourists to take sea turtle tours run by former fishermen," commented Dr Wallace J Nichols, a senior scientist with Ocean Conservancy.

It is hoped that this will create support for sea turtle protection while tourists will also be given turtle-watching guidelines to reduce negative effects on the turtles.

Ocean Conservancy believes that that holidaymakers can make a positive impact on Mexico via conservation tourism.

The Associated Press recently reported that some Mexican locals see eco-tourism as a way in which to deliver investment to "impoverished rural areas", the Mercury News reports.