Observing firsthand, and reading scientific data about how rapidly our planet’s wild areas are shrinking, I have often wondered how this can be changed.
I fully understand that it is practically useless to appeal to people’s sense of responsibility. Theoretically, everyone supports all the good things and is against all the bad things—until it affects their personal interests. Of course, the destruction of wild nature always involves someone’s specific economic interests. For example, the Amazon rainforest is shrinking because certain tree species are valuable for timber, because farmers need land for agriculture and pastures, and because oil and gas can be extracted from the jungle. People living near the jungle, or investors from other countries, know how to profit from it.
But what do the jungles give a person? Hunting and fishing are not as vital for survival nowadays. Everyone has heard that the Amazon rainforest is the «lungs of the planet.» It’s a beautiful poetic phrase, a metaphor. But does anyone actually feel like they’re suffocating from a lack of oxygen? I don’t know such people. You could say that wild nature is very beautiful. But those cutting down the forest will tell you: we’ll leave you some picturesque spots to admire. And indeed, there are beautiful waterfalls like Iguazu and Angel, surrounded by national parks that probably won’t be touched for now. There’s Machu Picchu, where no one would dare cut down the forest around it either. That’s enough for us to admire. But everyone has concrete economic interests. The poor think about how to feed their children. The rich think about how to send those children to prestigious schools. These are the pressing issues people think about every day. And we must admit that such concerns matter much more to people than preserving wild nature.
For this reason, I see the only possible way to preserve wild nature is to make its conservation economically beneficial for all the people living near it.
I’m talking about creating large national parks and developing eco-tourism. In some places on the planet, this already works wonderfully. For example, in many parts of Canada and the USA, in Australia and New Zealand, and in Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile. Locally, this works on all continents and almost in every country. But it’s still very limited. There are far more wild areas that are not protected. And it is in these places that nature is being ravaged. Even within formally reserved areas, there is often widespread poaching, illegal logging, and illegal gold mining that pollutes rivers. Efforts are needed at the government level and from conscious large and medium-sized businesses. Effective actions are needed not only from the governments of specific countries (in some countries, we’ll have to wait a long time for this) but also at the level of the global community as a whole. We need to expand the concept of «home» to the scale of the planet. Otherwise, we won’t solve these problems.
How does civilized eco-tourism differ from typical trips to nature? First, everything is planned to minimize damage to the flora and fauna of the visited places. There are strict rules on where you can go and where you can’t, how to interact with wild animals, and how not to interact with them. Eco-tourists don’t leave non-organic waste, don’t cut down trees, and only light fires in permitted areas. Second, everything is planned with safety in mind. Routes are developed by professionals, with difficulty levels clearly marked. Trails are convenient for ordinary people and don’t require special training. There are special routes for trained individuals. Guards ensure the rules are followed. There are professionally trained local guides. Eco-lodges—hotels in the wilderness that have minimal impact on the environment but allow tourists to stay surrounded by rich vegetation and wildlife—can be built. People who travel across various countries and continents know how wonderful this experience can be. Thanks to modern technology, a very comfortable stay can be organized in most wild places on the planet. Of course, this will not be cheap. But many people will be happy to pay for it. For those who wish to visit such national parks more affordably, special camping areas can be developed, where everyone can live in their own tent while following the general rules of living.
As I already mentioned, such examples of well-organized national parks can be found in several places on our planet. Moreover, local residents get well-paid jobs there. In small towns near such parks, people have excellent opportunities to open successful small businesses: mini-hotels, cafes, restaurants, transportation services, various services, and shops for tourists. Residents of these prosperous towns will never vote for deforestation of the local jungles and will actively protect the wild nature that literally sustains them. The task is to apply this experience in as many places as possible. In many countries, the population of such small towns and villages is not very educated. This means that similar models in such places should be implemented by people from larger cities or from other countries. They need to persuade local authorities to move in this direction and make the necessary investments. Such investments are an investment in the future of humanity. After all, very soon, the lack of wild nature will become quite noticeable.
But beyond organizing such national parks, eco-lodges, and services on-site, there is another important task. We need to cultivate conscious tourists. It sounds funny, but it’s entirely possible. Tourism as an activity is growing rapidly. Just a few decades ago, only a handful of people could be considered tourists in the current sense of the word. Now, there are hundreds of millions traveling around the world, not for business but simply for the pleasure of traveling, discovering something new, for exploration. It’s an interesting phenomenon that has spontaneously emerged and is developing rapidly. The majority of these people flock to big cities: Paris, London, New York. Also, a huge number of tourists head to famous beach resorts each year, from budget-friendly Turkey to exotic islands in the Pacific and the Caribbean. All of this is informative, beneficial, and good. But if someone only knows this kind of tourism, they’ve seen very little. In recent years, so many new interesting directions in tourism have emerged that simply listing them would take a lot of time.
I see the goal as increasing the share of tourists who skillfully travel into the wild across different continents of our planet. I know people who can easily afford to travel several times a year without it affecting their family budget. Many of them engage in various forms of charity, from small to large scale. They love combining something pleasant and interesting for themselves with something socially beneficial. If this idea is made popular and mainstream, it will appeal to many. We can travel, discover new places, spend time in a way that’s beneficial for our health, and at the same time help preserve wild nature. It’s a fantastic opportunity. Instead of flying to Milan for shopping or Turkey for the beach for the tenth time, we can participate in saving the planet. We can support people who will physically work to protect it.
Among widely and frequently traveling people, there’s a stereotype—to visit world-renowned places. There’s a kind of «must-do» list: visit Table Mountain in Australia, Machu Picchu in Peru, the pyramids in Egypt, the Galapagos in Ecuador, a series of famous waterfalls: Iguazu, Victoria, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, and so on. I understand people’s desire to see places they’ve heard so much about. But in Peru alone, there are dozens of places as interesting as Machu Picchu! The same can be said for Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico, Argentina, and so on. When you arrive in any country, it’s sometimes useful to expand your understanding of it. Sometimes when looking at people’s travel photos on Instagram, it seems like everyone is following the same route with the goal of taking identical selfies! Yet, just off the standard path lies a wealth of amazing and incredibly interesting places. By visiting less popular spots, we support people who haven’t been spoiled by tourist money and attention. Whereas in branded tourist spots, we often end up feeding a bunch of different hustlers. Let’s open ourselves up to more new experiences and support ordinary people!
I also often hear about the importance of preserving the culture and traditional way of life of small indigenous groups. This topic is very close to my heart. I see with my own eyes that the trends are extremely negative. If things continue as they are, practically nothing will be preserved anywhere. You’ll end up seeing shows with costumed «natives» who’ve long forgotten their language, culture, and traditions. I see how different indigenous groups are gradually dissolving into a faceless mass that doesn’t know its roots. No special government programs work effectively. But well-organized ethno-tourism might.
When people who are genuinely interested in how you live, how you build your homes, fish, and cook food start visiting you, when these people pay good money for handmade items you create, you will gain more self-respect and won’t want to forget your roots. But ethno-tourism must also be organized correctly. If it involves visiting indigenous villages, it should be safe for both the tourists and the indigenous people. Ideally, real ethnographers or anthropologists who understand how to help rather than harm should be involved in organizing such a business. A proper balance must be maintained. Unfortunately, I often see how spontaneous tourism by ignorant people harms small communities. But oblivion and the aggressive influence of civilization do even greater harm to them. On their own, in today’s reality, they can no longer preserve their way of life. The exception is tiny groups of indigenous people who deliberately retreat deep into the jungle, far from civilization. But they should never be sought out, and if accidentally spotted from a plane, no contact should be made. History has shown that such encounters only bring harm to them.
Those who know me personally or regularly read my articles are aware that I organize and lead special expeditions that involve visiting authentic shamans from various tribes. Shamans who can do amazing things during their sacred ceremonies. Studying shamanism in the Amazon with like-minded people led me to this form of work. Later, I organized similar work in Mexico. I found a way to support the last remaining authentic shamans by providing them with meaningful, valuable work in which they are true professionals.
Over the years of work, facing various challenges of all kinds, I found a balance in how to interact without harming the shamans, while supporting them and helping expedition participants gain unique experiences and address health issues and psychological concerns. It turned out to be highly effective. Many people return to gain even deeper experiences. But many times, I’ve seen some people observe and think: «This works well for him, we want that too.» Already, quite a few people, without understanding all aspects and nuances of this work, have rushed into trying to do something similar. With some, I immediately knew what to expect. With others, I watched, thinking that perhaps over time they would succeed. But the result was always the same: numerous side effects, significant harm to the shamans, and serious harm to the tourists. Moreover, these people began to discredit this kind of work, turning it into some sort of fraudulent esoteric tourism, spreading various forms of ignorance. In recent years, the number of authentic shamans has dwindled to a handful. Meanwhile, «shamanic» centers have proliferated. Every year in Peru and other countries, hundreds if not thousands of pseudo-shamans emerge. And tourists’ lack of discernment only worsens the situation.
This example has shown me how important it is for adventure tourism of all kinds—eco-tourism, ethno-tourism, alpine tourism, diving tourism, freediving tourism, and so on—to be conducted by professionals who have dedicated many years of their lives to this field, who take personal responsibility for the safety and health of tourists, and who genuinely care about preserving the environment in which they work. There can be tourism for conservation. But for this to happen, consumers need to become more informed, consciously choosing to invest in what benefits rather than harms or wastes. The human population is growing. Our planet is becoming increasingly compact. Today, we can quickly travel to different continents, to the most remote corners of the Earth. We can do so while supporting and saving the planet, or we can cause even more harm. Let’s consciously choose the former, so our children inherit a beautiful and clean large home where they can live happily.
