I am all for ecotourism, but there are two kinds.
One type reminds me of that song "big yellow taxi" where they cut down the trees, to put in a parking lot, then charge a dollar to see the one tree they left standing..
the other type is conserving everything in its natural state, and allowing tourist to appreciate it without disturbing it, in this case, the ecology takes priority over profits.
Many parks in the US I know, will sometimes shut down certain areas when over used, to allow the area to recuperate.
I always felt that what this country needs is a nice hiking trail. I imagined a trail that crossed the Haitises, with some campsites ( tent only ), but then I thought, OMG that would never work here, soon you would have horses being rented, concession stands, ATV being rented, people leaving trash all over, tree cutting for camp fires.
On the Appalachian trail, individuals and organizations have adopted parts of the trail, and are maintained gratis, hikers, specially the really dedicated ones. will clean up after themselves ( leave no trace ) and sometimes clean up after others. I just do not see that happening here in the D.R. anytime soon.
Don't get me wrong I know that both forms or tourism exist in the US too. but at least some areas are well protected.
I have been in this country a loooong time, i have seen quite little fishing villages like Bayahibe turn into Boca Chica, pristine virgin beaches turn into concession stand sprawl. and now a cement factory planned for the haitises.
As to the article, I am glad that locals have found the importance of preserving the ecology of their area.
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