Eco-Tourism in Haiti
Cleaning the streets of trash and waste.
-Photo courtesy of Viva Rio
It seems like every one is going green these days. The threat of global warming and the pressure to aide the environment is no stranger to the most insignificant of countries like Haiti. The small island in the Caribbean continuously suffers through a myriad of natural disasters and they still struggle to discover realistic solutions for sustainability of their environment, culture, economy, and the general security for future generations. However, becoming eco-friendly can be expensive, and Haiti doesn't have a lot of excess wealth to turn into environmental projects. That's where tourism steps into the mix. A major income for Haiti is their tourist attractions. The island is covered with beautiful mountains, diverse wild-life, and culturally rich down-towns to be explored by visitors from all corners of the earth. An influx of tourists, however, can have devastating effects on the natural resources of the country. To combat these adverse effects, Haiti has initiated various programs that resolve the environmental stress that tourists unconsciously discharge. One program in particular is called Viva Rio. It works with hotels on the island to promote sustainability. Using taxes from the hotels, the company has started reforestation in uprooted parts of the forest, Bio-digestion to clean up sewage, Trash maintenance to keep the streets and water lines uncontaminated, and has especially helped to boost the local economy by giving Haiti natives jobs and hope for an improved future.
Along with Haiti, there are numerous countries faced with diminishing natural resources accounted to tourism. I urge you to consider the impacts on the environment you have every time you travel and to search for ways to minimize those impacts. Try to research programs that give back to the country to promote longevity in everything the country has to offer tourists. Utilizing programs like Viva Rio when you visit a new place enables the country succeed and contributes to increasing their resources in unimaginable ways rather than destroying them.
Along with Haiti, there are numerous countries faced with diminishing natural resources accounted to tourism. I urge you to consider the impacts on the environment you have every time you travel and to search for ways to minimize those impacts. Try to research programs that give back to the country to promote longevity in everything the country has to offer tourists. Utilizing programs like Viva Rio when you visit a new place enables the country succeed and contributes to increasing their resources in unimaginable ways rather than destroying them.