Ecotourism For Development In South Africa

Ecotourism For Development In South Africa The South African government, along with many other governments of developing nations, has recognized the potential economic benefits of tourism. These include job creation, inflow of foreign exchange, and increased gross domestic product (Kaplan 2004: 219). The countrys government has also made ecotourism a priority, updating infrastructure to support the industry (Van Amerom 2006: 115). If it does so with sustainability in mind, South Africa could use tourism to capitalize on the benefits of tourism and successfully boost their development in the long-term. My family and I got to experience South Africas growing ecotourism industry when we moved there six years ago. My memories of living and traveling there sparked my interest in tourisms potential to reduce poverty. This paper will specifically focus on how South Africa could use the growing branch of ecotourism to increase employment and economic growth in some of the countrys poorest areas, which happen to be rich in ecotourism potential. South Africa has the power to use ecotourism in a way that benefits the countrys poor and simultaneously promotes environmental conservation to produce a sustainable profit-generating industry. Before I examine how South Africa could use ecotourism as a means of development, it is important to recognize the massive increase in tourism that the nation and the continent have witnessed in the last ten years, especially since the dismantling of apartheid. The growth in tourism has been truly enormous and is demonstrated by UN World Tourism Organizations statistics. According to the WTO (2010), the continent of Africa saw a total of 46 million international tourists in 2009 (8). 28.1 million of these tourists went to Sub-Saharan Africa, up from 6.4 million back in 1990 (WTO 2010: 4). This figure displays the significant growth that has occurred in the region in just nearly a decade. What is most critical is that, in the past ten years, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen an average 6.3% annual rate of increase in the number of tourists arriving in the region (WTO 2010: 4). This steady rate of growth in the area is promising for South Africas future and its potential to benefit from tour ism and advance development. It is also important to note that South Africa is a major player in Africas tourism, capturing 15.4% of all of the 46 million international arrivals in 2009 (WTO 2010: 9). While is not known what percentage of tourists visiting South Africa are purely there as ecotourists, ecotourism is unquestionably a growing industry and has been credited for some of the growth of tourism on the African continent (Van Amerom 2006: 112). This is why I am going to critically examine how such tourism and ecotourism industry growth can help South Africa to develop. The very nature of ecotourism makes it valuable to examine as a potential means of advancing development in South Africa. The South African government defines ecotourism as environmentally and socially responsible travel to natural or near natural areas that promotes conservation, has low visitor impact and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local people (White Papers 1996 :Definitions). The fact that ecotourism is based in the environment, is supposed to be environmentally and culturally educational, and is environmentally sustainable (Ayotte 2009: 14) means that it can work in South Africa and for the countrys overall development. South Africa is a country that is well predisposed to take advantage of ecotourism (Van Amerom 2006: 115) because it has basic tourism infrastructure coupled with the fact that it is rich in history, culture and environmental treasures- all things that ecotourists seek to experience. These assets give South Africa an advantage over many other countries in the tourism industry, which gives it comparative advantage in the world tourism market. Furthermore, since ecotourism is nature and culture based, South Africans will be capable of and inclined to preserve these treasures that generate revenue. Ayotte points out that, because of its sustainability, ecotourism is an alternative to traditional resource dependent industries which deplete finite resources (2009:2). One such example is the mining industry, which not only depletes limited resources but has also experienced massive job losses (Binns and Nel 2002: 236). Unlike the mining industry, tourism can be sustainable, as in the case of a local community being inclined to want to preserve a certain traditional ceremony of theirs that tourists will pay to experience. Instead of losing this aspect of their culture in any way, they will have the chance to profit off of it and preserve it for future profit. Profits support development of these host communities , especially in poorer rural communities, which ecotourism has the potential to extend to. Again, South Africa is in a superior position to take advantage of ecotourists because of the resources it has. What is more, tourism promotion is considered an inexpensive way to promote economic growth (Binns and Nel 2002:236). These factors make ecotourism a good industry for long-term sustainable profit and sequentially long-term development. Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has been in a good position to take advantage of ecotourism for economic development. Since then, Western governments have been eager to provide support politically and economically for the country that it had previously held sanctions against for decades (Van Amerom 2006 :116). Such sanctions were certainly an economic hindrance to development in the country. The international community embraced South Africa after apartheid ended, and the country was allowed to host the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 as well as the Soccer World Cup in 2010. This international attention has boosted the marketing of tourism attractions (Van Amerom 2006: 116) The international attention that south Africa has received does not seem to be going anywhere. President Zuma recently boasted that he has already acquired ninety-five meetings and conferences between 2010 and 2016 (Visas to promote tourism 2011) for the country, which surely adds momentum to its positive international standing. The country is therefore in a position to take advantage of its good image and all of the attention it has gotten. With all of that being said, The West still holds a considerable amount of influence over tourism to the country. Unfavorable media coverage or travel advisories could affect the future of South Africas tourism industry negatively (Van Amerom 2006: 117). That is why South Africa should continue to pursue its positive international image and simultaneously work to promote ecotourism, a form of tourism that also has a positive image. One development issue which South Africa faces that can be alleviated with ecotourism is unemployment. The number of unemployed plus those too discouraged to seek work is currently close to 30% (The Economist 2011: 54). That is why the South African government is presently focusing on creating jobs and reducing unemployment. President Jacob Zuma gave an address to the nation on February10th where he declared that he wants to boost tourism because every sixteen tourists create one job (Visas to promote tourism 2011). Regardless of how precise this statistic is, tourists do create jobs, and South Africa needs jobs. Therefore, the country should do all it can to promote tourism which alleviates joblessness and consequently promotes development. Kaplan elaborates that in addition, tourism typically employs a high proportion of women (Kaplan 2004: 219). Ecotourism as an industry that is capable of spreading around profits and benefits which promote development for more people. Along with providing jobs for women, ecotourism is able to spread development benefits to the poorer rural areas of South Africa, making it a beneficial aid to countrys overall development. These communities often hold unique cultural traditions or are located near natural treasures that are appealing to ecotourists. Ecotourism would bring profit and thus development to rural regions of the country that are excluded from the economic benefits of mass tourism, for instance in Cape Town or Johannesburg. This is what makes ecotourism superior to mass tourism. Binns and Nel explain that the government is anxious to ensure that the benefits [of tourism] are felt in all parts of the country (2002: 236). Ecotourism can do this. Binns and Nel highlight an example of a town called Still Bay, which experienced economic collapse after its fishing industry failed. The area consequently faced a disastrous 85% unemployment rate (2002: 240). The town desperately needed to diversify its economy and create jobs so they began to market themselves as a tourist destination, calling the town The Bay of Sleeping Beauty (Binns and Nel 2002: 241). The leaders of the community also coordinated to build the Jagersbosch Community Care Centre, which managed funds to promote development. The Bay of Sleeping Beauty tourism campaign was remarkably successful because the town is located along The Garden Route, an already popular tourism area. Still Bay was also blessed with incredible natural beauty as well as archaeological heritage sites, whale watching, and an annual town festival. All of these factors helped lower the unemployment rate to almost 0% (Binns and Nel 2002: 242). Binns and Nel examine this case study to prove what a success ecotourism can be for a community, even though it may not work 100% of the time. There are still many areas in South Africa which could benefit from ecotourism and experience a success story similar to Still Bays. Ecotourism as a means of development has its criticisms but these can be alleviated with skills development. One such criticism is that most companies involved in ecotourism have their headquarters in the north, and a large proportion of profits are repatriated (Wall 1997: 488). While this is true, skills development can change this because it can promote entrepreneurship. Fortunately for South Africa, they have already established much of the hardware of the tourism industry such as the necessary airport and road infrastructure. Entrepreneurship gives people in marginalized communities a chance to create products and services which, in their sale, can benefit the whole community. For ecotourism to be truly successful at reducing unemployment and promoting development, South Africa must insure that it puts in place the industrys software of a skilled local workforce (Kaplan 2004: 217). The country urgently needs better skills development for local people, which will not only enhance its competitiveness in the tourism industry but is central to the countrys development as a whole (Kaplan 2004: 217). Skills development and thus the employment of local people will reduce leakage of profits to internationally hired employees. This is because now more and more local people can be hired, sometimes even at a lower cost. Kaplan also highlights the issue of inequality of who is employed in what positions in the tourism industry. Unfortunately, the more significant managerial roles are usually occupied by white males while black South Africans, particularly women, do the unskilled jobs (2004:222). This issue, which is largely rooted in the countrys ugly history of apartheid, can be alleviated with skills development initiatives. Ultimately, a lack of skills undermines the industry and will cripple its positive effect on development in the nation (Kaplan 2004: 225). Therefore , the South African government should invest as much into this software as much as is does in the hardware of the tourism industry to make it sustainable and beneficial to the countrys most underprivileged citizens. One such criticism of ecotourism is that it is merely a marketing-gimmick that people buy into (Wall 1997: 487) and is therefore not superior to mass tourism and will not benefit development. While this would be unfortunate, I think that because one of the fundamental principles that ecotourism is rooted in cultural and environmental education, this cynical critique is sufficiently refuted. With the growth of the industry and as more and more people are exposed to and become educated about ecotourism, people will demand an honest and superior product in comparison to mass tourism. The south African government also has the ability to make sure that ecotourism doesnt become a mere gimmick by enacting laws that restrict the usage of the term ecotourism in marketing unless it meets their definition laid out in The White Papers. Another criticism or paradox of ecotourism that seems to discount its potential as a means of development is that countries who aggressively promote it actually run the risk of killing the industry because large influxes of tourists can easily damage the fragile environments they visit. Fortunately, the South African government can single-handedly prevent this from happening to South Africas special treasures. The government can impose caps and limits on the number of people who visit certain areas and what they are allowed to do in those areas. I know from personal experience that these types of restrictions exist in vulnerable environments in South Africas neighboring country, Botswana. Though caps and limits may seem to limit economic growth in the short term, they are critical for long-term benefits of the ecotourism industry. Fundamentally, the South African government has control over ecotourism and how it is carried out in the country. In order for it to be successful, they mu st help to insure that South Africas resources are not exploited to the point that they no longer exist. As the statistics from the World Tourism Organization demonstrated at the beginning of my paper, tourism in Africa is growing rapidly. More and more people visit the continent each year, even through this current economic recession. But the fact that tourism is inevitable does not dispel all criticisms of it and it does not mean that people should not try to assess its effects. This fact actually makes tourism more important than ever to scrutinize and critique because the industry that has a large impact on economies around the world. We need to understand this force that is tourism and how it can be used as a force for good in development. This paper has argued that ecotourism is a superior form of tourism because it is sustainable, can stimulate the economies of sidelined communities by creating jobs, and can improve South Africas overall development situation. Ecotourism is an industry that South Africa can uniquely take advantage of. For these reasons, ecotourism is a critical i ndustry to examine as a potential method of development. When paired with other development initiatives, ecotourism can be part of a comprehensive development plan for South Africa.

What Makes the Ending of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha so Powerful?

What makes the ending of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha so powerful? I think the end of the novel is successful and very moving because it is what I had expected from the start of the breakup of Paddy’s parents and the breakdown of Paddy’s character. The ending of the novel is where the author shows Paddy’s emotions the most. The fight with Kevin shows an extreme change in what Paddy wants to be like and shows how much he wants to be feared and respected. The end of the novel, when Paddy’s da leaves home, was very sad. I had thought throughout the book that maybe Paddy’s parents would have sorted things out. The author chose to show the breakup from Paddy’s perspective only making it harder for the reader because we knew what was going to probably happen most of the way through the book. The ending I thought was particularly powerful as it showed the terror and personal self-doubt the Paddy was in directly subjected to. When I read the ending of the book, the first thing I thought afterwards was that it finished with no information about how Paddy, or any of the other family members, turned out. At first I was quite disappointed because I wanted wanted to know if Paddy ever recovered from the state he was in at the end of the book, if he ever made friends with Charles Leavy or if Paddy’s ma found someone else. Then I realised that the book was not about what everybody was like and how they would end up, it was about the slow and painful break up of Paddy’s parents break up Paddy’s emotions really get the better of him at the end. This makes the end of the novel more tragic and sad. The transformation in Paddy’s character really becomes apparent, when the fight between Paddy and Kevin happens. This is the time when he loses control and no longer realises the consequences of his actions. This made me feel very sorry for Paddy and very sympathetic of his situation because he had obviously broken down into such a state that he couldn’t control his emotions or actions. All of these factors add up to, what I think is, a very powerful and moving ending to a very sad novel.

Negative Impacts on Our Environment

Nowadays, it seems that every action we take during our daily lives, in some way is affecting and harming the environment. Our Earth is a beautiful planet. The design and makeup of the natural world is an amazingly unfathomable. The world was perfect at one point before we as human beings began to damage and little by little are continuing to destroy the our planet. Examples of Negative Effects For example, typing this very own essay is an ecological negative affect to our environment. Why? Because as I use the electricity and power needed to keep this laptop running and working, the energy and electricity is most likely generated from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and/or oil. Other simple everyday tasks such as using the toilet, driving to McDonalds for dinner, recording tv shows while I’m away from home, riding my friend’s motorcycle late in the evening, and even throwing a piece of paper in the trash can are all examples of small activities or daily routines that we do participate in practically every day of our lives, that in return, unintentionally, is damaging the world in which we live in today. An interesting contributing negative factor to the environment that I never knew about is the source of the foods that we eat. According to Roni Neff, Ph. D. , â€Å"The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 18% of world-caused GHGs (greenhouse gases) come from livestock production alone. The top sources are cow belching, deforestation for cattle grazing and growing soy for feed, methane from manure, and the nitrogen fertilizers used to produce these crops. A major problem is the prevention of livestock contracting diseases and so many potent chemical products are sprayed keep the animals healthy and sufficiently to prevent the loss of money. Many farmers rely much on these industrial fertilizers which unfortunately also require huge amounts of fossil fuels to produce. This is all a part of an ongoing cycle as the chemicals left on these lands eventually ends up in runoff water which from there is then poured onto our very own local water systems. While farm producers only see the positive side from the use of these chemical fertilizers since it is economically beneficial to them, scientists and environmentalists can easily see the negative effects of these chemicals not only to the environment but to our very own health as well. These include the difficulties in handling and proper disposal of the enormous quantities of animal waste, and the numerous public health risks such as antibiotic resistance, respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal effects, as well as health risks for workers and community members. Another environment affecting factor that I thought was interesting, was the business of home construction. Not only homes, but the construction of commercial businesses, shopping malls, etc. Before construction takes place, the deforestation of natural ecosystems and habitats of many animals is destroyed. Many sources of energy such as coal which is one of the main sources of power for homes and all sorts of buildings, are polluting are environment more and more. These actions result in CO2 polluting the land and air of our environment. So as our air and atmosphere layers are becoming more contaminated with gases, the amount of solid waste in our landfills is increasing largely. 25-30% of the entire U. S. ’ annual solid waste is made up from home construction and remodeling projects and the demolition projects as well. To have a better understanding of these statistics, take the average home consisting of 2,200 square feet and know that for a home of that much space would require on average at the very least 13,000 board square feet of lumber. Now, picture laying all that lumber down, its length would reach up to 2. 5miles. Remember that statistic and now observe that on average, every year there are at the very least 1. 2 million construction homes built. Now multiply each home by 2,200 square feet and remember that each of those homes uses 13,000 board square feet of lumber, i. e. , the total amount of lumber used to build all these homes stretches out more than 3 million miles! That’s enough dimensional lumber to get you to the moon and back, not just, nor twice, but six times! These are outstanding facts and it is obvious that we need to find new methods for construction, remodeling, and demolition because it is causing and imposing negative effects on our beloved Earth. Conclusion Whether one is to consider themselves a conservationist or a preservationist, a balance of both is what should be taken into consideration. Natural resources, I believe, such as water and wood, are here so that we may use them to our benefit but ethically I don’t think it gives us the right to overpower and overuse our own natural environment and surroundings. With the high intelligence and advanced technology in the world today, I would support a profound cause in the betterment and research of excavating new ideas to improving the environment’s health while still benefiting from our natural resources, i. e. , a commensalistic relationship. References Christensen, N. (2013). The Environment and You. Boston, MA: Pearson. Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4. http://www.livablefutureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/food-matters.pdf   

Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Illegal - 1655 Words

This year there will be hundreds of terminally ill people that die with the help of assisted suicide. And the question is should we control it or let people decide at their own risk how they want their last days to be? In this paper we will look at what the common law ,model penal code ,and state codes and statutes have to say. We will also look at some controversial but substantial cases that make assisted suicide legal in some states. And why Wisconsin and many other states believe assisted suicide should still be illegal. To begin you must first know that assisted suicide is for only terminally ill patients that have lost the will to live. Although this topic may seem like a common thing assisted suicide is actually a rare occurrence.†¦show more content†¦Whereas Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming do not recognize common law. This means that they have no statutes that pertain to the assisted suicide topic. This is where some of these big cases come into play. The three big cases that we will look at are Baxter v. Montana, Lee v. state of Oregon, and Washington v. Glucksberg. These cases are the reason that the five states have legalized assisted suicide and the reason for it. In Baxter v. Montana a 75 year old retired truck driver had a terminal form of leukemia. He was getting chemotherapy for it, but that will only get you so far. He began to get fatigue, nausea, and his glands started to swell. After the infections started the pain became unbearable for him. So he wanted the option of assisted suicide, but at this point in time it was illegal in the state of Montana. So the plaintiff of the case sued the state of Montana and said that the homicide statute was unconstitutional. The Montana supreme court looked into this case and previous assisted suicide cases. And the issue they found was â€Å"whether the consent of the patient to the physician’s aid in dying could constitu te a statutory defense to a homicide charge.† But in Montana there is an exception to the consent defense, where the public can not cause harm to anyone even with their consent. So the supreme court looked even deeper into another Montana case that was just for publicShow MoreRelatedAssisted Suicide Should Be Legal Or Illegal1792 Words   |  8 Pageswith it and died from the medicine (FIND CITATION). Some people decide not to use the prescription after rethinking the idea. People have been debating for a long time on whether or not physician-assisted suicide should be legal or illegal. Some say that it is morally wrong to participate in any kind of suicide, while others say it is wrong to let terminally-ill people suffer when they have absolutely no chance at beating their disease. This is a very important controversy because people need to knowRead MoreShould Physician Assisted Suicide Be Legalized?1426 Words   |  6 PagesPhysician assisted suicide is also known as assis ted suicide. It is a very controversial procedure. It is not favored by many. However, in present day society is little bit inclined towards assisted suicide. There is ongoing debate on the legalization of assisted suicide. The main reason to oppose of assisted suicide is the fear of mistreatment of the patient, abuse of power and so on. In contrary, many see assisted suicide as a way to decrease pain in the end of life. Read MoreEuthanasia Research Paper1614 Words   |  7 Pagestaking the life of another, and can really hurt loved ones. Sick patients feel overwhelmed by difficult emotions or situations, but it is no reason to kill oneself. Physician assisted suicide, let alone suicide is never the right thing to do. Euthanasia should be illegal in all states. (www.euthanasia.com) Physician assisted suicide, or euthanasia is a violation of the Hippocratic oath. A new physician is required to swear that they will perform ethical standards. I will neither give a deadly drug toRead MoreAssisted Suicide : A Controversial Issue880 Words   |  4 PagesAssisted suicide is a very controversial subject in the healthcare world and like most things there are a lot of areas that are not written in black and white. Though assisted suicide is only legal in five states it is still practiced all across the United States. In most cases, little to no information is provided to the families and the terminally ill patients on what assisted suicide truly is and what it not. It all has to do with the intent, but most conversations are reduced to a wink or nodRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide And Voluntary Euthanasia1348 Words   |  6 PagesPhysician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia is still under scrutiny for a number of reasons. â€Å"In spring, 1996, the Ninth and Second Circuits were the first circuit courts in the country to find a constitutional prohibition against laws which make physician-assisted suicide a crime† (Martyn Bourguignon, 1997). New York was one of the states that followed this prohibition. Eventually, The Ninth and Second Circuit, â€Å"allow physician-assisted suicide while attempting to protect individuals fromRead MoreAssisted Suicide Is Considered A Crime1429 Words   |  6 PagesAssisted suicide is illegal in most of the US and has been for centuries . It has been a debate if this is right or wrong in many countries. An article about why it is illegal in the UK states that, â€Å"Assisting a suicide can cover a wide spectrum of criminality,† (Robinson, Vicki; Scott, Helen 2012-2013) . In this case, assisted suicide is considered a crime. When a patient is terminally ill, they have a disease that cannot be cured or treated sufficiently, so it can be reasonable to expect deathRead MoreShould Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Be Legalized?825 Words   |  4 PagesNovember 27 2011 PHI-105 Professor Sanejo Leonard Should Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide be Legalized? Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide should become legal in the United States and all US territories. Though Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide are not the same and are separate acts, they both serve the same purpose, which is to follow the desire of a person with terminal illness to end their life without legal consequences. This same right should extend to family members and guardians of people unableRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Should Be Legal935 Words   |  4 Pagesthe ethics of physician-assisted suicide. In the process of physician-assisted suicide, a doctor purposefully provides a terminally ill patient with the means to take their own life. This is often confused with active euthanasia; however, they are not the same thing. In euthanasia, the doctor administers the lethal drug to the patient, but in physician-assisted suicide, the patient must take the lethal drugs themselves. There is much debate over physician-assisted suicide today. Some people believeRead MoreShould Eu thanasia Be Legalized?1272 Words   |  6 Pages also known as physician-assisted suicide, mercy killing, or dignified death. While a few states have legalized this practice many still have laws against physician-assisted suicide. Those states have the alternatives of palliative care, hospice, pain management, or the option to not be treated or cared for at all. Bodily integrity and body autonomy, or the option to chose what one does with their own body, is a human right. Having physician-assisted suicide stay illegal does not only violate freedomRead MoreThe Death With Dignity Law1353 Words   |  6 Pageslaw. The death with dignity law provides an opportunity to die painless and without suffering for terminally ill patients. Euthanasia should be available everywhere in the United States for chronically ill patients because, people choose how they live, so terminally ill patients should be able to choose how they die. Euthanasia, also known as physician-assisted suicide, and more loosely termed mercy killing, means to take a conscious, intended action, with the end result of ending a life to relieve