ecotourism follows three main principles: conservation, community, and interpretation. it differs from traditional tourism because it invites tourists to view wildlife and threatened natural environments while keeping them at a distance. money spent by the tourists then filters back into the community, fostering economic growth and creating jobs.

for example, south africa generates $8.4 billion and 5,000 jobs from ecotourism alone. south africa has limited land that can be developed and effectively utilized. this creates a scarcity of employment opportunities. so, ecotourism is key to supporting local economies. 

ecotourists can also benefit, as they are immersed in the surrounding culture. ecotourism can help you gain a new environmental awareness that you may have been searching for!

due to the pandemic, areas that relied on ecotourism are facing the consequences. lauren gilhooly in the magazine sapiens highlights a correspondence with howard stanton, who runs a malaysian ecotourism destination: “(we have) had to put all staff on unpaid leave for the foreseeable future. … we have taken the decision to reduce all costs until a better time to open becomes available.” 

luckily, platforms such as veco labs are developing apps and sites that create an in-depth tourist experience consisting of 360-degree photographs with background audio, still images, and embedded videos. narration from guides is included to enhance the effect. 

a tour by veco labs can be found here. 

virtual ecotourism can remind you of your love for travel. it can also evoke your support for local economies through donations. as virtual ecotourism platforms grow, hopefully, direct donations to the featured areas will become more available. virtual ecotourism that donates its profits would be a great alternative for communities that rely on ecotourism as income, especially during the pandemic.

as the pandemic subsides in the future and normal travel resumes, you may think that virtual ecotourism cannot compare to the real experience of seeing wild animals and bonding with family during a vacation. 

however, with advances in technology occurring every day, it is exciting to think about the potential developments for virtual ecotourism. veco labs plans to add more interactive features into their interface so that users can ask questions and be guided in real-time throughout a destination. this replicates the social aspect of traditional tourism! 

but virtual ecotourism extends beyond pandemic relief. while ecotourism attempts to focus on conservation, its growth in popularity shows that negative environmental impacts are being exacerbated. in a study on the kodagu district in india, the ecotourism in the area is leading to a decrease in biodiversity, water quality, and air quality, among many other harmful effects. 

daniel blumstein, chair of ecology and evolutionary biology at ucla, warns that ecotourism’s effects on wildlife can be compared to that of animal domestication. wildlife becomes less aware of their surroundings, making them more susceptible to predators.  

thailand’s maya bay also experiences harm from ecotourism. maya bay has reported that 77% of the island’s coral is in danger due to the large number of visitors and boats that it must accommodate. 

a shift to virtual ecotourism can maintain all of the positive intentions of ecotourism such as proper conservation and economic support of local communities while diminishing the harmful effects that come with it. 

you can directly help the environment while satisfying your yearn for travel during the pandemic with virtual ecotourism. consider taking a virtual tour and bask in your heightened social and environmental consciousness!

the understanding that the covid-19 pandemic originated from wildlife has heightened our awareness of just how closely all of our lives, regardless of where we live, are connected to nature. the pandemic has also resulted in unprecedented challenges related to protecting wildlife—and in uganda, these challenges are especially poignant.

as of august 2020, over 20 million people globally have been infected by covid-19, a virus originating from wildlife from china. with covid-19 at the forefront of our minds, it is easy to forget that the last large-scale pandemic, aids, originated from primates in west africa. globally, hiv/aids has infected more than 76 million people and has claimed 33 million lives. likewise, the 1918 influenza, with initial cases originating from birds in kansas, killed up to 50 million people.

it is about time we recognize that covid-19 is not the first devastating pandemic to have originated from wildlife, nor will it be the last. to prevent or at least forestall the next pandemic, there is an urgent need to transform the ways in which we interact with nature. if we want to avert future crises, we clearly have an obligation to examine and prevent the practices that promote close contact between humans and wildlife, particularly bushmeat hunting and deforestation. this is even more essential in the tropics, where species richness is exceptionally high, and therefore the number of viruses that could potentially be transferred between humans and wildlife is correspondingly high.

in 2015, less than half of the world’s tropical forests remained and in the span of 12 years from 2000 and 2012, 2.3 million km2 of forest was lost globally. to put this in perspective, in 12 years, a forested area larger than the size of alaska was lost. deforestation has been driven by explosive human population growth, high local and global consumption rates, and corporate and individual greed, but is now being exacerbated by the coronavirus and its associated health and safety protocols.

yet, ironically, while most people agree that deforestation and bushmeat hunting practices must be dramatically reduced, the very agencies that are set up to conserve forests and wildlands are financially drained as a result of the cascading impacts of covid-19.

for many countries, there is simply no replacement for the money that tourism normally provides to run protected areas. now, because of nation-wide shutdowns and lack of tourism, those who are most capable of protecting nature, are incapable of doing so. rangers may soon be asked to work without pay to limit hunting in protected parks. furthermore, the wildlife they are protecting could harbor the virus that would start the next pandemic.

uganda provides a clear example of how covid-19 is creating conditions that could trigger the emergence of the next global pandemic. the current pandemic has devastated tourism in uganda, a sector of the economy that is closely tied to many of the country’s conservation efforts. the impact of the pandemic is evident when considering the thousands of lost jobs, lost revenues, and lost contributions to the gdp of uganda, all of which have negative implications for conservation.

covid-19 has already resulted in a $1.6 billion loss to the ugandan tourism industry. considering only hotel staff, 8,636 people have been laid off. these workers earn a total of 29.3 million usd and represent the only income for countless households. for uganda, investing in preventative measures to reduce deforestation and bushmeat hunting is a small price to pay relative to the crucial gains uganda accrues from the benefits from the tourism industry.

michael keigwin, the founder of the uganda conservation foundation, fears that without income for those who monitor protected areas, the parks in uganda will be unable to maintain prior protective measures. there is no alternative to these industries—tourism propels conservation because it allows for rangers and tour guides to rigorously monitor illegal activities while also providing an incentive for locals to protect critical areas.

for conservation to work, keigwin says, there must be a strong backbone of law enforcement as well as tourism.

“we are defending (parks) as well as we can,” he said.

but, these are difficult times for uganda. on top of being “grossly under-resourced,” according to keigwin, poachers and bushmeat hunters are taking advantage of the country’s lockdown protocols which began in stages throughout march, culminating in a total lockdown on april 1st. the lockdown restrictions included a nationwide curfew, suspension of public transport and non-food markets, mandatory quarantine for travelers, closure of schools, and cancellation of all public gatherings, among other precautions.

local criminal gangs know that the vulnerable areas that inhabit high market value animals are no longer under the same protection, making illegal activities more enticing.

furthermore, uncertainty about the health effects of the virus, as well as lack of access to hospitals due to the nation-wide shutdown, has created a more appealing market for traditional medicines, according to keigwin.

“we are losing lions,” he said sorrowfully as he explained that “people are taking advantage of the lockdowns and curfews.”

witch doctors are opening their doors to new customers, increasing demand for wild animal products, such as lion paw.

“people are vulnerable and they will give it a go,” said keigwin.

according to him, these practices, “will have an adverse effect on the park, and on tourism, forever.”

dr. patrick omeja is a conservation scientist with over 20 years of experience working in kibale national park, one of uganda’s forested biodiversity hotspots. he fears that bushmeat hunting will only increase during these times—despite the fact that coronavirus originated from wildlife. he reports that locals are generally not aware of the strong link between the risk of pandemics and wildmeat; in fact, many believe that wild meat is safer than alternatives such as cattle.

“they feel wild meat is safer [than beef] because of the chemicals,” dr. omeja said.

due to the scarcity of park rangers, bushmeat hunters are taking advantage of the opportunity to hunt both high-value animals and more common animals for food, such as the small local deer – duiker. while the latter does not pose immediate conservation concerns, oftentimes the strategy of tracking and catching these animals do. hunters will often follow a group of primates, namely mountain gorillas in this region, as they attract other animals that the hunters are interested in.

dr. omeja recalls a recent situation in which a hunter was using this method and spooked the dominant silverback gorilla of the group. he wasn’t trying to hunt the gorilla, rather he was following it in the hopes of catching other animals in the bush. but, when the gorilla became alarmed, the hunter, fearing for his life, speared the gorilla in the stomach, killing it. sadly, silverbacks are the leaders of mountain gorilla groups, and it is likely that without the dominant male, the group will spilt and the infants will die.

a community conservation warden of the ugandan wildlife authority, wilson kagoro, works with the communities bordering parks to promote conservation. he told us that the local communities very much believe that covid-19 was “brought by scientists, and not from wild animals like ebola was.”

he also said that while some people are being sensitized about the origins of the pandemic by radios and television, many are not afraid of consuming game meat but enthusiastic about eating it due to lack of protein in their diet. unfortunately, those living nearest to the park are the most vulnerable to potential diseases transmitted from the bushmeat, because they cannot afford to buy meat in the butcheries like the rich do, according to dr. omeja.

one potential silver lining that dr. omeja mentions is that once tourists return they will be more likely to keep their distance from gorillas and chimpanzees, something that has been difficult to enforce in the past.

“people used to try to take selfies and really close photographs with the animals,” he said.

due to these new nation-wide rules, management will have no choice but to enforce masks and take guests’ temperatures before they enter to see the gorillas or chimpanzees.

dr. brenda boonabaana, a lecturer and researcher in the departments of forestry, biodiversity, and tourism at the makerere university in uganda believes that the negative economic impact of covid-19 on key tourism facilities and its employees will be immense, requiring a long time to recover.

“the income for most businesses has slumped down, and most workers have either lost their jobs or are at home waiting for an unknown period of time,” she said.

this has left many without access to basic needs.

“recovery will be certain, but slow,” boonabaana said. “it will demand a combined effort by the government, private sector, and global partners and players.”

the situation in uganda is one example of what is happening in many regions across the tropics. the trajectory is certainty bleak—which is why conservation agencies and associated law enforcement and tourism sectors need financial support now more than ever. with the sharp decline in tourism and the revenue it generates for local communities, it is likely that the effects of the coronavirus will have an impact far beyond 2020.

from all that i’ve learned stringing together this story, what stands out is how frighteningly obvious it is that conservation largely relies on tourism: an industry that has been devastated by covid-19. however, we also cannot forget the resilience of nature, and the resilience of human beings to adapt and develop to mitigate future challenges. some essential solutions with which i believe hold great potential in uganda include:

1. providing increased financial support to the tourism sector, specifically to the uganda wildlife authority so that they may continue their conservation activities.
2. developing and implementing a domestic tourism marketing strategy, as it would likely recover faster than the international market in the event of another pandemic.
3. developing stronger branding for uganda as a tourism destination, giving the country a unique identity.
4. developing a comprehensive tourism recovery plan to avoid the devastating effects of future pandemics.

humanity’s close connection to nature is undisputed. we can no longer afford to pillage our wildlife—the price is far too high. there are steps that can be taken now: to address both the shock waves as they unfold and to speed up recovery and sector resilience for the future.

—

about the authors:

colin chapman, ph.d., has worked in the tropics on conservation issues for almost 40 years. he has published over 500 scientific papers, developed new conservation strategies for uganda, and pioneered efforts to create a union between health care and conservation; the latter resulted in him being given a humanitarian award. he is an adjunct professor in the george washington university department of anthropology.

cate twining-ward is a senior correspondent at planet forward, a grand-prize winner of storyfest 2020, and a student at the george washington university.

when we can travel again, what will it look like? how will travel and tourism have changed? how will the pandemic make us think differently about our health — and the health of our planet?

the pandemic has forced us to reconsider a lot of things, so when i sat down with global explorer and sustainability travel pioneer sven lindblad, who’s ceo of lindblad expeditions (www.expeditions.com), i wanted to know what it’s going to take to get back out in the world — and how we can do it more sustainably. sven’s thought a lot about both those issues because his company, like so many others in the travel business, was all but shut down by the pandemic.

communities in beautiful but remote travel locations face a particularly delicate balancing act, made more challenging by covid-19 travel restrictions. where ecotourism supported conservations efforts, tourists and their money just about disappeared, creating an economic void that threatens so much of what’s been achieved in recent years. for example, “undertourism” now threatens progress in marine sanctuaries where tourism dollars replaced revenue that had led to overfishing.

but there are changes we can make as we navigate the responsibilities of stewarding both natural resources and the communities dependent on tourism dollars. as i learned in our conversation, these issues are priorities for sven. he thinks and talks about them with searching curiosity and commitment. he’s made sustainable tourism a focus of his company. and he’s been recognized for his conservation and environmental stewardship over the past two decades, specifically for his work in the galápagos archipelago.

could his vision of tourism be how we travel in the future? it would stretch our horizons for sure, but it’s an expedition worth considering.

the guna, a native people of panama, live on dozens of idyllic islands in the caribbean, grappling with the challenges posed by globalization and welcoming travelers seeking out more remote cultures. while globalization brings new challenges to traditions, it also offers opportunities that the guna are eager to sustain for the welfare of their nation.

the guna people rely heavily on tourism, notes guna environmental attorney aresio valiente lopez, as his words are translated by his son diwigdi valiente, an environmental activist and entrepreneur. lopez is both a law consultant for the guna congress and a member of the governing body. 

lopez estimates that 80% of guna income draws from tourism, making it essential for the economy. from tourism the guna earn $2 million, $500,000 of which is invested by the guna congress on behalf of the community. however, the impact of sea level rise due to climate change puts this industry at risk and a drastic decrease in tourists could leave many guna in financial distress.

as a result, the guna are finding ways to develop tourism from the mainland and to diversify their economy.

valiente, who spent much time on the islands with his guna grandparents, has turned to mainland tourism. he has run a hostel in the panama town of el valle anton, located within a volcanic valley, for three years. his university education in switzerland taught him about the importance of sustainability in tourism. subsequently, he created his own hostel business to make a profit, but also as a way for a profitable business to have “an impact in society and the environment at the same time.”

“sustainability is actually a way to make money,” valiente said, “and also have an impact in society and environment at the same time.” for valiente, that means providing educational programs for children that can help them understand their changing environment, climate change and what that may mean for the islands. 

as a former international tax auditor for panama’s ministry of finance, valiente has an intimate understanding of the importance of finance from a practical standpoint, infusing his ideals about sustainability and the environment with his pragmatic business experience.

“if you don’t make money and survive out of it,” valiente said, slapping the table for emphasis, “you are not sustainable.”

valiente emphasizes how sustainability must hit three components. profitability is one. the most important is social impact, which includes hiring local people hired and their ability to have a balance of work and personal life. he said he measures the social impact of business by “the salary you are paying them, the training you are giving them so their lives could be better.”

lastly, the impact of tourism on the environment is an essential focus within his vision.  it had to be safe for the “whole ecology of the system” which included animals, people and plants in the area.

for the guna, other ventures have been undertaken not just on an individual level, but within the nation as a whole. lopez informed us about the guna’s endeavors to bring capitalism into the economy, in contrast to what his son called was an “environment of socialism” within traditional guna culture, where everything is shared.  the guna, according to lopez, have decided to invest in a transportation company where a guna person could own a maximum of 10 stocks and have a stake in the lucrative transportation services provided to bring tourists to the islands. foreign investment – such as the purchase of guna land – is still barred in a determination to keep their resources in guna control.

despite this, many multinational companies and even panamanian ventures are eager to expand into guna and other indigenous territory. sixty percent of panamanian rain forest is within the 23 percent of land occupied by the guna and other native tribes, lopez said. the presence of native people in these forests and the guna congress has protected areas from encroachment and destruction. resources for mining, hydro projects and more have drawn the interest of business to the native land, he said.

however, impacts of globalization such as climate change not only threatens the sovereignty of the guna but their way of life.

a visit to the guna yala islands gives tourists a taste of how much of traditional life is preserved. tourists stay in cabanas, made of wooden stakes woven together with rope and topped with a thatched roof or more “modern” tin roof. both have sand floors. however, tourists sleep on mattresses rather than the traditional hammocks the guna prefer. but much of the food made is traditional, with dishes of rice, chicken or fish. french fries gave a nod to western tastes as did the cans of soda or beer. the picturesque islands of white sandy beaches and clear blue water look like the photos in travel magazines i had often seen growing up as a child.

providing for tourists is hard work, work that is not always properly rewarded by unscrupulous tourists who sometimes resist the small fee for the island visit. abelardo nuñez davies, affectionately called “tito” by his family and visitors, manages pelican island, a small oasis of beach where he and his mother and family serve meals and sell handmade woven jewelry and molas. “some people come and they don’t want to pay,” nunez said as translated by valiente. “or they say, ‘oh i’ll pay you,’ and leave in their boats.”

five or 6 years ago, only three to four boats stopped each week. now the family welcomes that number daily, greatly increasing not only their income but also the workload.  the increase in tourists brings more waste that has to be cleaned up. but the biggest problem is sea level rise due to climate change as the island is steadily shrinking, posing threat to tourism.

on the island where we stayed overnight, i got a sense of the great labor that went into making tourism a success. an old man cut coconuts with his machete, and often could be seen pushing a wheelbarrow of trash. waste disposal is a tourism issue that people are still grappling with. a program started by the guna congress was meant to transport waste from the islands but was cancelled after six months, valiente said.

however, valiente has started a program with children to find new uses for materials, such as making toys out of some plastics. the reuse of what might otherwise become trash helps decrease the amount that may be thrown in the sea.

many islands have kiosks run by guna women in their traditional dress of colorful skirts, tops and gold nose rings. married women wear a red head scarf. some younger women, however, had long hair and chose to wear western dress with t-shirts, capri pants or shorts. i wondered if there was ever any tension between those who wore traditional dress and those who opted for city dress. i recall two women on the island where we stayed who dressed differently but rushed in to help each other with a heavy bucket, smiling at each other. the look they exchanged was clearly that of love, not animosity, and there was a mutual respect and desire to help one another as family, regardless of dress.

in the kitchen of the island, you could see fryers for food and a freezer. the women watched spanish novellas, much like soap operas, on their cell phones. solar panels provide energy for light and the phones. clearly, these electronics allowed for conveniences in keeping in touch with friends and family off the island and in feeding hungry tourists of 50 or more who come to some islands just to eat but stay in the cabanas on other islands.

the increasing presence of tourists is changing the guna way of life, valiente said. but his father is optimistic.

“we have a culture that survived colonization from the spaniards,” he said

however, tourists who came to relax at the beaches don’t always notice or engage with their hosts, valiente added. inevitably, as more guna come in contact with westerners, materialism within the culture increases, in contrast to traditional beliefs maintaining that material possessions in this life do not matter because heaven is the ultimate prize after death. but certainly some guna feel that a western-style home, food and more are superior to the traditional styles. despite mandates that homes be built in the traditional style, we saw buildings especially on the city island we visited that were some made of concrete. while valiente felt the mandate should be upheld, he had no desire to criticize guna people who want concrete homes.

“i cannot tell them that’s wrong,” he said, “who am i to tell them, ‘you cannot build a cement house?’”

exposure to western values in the media he believes had convinced some guna that such homes are better than the cabanas. increasing contact with foreigners would only fuel this desire. however, valiente said he sees remnants of colonialism in this pressure to westernize among the guna.

“we have a very colonial society that forces people to believe that materialism is the best way to live,” diwigdi valiente said, “that buying stuff is what is going to make you feel happy.”

the museum curator charlie davies also felt an erosion of traditional values, especially as more guna youth left their homes to live in the city. according to tito, part of it is a youthful desire for adventure that he believes would change into more appreciation for a rural, traditional way of life as they aged. he himself grew up in panama city. and, any guna man or woman who desires a higher education, especially at university level, would have to leave for the mainland to pursue this dream. while valiente and tito seemed proactive about the ability of female guna to become educated and still keep their traditions, davies was less convinced that western education and traditional customs dress could coexist. women who want to continue their studies adopted western dress and opted out of the rite of passage that would allow them to dress and live as a traditional woman. perhaps this was the result of western media as pointed out by valiente that compelled the women desiring a western education to assimilate, despite laws lopez informed us that protected their right to wear traditional dress in universities.

the guna were candid about the difficulties they face. from waste disposal, protecting their sovereignty, to tourism and gradual erosion of their traditional values, globalization brings challenges that the previous generations did not face.  it also offers new avenues for wealth and exposure to ideas that the booming tourism industry made possible. lopez wanted us to remember that despite the difficulties tourism posed to his people  environmentally and culturally, the guna have had proven themselves to be resilient, winning independence from panama in 1925 as self-governing provinces or comarcas.in seven years, they will be celebrating the 100th year anniversary of the successful demand for political autonomy from the panamanian government.

in the pristine beauty of an archipelago off the caribbean coast of panama, the indigenous guna people show tourists to their small cabanas, where they will be surrounded by the sound of the crashing ocean as they sleep. the hosts prepare meals of freshly caught fish to feed their guests, while others crack open coconuts for tourists to sip while relaxing in blue waters.

guna women sell molas, part of their traditional clothing, and wrap long beaded bracelets around their visitors’ wrists. the guna people rely on tourism to the san blas islands to bring in revenue of $2 million – 80% of their total income.

in the next 20 years,  however, many of the islands of this idyllic destination will disappear under the waves.

climate change is causing rising sea levels across the globe, which means that the ocean is slowly creeping up the shorelines of these small islands. eventually, they will be uninhabitable, and the guna people can already see evidence that their homes are shrinking.

“look at this island: we are not even 30 centimeters above the sea level,” said diwigdi valiente, 28, a guna native who is an environmental activist and an advocate of ecotourism. “the urgency? it’s much more than what you expect.”

abelardo (tito) nuñez davies first arrived at his home on pelican island in the san blas chain 15 years ago, and he has already watched it transform in this short time span. “this island was much bigger before, and now some of the beach is disappearing,” he said.

although he can’t ignore the sight of his changing landscape, he hasn’t considered moving away yet and hopes he won’t be forced to. but the guna government is working to prepare for the day when people who have lived here for generations will no longer be able to call these islands home. these plans are difficult to develop – scheduling a mass exodus of climate change refugees is an unprecedented move.

“four years ago there was (a) budget to move the island to (the) mainland,” valiente said. “the government changed, and the budget was gone.” despite structural changes, the guna people continue to search for ways to plan for their inevitable move. “they’re applying to have funds (from the) u.n. to develop an adaptation and mitigation plan for climate change for panama,” he said.

aresio valiente lópez, a law professor at the university of panama and member of the guna congress, wants to create a special environmental department in the congress. “they will be in charge of making sure that the movement from the islands to mainland is going to be organized,” said lópez, valiente’s father. (note: valiente acted as a translator for lópez, who was speaking in spanish.) 

this move is more than physical for the guna people – it requires a transformation of their industries and economy. to lópez, this transformation is imperative so that the guna can continue to have a sustainable source of income. “our economy has to change,” he said.

“what they are trying to do now is to diversify what the source of income is,” valiente said. “right now, the biggest source of income is tourism.”

the guna people don’t have to abandon tourism completely if they can find ways to make it sustainable, which valiente is pioneering as a founder of bodhi hostels.

“right now, i am committed to building the most sustainable hostel chain in the world,” he said.

he plans to extend his business to the ocean around the san blas islands and build a hostel designed to survive the rising sea levels. his experience as a business owner has shown him that profits and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive – within a year of opening, his business broke even and was chosen as the best hostel in panama. now, he continues to run his business with both profits and sustainability in mind.

“right now, my job is to open new hostels, but at the same time, our hostels have a very strong and important focus on solving environmental issues, especially climate change,” valiente said. “sustainability is actually a way to make money and also have an impact in society and the environment at the same time. if you don’t make money and survive out of it, you are not sustainable.”

these two goals made bodhi a perfect fit for the developing town of kalu yala, where valiente and his business partner allan lim recently opened a new hostel. similar to the original bodhi hostel, kalu yala is a new business endeavor that values both profits and sustainability.

“our mission is to build a new town that proves that civilization can live in a socially and environmentally responsible way,” said kalu yala founder jimmy stice, an american entrepreneur.

kalu yala sits in tres brazos valley a few miles from san miguel, a small farming town in the panamanian jungle. founded in 2011, the town now boasts a coffee shop, a restaurant, a bar, and a store with snacks and sweets centered around a communal town square. these small businesses offer a bit of luxury to the sustainable lifestyle at kalu yala, which involves sleeping in open-air ranchos and exploring new sustainable farming practices. the crown jewel of the town is the kalu yala institute, where college students can spend a semester in the jungle studying topics such as engineering, outdoor recreation and media arts.

the institute is currently the main source of revenue for the town, but stice aims to build a fully functioning town, complete with a thriving industry of tourism and hospitality. the hostel is the first step for tourism as interns continue to at the institute continue to innovate sustainable energy, culinary, agriculture and water resource solutions for the community. now, stice plans to build accommodations that are more comfortable for people who aren’t used to camping in the jungle.

“we’ll start introducing the small houses, which will allow for people who want to sleep on a real mattress,” he said. people could purchase houses or just vacation in them – “$150 nights is inclusive just like $13 a night is inclusive” for the hostel, he said.

tara mclaughlin, president of the kalu yala institute for the interns who are helping to develop kalu yala, believes that ecotourism and social entrepreneurship are lucrative industries to be a part of right now.

“that current desire to be sustainable, or trying to make a difference, but also having that desire to travel – if you offer a product that allows somebody to do both of those things, then it’s a very desirable product,” she said.

with an experimental project like kalu yala, it’s possible that it could become a tourist trap rather than an authentic town. stice likened this potential outcome to a “disneyland of sustainability,” but that’s the worst case scenario, he said. he wants to balance tourism with other businesses and industries in the town, as well as the educational component.

marie stringer is capitalizing on this ecotourism potential by starting a zip line business at kalu yala. she believes that panama is an ideal market opportunity because it currently doesn’t have many zip lines, and the scenic jungle and rain forest surrounding kalu yala are stunning.

“there’s a reason why we’re building a million-dollar zip line and it’s paying for itself in two years,” she said.

she plans to hire local people from the nearby town of san miguel and former kalu yala interns to be the zip line guides. one of her top priorities is creating well-paid jobs in the small community and providing her employees with new skills – they will have access to free language classes so that all guides can be fluent in both english and spanish. she wants to emphasize this social change aspect throughout her business.

however, any social change arising from tourism also brings cultural exchange, which can have unintended outcomes.

“tourism is about moving people from one place to another,” valiente said. “when you move people from one place to another, you’re not only moving people: you’re moving experiences, you’re moving culture.”

“we had a group out here partying for panamanian carnival,” mclaughlin said. “dealing with that cultural collision, i think was both good for the students and both good for the panamanians that came out here. they learned a lot about what we’re doing.”

so far this cultural exchange has been positive, but as tourism continues to grow, san miguel residents may look to tourism as an alternative to the tradition of farming in the area. valiente has seen the negative effects of tourism in his home on the islands, and this is why he believes it is important for tourists to consider sustainability when they travel, learning about the cultural values of places they visit and minimizing the physical footprint they leave.

“it is important because when we move from one place to another, we affect the place and we make an impact on the place we are going to,” he said. “and we have the choice of making that a good or a bad impact.”

valiente believes that this impact would be more positive if tourists built relationships with the people whose homes they’re visiting and made an effort to interact with them.

“how do they see you?” he asked. “what do they see that you are coming to do here? do they see that you are coming just to relax and chill out at the beach? or do they see that you are coming here to interact with them and be interested in our culture, which is – besides the water and the nice beaches – one of the most important assets we have.”

despite the fact that the guna culture is one of their most valuable assets, valiente has watched it struggle to survive western influence.

“unfortunately, in the occidental world we have a very colonial society that forces people to believe that materialism is the best way to live: that buying stuff is what is going to make you feel happy,” he said. “but for the guna people, we don’t have to be rich in this life, because according to us, when we die we are going to go to a place where everything is gold. so for us, material stuff is not important. but when you start getting people that come here and have cell phones and have tvs and talk about all this stuff that happens in the western society, then you also start wondering, ‘ok, am i living good here (on) an island in the middle of nowhere? or should i also get a cell phone? should i also get a tv? should i also get cable tv?’”

for this reason, valiente can see a positive side to leaving the islands. “i think it’s a great opportunity for everyone to embrace a culture that’s about to get lost,” he said. he wants to publish art across panama that makes people realize, “okay, that culture is being lost, but it’s time also for us to get it back.”

“instead of looking it as something maybe bad or very negative, we could look at it as something totally positive and something that could even make our society better,” he said.

although climate change threatens to push the guna people away from their island homes, the tragedy may allow them to regain part of their culture that has changed with  tourism, he said. however, it is still unclear how their economy will recover from the loss of tourism or how much of it they can reestablsih with the mainland as a base. in the meantime, only time will tell how the budding ecotourism industry at kalu yala may affect the culture of san miguel.

despite the challenges that arise from tourism and climate change, lópez believes that the native cultures in panama will survive.

“cultures are dynamic: we’ll lose some of it and then we will integrate new things,” he said. “at some point, what we had 100 years ago is not going to be the same anymore. but cultures (are) dynamic.”

diwigdi valiente grew up on the san blas islands with his parents and relatives, among the native guna people who now face exile from these islands they have called home for generations. panama’s independent province of guna yala includes some 360 islands located in the caribbean sea off the coast of mainland panama. but rising sea levels as a result of climate change threaten to inundate the islands and take them underwater in as little as 20 years.

valiente lives in panama city and is co-founder of bodhi hostels, which has two locations that bring eco-tourists into natural surroundings. and he has plans for another in the san blas islands, where he visits often. many tourists frequent guna yala for vacations. while they help support the economy of the native guna people living on the islands, they’re also changing guna yala’s culture at a time when people need their traditions most. valiente translates for his father aresio valiente lópez – a lawyer and professor who is also from guna yala – as lópez explains that, for the guna people, 80% of their $2.5 million annual income comes from tourism.

abelardo “tito” nuñez davies lives on pelican island with his mother in guna yala. he says that in recent years, he’s seen a rise in tourism on the islands, resulting in less personal interactions between visitors and their hosts. valiente says he believes sustainability is important to tourism “because, when we move from one place to another, we affect the place and we make an impact on the place we are going to. and we have the choice of making that a good or a bad impact.”

locals are making a profit by facilitating transportation and hospitality for tourists and many people have transitioned from traditional lifestyles, such as fishing. according to valiente, tourism “has affected the way families behave and interact, because now they don’t eat the same things they used to eat.” instead of drinking plantain juice, the guna people buy coke. cans litter the shores of some islands.

as the way of life is changing, so are the islands themselves. fifteen years ago, when he came to the san blas islands where he lives with his mother, davies’ house was in the middle of pelican island, the size of a football field. now, the water reaches the edge of his family’s home. as winds and storms worsen due to climate change, tourist boats are unable to come to the island and the family’s income is in danger of decreasing. does he believe that the storms will get better? davies responds “ojalá,” or god willing. the family does not yet have plans to move.

the way of life of the guna people largely affected valiente in his studies of hospitality management and international business tourism in switzerland and his creation of bodhi hostels: “i grew up in an environment of socialism, to be honest with you. within my community, everything was shared. . . . so for me, i’ve seen this kind of lifestyle, which i think is the lifestyle we have to have in order for this planet to survive.” to carry this out, valiente and his business partner allan lim started bodhi hostels, an ecotourism business that has had a hostel in el valle de antón in panama for three years and a new one at the eco-community of kalu yala that opened in late march.

kalu yala is a sustainable and growing town in the valley of a rain forest near san miguel, panama. valiente has seen tourism’s effect on both the environment and the community of guna yala and kalu yala in very different ways. having experienced both a rural childhood and a western education and adult life, valiente says that “the worst thing about climate change is that people in need, people that are not making the problem, are the ones that are going to suffer the most.”

similar to the way the guna have lived sustainably for hundreds of years, kalu yala’s mission, according to ceo jimmy stice, is “to build a new town that proves that civilization can live in a socially and environmentally responsible way.” stice hired lim and valiente to construct a hostel for his growing town because of their similar design languages: valiente and lim build the furniture themselves, practice composting, and access the power of solar panels at kalu yala. at kalu yala, residents use 8 percent of the carbon footprint of the typical american, little running water, and eat farm-to-table meals.

jorinck knoester, hospitality and events manager at kalu yala, says that the community hostel is a great way to promote ecotourism and encourage guests to learn about kalu yala’s mission, taking a sustainable lifestyle with them when they leave. kalu yala offers programming, like farm tours or workshops, to guests, who are allowed to stay anywhere from one to seven days at the hostel. as of recent, small homes are being built in an effort to encourage more residents to stay permanently in the town and to establish more consistency at kalu yala.

wes stiner, head of design and construction at kalu yala, is in charge of building the permanent small houses. kalu yala plans to build three houses this year, consisting of 500-square-foot carriage houses behind larger homes. these permanent houses will help contribute to stice’s goal of a sustainable community of “5,000 people in 30 years.” stice highlights the importance of permanent residents or people who come down to vacation in the homes. “right now, we exclude a lot of the wisest people in the world from coming here by the fact that it’s not that comfortable.”

stiner exclusively is utilizing sustainable resources for the project. the houses are mainly constructed of amargo amargo wood, harvested from areas flooded by the panama canal, so builders don’t have to cut down new trees. ultimately, as stice puts it, “over 50 percent of the world’s solid waste streams are from construction activities, whether that’s roads or buildings.” kalu yala’s goal is sustainable building to lessen that number and to have dwellers, both temporary and permanent, take away from kalu yala’s projects and overall mission.

what the residents of kalu yala and guna yala know is that the way to work toward fixing climate change it to prove that it’s economically beneficial, especially regarding tourism. stice elaborates on his view of tourism: “the whole reason that cities exist is a way of pooling human capital and concentrating human exchange so that humans can actually create more value as a civilization by being allowed to exchange. tourism is the first step in doing that.” in this way, ecotourism can be seen as a sustainable approach as kalu yala plans to spread their ideals and their property. while the same may not go for the disappearing san blas islands, tourism does serve as a means of profit and a way for people to see the effects of their actions.

while sustainable living has always been ingrained in the culture of the guna people, valiente sees a disconnect with how tourism affects their traditions. but at the end of the day, seeing how others live – be that the guna people or the residents of kalu yala – helps one realize how to better themselves and their way of living. and that seems to be a goal of both locations as tourist attractions. stice agrees, as he confirms this mission: “it’s a lot easier for you to make an impact by getting 10 people to do 10 percent better, than for you to do 100 percent better.”

on the edge of a sun-drenched caribbean island, a young man in a floral speedo strikes a yoga pose. he stands apart from the throng of beachgoers, gazing off pensively toward the horizon. after his meditation on the warm, white beach, he joins newfound friends for a drink – and finds a long-lost cousin – all within the hour.

diwigdi valiente, 28, crosses between cultures as an environmental advocate and entrepreneur. very few links bind the san blas islands of guna yala – the autonomous province of the indigenous guna people in panama – and kalu yala, the self-described “sustainable town” underway in the tres brazos valley. but valiente is one of them.

in spring 2018, valiente and business partner allan lim opened their second bodhi hostel, their venture in ecotourism, on the lush grounds of kalu yala. the duo studied hospitality at the same césar ritz college campuses in switzerland, missed each other by a year and several thousand miles, then connected through a friend back in panama.

there, they found that valiente’s free spirit blended perfectly with lim’s strategic thinking – right brain met left brain to mold the bodhi business model. though bodhi keeps “enlightenment through travel” and sustainable living at its core, it is, after all, a business.

“if you cannot make a business that can make money, and with that money then you can make good for the people and for the environment, and with that good for the environment and the people you can make more money,” valiente said. “if you are not able to achieve that, then you are not sustainable.”

ringed by palm trees on the san blas islands, he slapped a wood table in the community dining hall of the cabañas niabub for emphasis. his grandparents live on these islands, his father was raised there, and he spent much of his childhood surrounded by the guna “environment of socialism” of sharing.

since he was young, the guna community immersed him in communal sharing, the lifestyle he believes we must have “in order for this planet to survive.” switzerland, however, crystallized environmental sustainability for him – a term unknown to most of the guna community. but living in equilibrium with nature pervades the lifestyle of the people.

sustainability as a force of balance with nature is stitched into the fabric of guna life with the seamlessness of traditional molas. this indigenous people has subsisted off the panamanian and colombian land since before the spanish invasion; hunting, fishing, farming. the modern interpretation of “sustainability,” however, remains distant.

as global sea levels creep higher, the comarca faces one of the growing litany of threats to indigenous island people who will be forced to move because of climate change. a human forced change in climate patterns is neither widely discussed, accepted, nor understood on the islands where people are far removed from the lifestyles causing global warming and sea level rise. resistance to a seemingly inevitable move to the mainland is one among many pressing problems.

“we are facing many issues, and i think it’s going to take a group of people,” valiente said. “people of my age: people in their 30s, above 25 that already (are) working through the same” love of culture but see a change, he said. “i realize that maybe now that my dad and his generation (built) that bridge, it’s time for my culture to bring back and try to get back as much as we can from our communities.”

valiente is a cultural liaison of sorts, in constant flux between “the city” (panama city) where he spent much of his childhood, the islands where his grandparents live, and bodhi hostel locations at kalu yala and el valle de antón. he embodies the bridge that spans from the traditional nose ring of his grandmother to the guna youth to the entrepreneurial outside world.

that bridge bears the weight of an entire community – with an incredible support beam: his father, aresio valiente lópez, a university of panama law professor and lawyer of the general guna congress. there is a glowing filament of pride between the two.

valiente teared up introducing his father’s work as a professor at the university of panama where he is an expert in agricultural law, environmental law and human rights; a writer, poet, dancer, bohemian. “the students have to overcome the teachers,” lópez responded. a parent is a child’s first teacher, he said. one can only hope their children will achieve more than them – like, he says, his son did.

“he’s happy that at least i’m doing something good, something good for the house of all of us,” valiente said in translation. “because it doesn’t matter what language we talk, or what religion we have. we have all the same house, which is in our language napguana, which means mother earth.”

in the guna religion, the great mother (nan dummad) exists alongside the great father (bab dummad). close to the land, the sea and the environment in general, the people believe in nature. they place their faith in the world around them as well as a higher power, but this can prevent a belief in the hard science behind climate change.

the elders and those in charge of the sovereign guna congress, valiente says, are “super wise, super wise – but when you put them next to me, we have seen two different worlds… we can have a different perspective and a different view, but at the same time, these people were trained 30 years, learning about our traditions.”

while he fights to preserve traditional culture, valiente has also embraced a modern way of life. coming out of the closet opened doorways toward self-expression, liberation, and the art he creates today, his business partner said.

“i think a lot of people that are homosexual in our society, they’ve been living in that space for so long,” lim said, “that when you break out, it not only lets you express yourself, but it gives you the power — powers you to do anything. diwigdi has that.”

valiente does have that. the self-described “idea hatcher” has that x-factor that allows him to flow from a professional post as a transfer pricing analyst in panama’s ministry of economy and finances to founding burwigan, an art project teaching guna kids about climate change. he is a change maker, and his tool of choice is tourism.

“when you travel to another place, you not only travel for yourself, you travel to blow your mind,” he said. “tourism is a way to enlighten your life and to see how other people live and to learn from that and to teach what you have.”

the world is an ever-changing transfer of knowledge in his eyes, constantly connecting people with places with new things to learn. today, he is a “climate warrior,” but not until switzerland did he gain social and environmental consciousness. not until he left home did he realize the need to protect his “gem in the middle of the caribbean.”

“when you move people from one place to another, you’re not only moving people: you’re moving experiences, you’re moving culture,” he said. “tourism has a greater impact than we thought and than we realized, because it’s not only us moving, it’s everything that we go with, moving with us.”

amid the tattoo art swirling on his tanned skin – a papaya (his connection with femininity), a rue flower (his grandmother bathed him with it as a child), a heart containing the catalan flag (for his partner) – the bodhi hostel logo (the bodhi tree) makes an appearance on his left forearm. valiente pours himself into everything he does: bodhi was chosen by hostelworld.com as the best hostel in panama within a year of its opening.

he has etched the bodhi tree onto himself as a symbol of enlightenment and a constant reminder of his job, both at the hostel and in the world at large. he lives and works to create environmental change, and to spread the message from traveler to traveler until the world hears about guna yala’s fight for existence.

the yoga pose he struck on the beach was the warrior pose. valiente may cross cultures and defy definition, but one thing we know to be true: he is a climate change warrior.