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TIDE Tours - Environmental Evaluation
TIDE’s office in the outskirts of Punta Gorda does not give the impression of an organisation primarily concerned with conservation – litter, mainly in the form of old bottle-tops, is scattered around the forecourt. Unlike the TEA, TIDE provides transportation for the tours – in my case a diesel vehicle. Healy [1994, p599] notes that such vehicular access to fragile environments can be environmentally destructive and has lead to vehicular restrictions in some protected areas in USA . For the kayak trip itself, environmental impacts were kept to a minimum and there was no visual indication of any tourism induced environmental impacts, with the exception of one situation in which my guide littered with cigarette butts.
Eco Tours and Ecotourism in Ecuador at Piedra Blanca
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