Q: This looks like any other lodge business. How is this a conservation project?
A: The proceeds of this lodge directly pay for the conservation of 82 square miles of pristine lowland rainforest (map).

That is the short answer. This community decided years ago that it was not going to succumb to local pressures to destroy the forest. Logging, market hunting, and oil extraction are all actively destroying local forests, and the income from the lodge will allow the community to continue to resist these pressures into the distant future. Often the most important part of a conservation project is the people. The community land is located inside Yasuní National Park, and one might think that park status would confer substantive protection to the forest and its animals - after all, Yasuní was declared a National Park in 1979 and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1989. Unfortunately, the National Parks System in Ecuador is as under-funded as any other and does not have the resources to adequately patrol and protect Yasuní. Our project has worked closely with the Ecuadorian Parks System and the relationship has allowed the Parks System to rely on the Añangu community and the Napo Wildlife Center as their primary source of on-the-ground protection for this region of Yasuní. The Napo Wildlife Center also provides virtually 100% of the Park's tourism income by being the only lodge in the region to pay park fees. And what could be more effective than local residents protecting what belongs to them? All one must do is look at the barren cattle pastures of adjacent communities to know what could have become of this community territory in the absence of a legitimate, non-extractive income base.

©Laura Jones

Q: What happens to the profits from the lodge?
A: Net profits go to the the Añangu community.

The community receives all of the net profits. The community has a democratic political structure that has decided how funds will be spent. The primary expenditures are for education and health care. The community does not maintain any debt from the construction of the lodge. All employees, whether from the community or not, are paid market salaries for the jobs that they perform. Members of the Añangu community make up between 85-93% of the total workforce at the lodge at any given time, and this variation is primarily dependent upon scheduling.

Q: What about the other lodges in the region? Aren't all ecotourism lodges in favor of conservation?
A: You should probably ask them. They did not pay Yasuní National Park entrance fees for decades.

The other lodges in the area are fine as businesses, but they are not conservation projects. You know how the Napo Wildlife Center's net profits are used, and the conservation motivation of the lodge. Ask other lodges how they use their profits. We are not aware of any other lodge in the area devoting a significant portion of its net profits to supporting conservation. In fact, despite lodges operating across the Napo River from Yasuní National Park for almost a quarter of a century, and frequently venturing into the Park, no lodge paid the Park its entrance fees until the Napo Wildlife Center began doing so. Now that the Napo Wildlife Center helps guard Yasuní National Park, we are able to help the Park collect its entrance fees from guests of these other lodges when we welcome them to the observation blinds that we have built at the parrot clay licks.

This question raises the issues of what really constitutes "ecotourism." In practice, the term is unregulated, has a large number of "official" meanings, and its use is up to the discretion of the individual operator. Some operators use it as a description of the activities that they offer, others use it to describe the area where they are located, and others use it to describe their business motivation. The Napo Wildlife Center uses the following definition: "Ecotourism is responsible travel that promotes the conservation of natural areas and sustains the well-being of local peoples."

Q: What about potential damage from tourists?
A: Take a look at our facility. Think about the alternatives.

The footprint of the lodge compound is approximately 1 hectare, and this is the sum total of the forest that has been cleared for the lodge. We feel this is very reasonable. Judging from archeological evidence, humans have likely inhabited this site since at least 700 AD. Other concerns are typically wastewater, electrical generation, trash, and impact on wildlife from viewing:

Wastewater: we have installed a two man-made wetlands that treat the effluent naturally and result in water that is safe to drink.
Electricity: we have installed solar panels that charge a bank of batteries. In addition, we have two state-of-the-art diesel generators that also charge the batteries and provide power at peak times. Although we would love to have a fully solar-powered system, we have found that the technology is just not there yet. We use our generators sparingly and with the combined system we are able to provide efficient and reliable 24-hour power in a seamless manner that is transparent to our clients.
Trash: there are not many options, and the most important issue is that we seek to minimize our consumption of items that become trash. We compost what we can compost, we burn and bury what is safe to burn, and we pack out the remainder to designated landfills.
Wildlife disturbance: we have worked with a number of internationally recognized biologists, and we are all satisfied that small groups of people quietly viewing wildlife from a distance does not significantly impact the wildlife. We have constructed blinds at the parrot licks to ensure that the human activity is hidden from the parrots. If we detect problems, we will address them. If you have a specific concern, please let us know.

As you think about the impact of this lodge upon the 82 square miles of pristine forest that it is directly supporting, please keep in mind that the most likely secondary option for this land would have been to clear it for cattle or agriculture. Ask yourself, will a tourist watching a monkey disturb that monkey more than shooting it and cutting down the forest? Although obvious, this is the harsh reality of Eastern Ecuador, and this reality makes the Añangu community that much more impressive.

All content © Napo Wildlife Center 2008. All rights reserved.