The natural environment and wildlife as a commodity
As the environment is increasingly consumed as part of a paid leisure and recreation experience, then arguably it increasingly becomes a product whose natural habitats and associated wildlife become items that must be protected as investments. As such providers must increasingly package their product to meet the ‘green’ demands of consumers.
Tour operators are as a result segmenting the market by introducing eco-cruises, eco-safaris, eco-adventures, and eco-trekking packages. A sizeable proportion of these companies are small and medium sized, foreign owned, and at least partly staffed by expatriates. Even though many are strictly commercial ventures they must still comply with an invisible code of ethics that limits environmental and cultural impacts and donate to local jobs and conservation projects.