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Outside Magazine, March 2003

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Green Fork in the Road
A forum on ecotourism, the evils of travel, and a hopeful movement to keep our two favorite things—adventure in wild places and a healthy environment—alive and kicking.

For over 25 years Outside's purpose has been to get our readers out the door and on the road (or trail or river or mountain) in a bold search for adventure and the wild life. It's been good for us, and it's been good for you. But like all journeys do, ours has come to a critical juncture. Travel—the wings that take us on most of our adventures—has itself become a threateningly massive and impactive global industry. How can travel remain liberating, and learn not to destroy the exotic and singular things we travel to discover? This is the theme of our March 2003 issue.

To further explore these questions, Outside convened a gathering of six of the world's foremost ecotourism experts for a freewheeling roundtable on the idea of sustainable tourism and the future of travel. Below are some of the highlights of the conversation.

IS ECOTOURISM FOR REAL?

Post your thoughts on the green future of adventure travel here.

MODERATOR:
Hal Espen: Editor of Outside magazine

PARTICIPANTS:
Costas Christ: Senior Director of Ecotourism, Conservation International

Andy Drumm: Ecotourism Director, The Nature Conservancy

Oliver Hillel: Tourism Programme Coordinator, United Nations Environment Programme

Martha Honey: Executive Director of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and Program Director of the Ecotourism and Sustainable Development Project at the Institute for Policy Studies and Stanford University

Michael Kaye: President and Founder, Costa Rica Expeditions

Stanley Selengut: Eco-lodge entrepreneur and founder of Maho Bay Camps on St. John.

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