BBC 6分钟英语学习 生态旅游_好或坏

From bbc learning english dot com.

Hello. This is six minute English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil, and I'm Beth. Nowadays, the word safari is often used negatively.

For many people, the idea of killing animals for sport

is unacceptable. Has the popularity of hunting declines, safaris are swapping their guns for cameras, offering tourists the chance to photograph wild animals in their natural habitat.

In recent years, nature and wildlife tourism, also called eco tourism, has grown massively, But the story is complex.

While money from eco tourism is supposed to support threatened wildlife and traditional local cultures, the reality is sometimes different.

In this program, will be asking, is eco tourism good or bad?

And, as usual, will be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

But 1st, I have a question for you, beth.

Most tourists on Safari are looking for the Big Five, the name given to africa's most iconic large animals.

But which animals are the Big five?

A the lion leopard, giraffe, baboon and buffalo, b the lion leopard, tiger, elephant and buffalo.

Or see the lion leopard, rhinocerus, elephant and buffalo?

I guess it's A, the lion leopard, giraffe, baboon and the flame.

I'll reveal the answer at the end of the program.

The balance between the good and bad things eco tourism can bring is well understood by Vicky Smith, whose website, earth Changes matches eco tourists with environmentally friendly travel companies.

Here's Vicky talking with BBC radio for program costing the Earth.

Just because tourism is nature based, it doesn't mean to say it's necessarily responsible or sustainable.

So there's a lot of animal activities in tourism that we know which are highly irresponsible and unsustainable, like performing well and dolphin shows or swimming with dolphins, elephant riding tiger selfies where the tigers are drugged.

Genuine ecotourism is sustainable, designed to continue at a steady level which does not damage the environment.

Not every travel company, which calls themselves eco friendly, acts sustainably, and may still advertise irresponsible tourist activities, including tiger selfies, having your photo taken with a captive wild tiger.

There are two requirements travel companies should meet to qualify as genuine ecotourism.

1st, tourists main motivation should be to appreciate and observe the natural world without interfering.

And 2nd, the money they spend should support traditional communities.

Clearly, having your photograph taken with a chain and drug tiger does not meet these requirements.

But not all companies claiming to be eco tourism behave so irresponsibly.

According to Antonia Bolingbrook Kent, who runs small scale wildlife expeditions to some of the most remote places on Earth, it's possible to put travel companies on a sliding scale from good to bad.

One BBC Radio force program costing the Earth.

Antonia discussed her work in tajik Istan, a country where ecotourism is making a positive impact on both animal and human communities.

At the other end of the scale of Tajikistan, where I work a lot, which gets less than two dozen wildlifes a year.

And the money these visitors bring is essential to the conservation work that grassroots ngos are doing.

So those few tourists, their money goes a very long way.

And the animals people are looking at snow leopards, rare mountain angus like Bakar and Marco.

They are being observed from a distance.

Their behavior is not being affected in any way, and the local communities are genuinely benefiting.

Antonia uses the phrase at the other end of the scale as a way of contrasting irresponsible tourist companies with what's happening in Tajikksan, there animals, including snow leopards and mountain angulets, are being protected by eco tourist projects run by non governmental organizations, or ngos, organizations trying to achieve environmental or social aims outside of government control.

These ngos are grassroots organizations, meaning that they are run from the bottom up by ordinary people, rather than leaders.

Despite getting very few eco tourists a year, the money they spend into Gikistan goes a long way.

In other words, the money is an important factor in achieving their goals, which in Tajikistan at least means protecting rare wild animals.

OK, it's time to reveal the answer to my

question. You asked me about the Big Five, the name for the africa's iconic safari animals?

I guessed they were the lion leopard, giraffe, baboon and buffalo.

You guess right about the lionel, leopard and buffalo, but the others were the

rhinoceros and the elephant. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this program about eco tourism.

Travel to places of natural beauty, where the tourist motivation is to appreciate

nature and support the local culture.

The adjective sustainable describes actions designed to continue at a steady level so as not to damage the environment.

A tiger selfie means having your photo taken with a captive wild tiger.

Not something to be advised. The phrase at the other end of the scale is similar in meaning to the phrase.

By contrast, A grassroots NGO is a non governmental organization which tries to achieve its aims through the actions of local ordinary people, rather than leaders.

And finally, if something goes a long way towards a certain goal, it's an important factor in achieving that goal.

Once again, our 6 min are up.

Goodbye for now, by 6 min English from the BBC.

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