As long as there are beautiful and interesting places to visit, tourism in Canada will exist. Tourism, however, has some negative effects on our environment and local communities. Ski resorts, for example, are sometimes built along river systems, which can affect water quality. Hotels built near beaches can force local fishing communities to move. There may also be burial sites or other culturally important places that are destroyed when tourism infrastructure, like hotels and restaurants, is built. Tourism has also contributed to the illegal trade in endangered species and cultural artefacts, like carvings, masks, and boats.

Ecotourism is the evolution of this more destructive type of tourism and is defined as "responsible" travel to natural areas that focuses on minimizing harm to the environment and contributing to the local economy. Ecotourism can provide benefits to local people, allowing them to control the amount and the manner in which tourism takes place in their community. It can also be an alternative form of economic development for local communities, helping them to avoid more environmentally damaging sources of income, such as mining and logging. Ecotourism practices include developing guidelines for tourist operators that determine how tourism activities should take place, as well as for tourists so that they know what to expect and what cultural rules should be observed when visiting a particular area.

Click on Select-A-Career or EnviroCareers to find out more about the environmental jobs related to ecotourism:

• Conservation Officer
  
• Green Architect
  
• Science Camp Co-ordinator
  
• Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) Advisor
  
• Environmental Monitor
  
• Ecotourism Guide
  
• Environmental Trainer