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Ecotourism

Logging alone cannot make enough profit to support the conservation area and in 1995/6, 45% of PfB’s income came from educational visits by students from the USA and from tourism. This is not the usual tourism of holiday brochures but what is called ‘ecotourism’. This word sometimes just means holidays which focus on wildlife and natural beauty, but it should mean much more. Real ecotourism makes as little impact as possible on the environment; respects the culture of local people and ensures that most of the money paid out by the tourists stays in the local economy. It can also involve some kind of education for the travellers about the local conservation issues.

Rio Bravo tourism

Visitors stay in either the La Milipa Field Station or the Hill Bank Field Station where they can learn about the research projects.
Hill Bank is 100% solar powered, has no-flush composting toilets, collects rainwater from the roof and recycles water for use in landscaping the grounds.
Local people are employed and local craftspeople and cultural groups are invited in to meet the visitors.
Travel itineraries for visitors include excursions into neighbouring villages.
There are several signposted nature trails.
Wildlife is abundant and includes a number of endangered species, for example, tapirs, black howler monkeys, spider monkeys and manatees.
There are 60 ruins from the ancient Mayan civilisation which once covered the area.
The night skies are very clear and PfB staff have devised star-gazing activities for visitors.

illustration of an Ocellated Turkey
Caption: An engraving of an Ocellated Turkey, an endangered species found only in a small area of Belize, Mexico and Guatemala. Numbers in the Rio Bravo forest are increasing and visitors can see them at close quarters. The Turkey has colourful plumage.

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