Ecotourism and the Power of the People: Featuring Safina Center Fellow, Belén Garcia Ovide
By Lindsey Neuwirth, Safina Center Intern
Photo via wikimedia commons by Davide Cantelli
Safina Center Junior Fellow, Belén Garcia Ovide, was born in Spain and currently resides in Iceland, but if you ask her where home is, she will proudly state the ocean.
Belén is a marine scientist who has dedicated her career to not only studying the ocean, but also to incorporating tourism as a sustainable solution to fighting environmental problems. She does this through the work of her non-profit organization, Ocean Missions. Through a citizen science project titled “Whales, Sails, and Science,” Belén utilizes whale watching boats in Iceland to take small groups out, not only to whale watch, but to collect data on microplastics and how it influences whale populations. The cost of the ticket for the trip also makes a financial contribution to the work of Ocean Missions. To further her efforts towards ecotourism implementation, she works for an Icelandic whale watching company called North Sailing, helping them earn environmental certificates. Environmental certificates are a third-party assessment on how companies run their businesses using specific criteria to measure their sustainability. By meeting the given criteria, it helps to better their business and have a more sustainable impact.
Belén will proudly admit with a smile on her face how whale watching tours in Iceland kept her motivated for years. They are a prime opportunity for translating her passion for marine science to the people as well as spread awareness about the importance of the ocean. Her work is extremely valuable to minimizing the negative impact of the whale watching industry on the environment. While there is a specified code of conduct for businesses to follow to safeguard the whale populations and ocean ecosystems, there is no one to enforce it. Belén explains that because of this it is important for visitors to be educated on Iceland’s environment and how whale watching tours may interact with it. She always makes sure to tell her passengers that they have the “biggest power to create actual actions.” Meaning that the responsibility lies in the tourist’s hands to choose the most eco-friendly company to guide them on their whale watching experience. If people are choosing options that are good for the Earth, then it forces all other companies to adjust to the consumer demand for ethical and eco-friendly practices.
Preparing trawl to study microplastic in waters off of Iceland. Photo via Ocean Missions
Unfortunately, the consumer demand for greener products and practices may promote what is known as greenwashing, or marketing that makes people believe that an action or product is helping to protect the environment when in reality it is not. In the whale watching world, companies sometimes label themselves as ecotourism businesses to draw in clients, when they do not have the credibility behind their actions to back it up.
Luckily, it is within every individual’s power to educate themselves and learn how to avoid companies that greenwash. As a guide, Belén encourages her passengers to be curious and ask questions. People can employ this same tactic to avoid greenwashing. By asking the right questions, people can discover a company’s motive and learn if they are following the proper guidelines to be sustainable. This is what gives the tourism industry and the people themselves so much power to make a difference. As wisely noted by Belén, “we cannot wait for politicians to change the world…that won’t happen fast enough without the power of the people.” People can create change through their decisions. Supporting ethical ecotourism and participating in citizen science are just some of the ways to make a difference.
Prior to moving to Iceland, Belén worked in the Canary Islands in Spain. While here, she started an ecotourism citizen science project, which offered university students the opportunity to take free whale biology and identification courses. Since the Canary Islands are highly populated with whales threatened by vessel strikes and noise pollution, for this project, the students would ride the ferries that ran between the different islands and collect data on the various species observed. These observations were compiled to create a detailed database that was essential to influencing regulations and communicate with government officials on where speed reduction zones were necessary to limit harmful interactions with marine life.
This project shows that anyone has the power to become a part of data collection. That is the foundation of citizen science work–everyone can be a scientist. It is human nature to crave exploration and want to experience nature. Whether you are exploring a foreign country or adventuring in your own backyard, Belén encourages every individual be a part of the solution through participation in sustainable actions and making sustainable choices.