Ecotourism is a combination of ecology(the study of systems of living things) and tourism.The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well£­being of the local people.”Actually£¬ecotourism can mean travel to far£­off places of great natural beauty£¬but not always in a responsible way.It's big business£¬and the attraction of money can cause people to think about profits first.While ecotourism offers benefits for people and ecosystems£¬it leaves ecosystems open to negative effects£¬too.

Costa Rica£¬once a Spanish colony£¬and independent since 1821£¬has an ecotourism industry worth over one billion dollars yearly£¬and thousands of jobs have been created.Nearly 21 percent of the land is now protected national parks£¬largely thanks to ecotourism.Nonetheless£¬due to the number of people visiting the country's natural places£¬some damage to the ecosystem has occurred.

While tourists can have a negative influence on ecosystems£¬the same areas might have been totally destroyed by industries such as farming£¬logging£¬or mining were there no ecotourism industry.Instead£¬nature reserves have been created£¬keeping the ecosystem protected.And£¬by visiting beautiful rainforests and seeing rare animals£¬visitors get a sense of their value£¬and of gratitude for them.Tour guides can also be educators who train people to love and care for the environment.Visitors can take these lessons with them to their home countries.