Blog Post 3

In the article “Borneo: reaping the fruits of ecotourism”, published by Unesco Courier, author Robert Basiuk describes how tourism has been a huge benefactor to their village and has made the people work together to preserve their ways of living.

Iban People of Borneo

 The Iban people depend on the forest and its resources to survive.  They use tourism to preserve the wealth of their country.  They also use the forest’s natural resources for the plants, animals, raw materials for food, and medicine.  Borneo is known to be one of the most bio-diverse rich areas.  They even created laws to protect the rainforest because it’s so important to the Iban people.  Since they changed to a cash economy, it has changed village’s needs.  Tourism has been going on there for 10-15 years.  For example, they have a remote area called Ulu Ai that’s preserved to promote a relationship between the forest and its people.  In 1986, the village was approached about making it a tourist attraction.  The project would give the community a reason to preserve the wildlife there and bring visitors to experience longhouse and up river lifestyle.  One of the biggest attractions is there big population of Orang-utans, which are a protected species and viewed as a commodity.  The village’s involvement in tourism has benefited other wildlife in other areas as well.  Because of the cash flow from tourism, stocks are stabilized.

I think their decision to include tourism was a wonderful idea.  They’re not only getting benefits from it, but other people are as well.  Not to mention the wealth that flows in from the tourism.  It has also brought the people closer together and has preserved their rainforest for their own needs .  It sounds like an awesome place to tour and I would love to travel there someday if I get the chance.