What Happens When a Village Trades Mining for Eco-Tourism?

Travel Blog  •  Jim Benning  •  11.16.02 | 12:16 AM ET

The 46 families of Junín, Ecuador are finding out. In 1997 residents of Junín burned down the local mining camp, ran its owners out of town and turned to eco-tourism. Thus far, according to New York Times reporter Edmund L. Andrews, it’s been great for the environment.

“Village leaders boast of being able to find 40 kinds of orchids, rare varieties of hummingbirds and toucans and at least the tracks of jaguars, pumas, tapirs and bears. Environmental guides now list the mist-shrouded forests around here as an official ‘hot zone’ of intense biodiversity,” he writes.

Economically, however, it’s pretty much been a disaster. Andrews adds: “[F]or all the effort to develop a new economy, Junín and other villages in this region remain impoverished and isolated…Only about three families here earn a living through ecotourism; the rest live largely through subsistence farming.”



3 Comments for What Happens When a Village Trades Mining for Eco-Tourism?

Barry 08.18.07 | 1:35 PM ET

Andrew,

The new TT sweepstakes begins with the most exotic food you ate in Spain. Answer: Paella

Would you really call Paella exotic? I’ve had Paella all over the U.S., France, Italy, GB (They have no culinary contributions other than Fish & Chips), etc.

I enjoy the show, but sometimmes, not the food. Keep it coming!

BTW 10.12.07 | 1:35 PM ET

That’s a real shame, and typically this does happen when ecotourism in not carefully managed - the locals get greedy and want all the tourists for themselves.  Not just in Equador - it happens everywhere with a travel industry.

Go-Gulf 11.11.08 | 6:34 AM ET

IMO, Margaret Kent is more of a deal maker and is not a technical miner.  In my view, the core problem since the inception of Century Mining is as follows: Margaret Kent, relied heavily on her technical people (especially McNutt), with the results being disasterous almost every single time.IMO, Ms. Kent either failed to realize her limitations or refused to accept it.  Either way, shareholders paid a HUGE price.  She should have hired a more technical CEO (to replace her) years ago.  The BOD failed also, for not carrying out their fiduciary duties, IMO.They need to make Tim Gooch the CEO, ASAP!  He needs to become the face of the company, and have PK fade into the backrooms (she can still play a role with Corporate affairs, but stay away from the technical work, and especially when it comes to providing production guidance).“Tim Gooch is a qualifified mining engineer with over 25 years experience in the mining industry….. Companies worked for include BGC Contracting, Jubilee Mines, Ashanti Goldfields and Australian Resources.“EVERYONE HAS THEIR FLAWS AND LIMITATIONS, but he brings over 25 years of successful technical experiences, with reputable companies.  He should have the abilities to build a real mine plan, put together real guidances, but most importantly, be able to tell right away when he is being fed big time crap from the likes of McNutt. IMO, anyone could do a better job than what Margaret Kent has done during her tenure as Century’s CEO.  But as an added bonus, Tim Gooch appears to have the technical background that we so desparately need, especially with what we are attempting to accomplish at Lamaque.<BR><BR>Make the change right away!!!

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