Are you longing for a vacation in harmony with nature? Do you seek inspiration from nature and human culture when you travel? Do you believe in strong personal property laws yet resent developers who come and destroy our natural, architectural, and farming heritage? Do you believe in personal liberty and protecting the environment at the same time?
Perhaps the answer to all these questions is very simple and already happening all around us. Yes, there is a way to travel that strengthens and supports the places we visit. Curiosity and tourist money can protect and secure the future of our world’s most inspiring places.
Street vendors in Florence, Italy, occasionally sell T-shirts reading, “Save Tuscany! Take a Tourist When You Go!” Here is a poignant truth, humorously presented on the classic tourist purchase. Yet lives have been transformed by a physical visit to the top tourist destinations on the globe: Machu Picchu, Santorini, the Taj Mahal.
Personally, my life was changed by experiencing ancient villages around the Mediterranean, Europe, and North America. The beauty of the natural environment was actually transformed by the beauty of the built environment, into something seeming divine and etheric.
Sky City in New Mexico and the Cotswolds stone villages come to mind. Wilderness often achieves natural perfection, but there are places where human development actually brings the environment to a sublime level of beauty.
But everywhere one goes around the globe, one sees modern, mass development that simply destroyed and replaced what previously existed. Maybe if today’s developers had only the hand tools of our ancestral artisans, we would consistently bring beauty to the world.
Most acknowledge the irony that the places where we want to be are often the most untouched or fragile; wilderness or traditional ancient built environments. The concept of the “Tragedy of the Commons” was crystalized in the 1968 book by that name. This pessimistic idea is that unmanaged human use inevitably leads to the exploitation and destruction of our most loved places.
This pessimistic idea seems to have permeated public opinion on how best to protect and grow the best aspect of our culture and our planet. Governmental bureaucracies and even local planning departments have used this idea to justify grievous infringement on property rights. Their agendas seem to want to put our heritage and natural inheritance off limits.
This statement does not acknowledge private property rights. As the years go by, what happens to an individual who lives and wants to prosper in one of these heritage sites?
More than just honoring the beauty of the natural landscape, this constitutional amendment gives nature a legal seat at the table. Most parties agree that this constitutional article is vague, but many find it extremely inspirational and it has led to many countries, states, and organizations to seek legal standing for the value of the natural world. The constitution’s lead architect Alberto Acosta stated he mostly wanted to help society relearn how to live in harmony with nature.
A problem arises in determining who enforces the Rights of Nature. Chapter 7, Article 71 states: “All persons, communities, peoples and nations can call upon public authorities to enforce the rights of nature.” One could worry about calling upon authorities that consider all human activity to be destructive. Yet article 74 affirms: “Persons, communities, peoples, and nations shall have the right to benefit from the environment and the natural wealth enabling them to enjoy the good way of living.”
The Ecuadorian Constitution recognizes that human activity is integral to the natural world.
www.mangrove-cove.com John Steffian
So who should enforce the Rights of Nature, and in what framework should they exist?
The only logical answer seems to be that our environment needs to be in the hands of those most familiar and dependent upon it: the local individuals, families, and communities that live there. To empower these people, we need strong property rights. Second, we need to foster a strong sense of morality in the culture, so that these people understand the importance of doing the right thing for the place where they live. Morality is something that cannot be imposed by an outsider. Morality’s genesis is in a strong community that understands and protects what it values.
Local communities are the places where the Rights of Nature can be defined and enforced, then these rights can be codified in their existing common law. And back to the original question: as travelers, how do we support these local individuals and communities who protect and grow our planet’s most loved places?
The answer is obvious: by taking the time to research and connect with historic inns, locally owned cafes, and businesses, easily found online. Extra research and communication with local hosts can result in even stronger support of the place you are visiting, keeping history alive and sponsoring education on the natural setting. Do extra research to make sure you are investing in places that support your environmental and heritage preservation goals. Your tourist dollars will directly support your principals. Even better, open your own idealistic tourist business such as www.mangrove-cove.com. Define and teach your principles on how you want your neighborhood treated. Break expectations and provide a 5-star bed in a rustic cabin. Direct money to your favorite businesses and use local supplies. Terrify your guests with local legends and ghost tales just to keep the stories alive. In short, be your own governing body that protects and ensures a thriving future for the places you love best, your home or second home.
