Perhaps no other country in the world is as friendly to tourists as Mexico. However, environmental awareness and tourism have yet to tread the same path. Sometimes it seems as though environmental tourism in Mexico is like the famed Copper Canyon, a gorge in Chihuahua deeper than the Grand Canyon in the United States. Conservation is marooned on one side, tourism on the other. Sometimes it appears that there's no bridge across the abyss.
Conservationists shudder when tourism leaders brand amusement parks as ecotourism destinations.
Likewise, when environmentalists devise complicated eco-trips that tour operators can't book, the operators see ecotourism as nothing more than utopian whimsy. Until recently, most of Mexico's protected areas and biosphere reserves were simply off-limits to tourism. In the 1990s, though, organized tours and individual travelers discovered and raved about the natural wonders of Mexico. Whether to watch birds or whales, people began visiting the great outdoors to experience the diversity and beauty of nature. This book is the most comprehensive guide for the individual traveler who wishes to explore the natural diversity found in Mexico.