A relatively new aspect in this whole scenario is the rapidly growing market of eco-tourism. In a century that has lost vast areas of natural habitats to development with many more hectares under threat each day, more and more people have come to value what's left of the natural world. 20 years ago tourism was a major factor in environmental and cultural destruction, today it is being transformed into an instigator of conservation initiatives. Simultaneously, conservationists are realizing the great potential for the protection of endangered species by allowing limited, controlled access to sensitive habitats, coupled with educational guidance. This is where ethnobotany comes into it - people enjoy learning about what they are seeing.
Local guides enjoy teaching people about the many uses of plants.
Thus a knowledge that was in danger of becoming extinct may be preserved. Many joint ventures between conservationists and local villages have sprung up to promote eco-tourism, sometimes coupled with research facilities from which the whole community can benefit. The tourist money can help to support both, the research facilities or conservation projects as well as the local people, thus reducing the need to cut down forest for cash crops or to seek work in urban areas. Obviously eco-tourism does impacts the environment as well as the cultures with which it interacts. However, the communication that takes place and the education that goes with this type of tourism outweighs the damage.