PS 31-174
Ecotourism with a hand lens in the miniature forests of Cape Horn: A sustainable pathway for bryophyte conservation

Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Exhibit Hall B, Minneapolis Convention Center
Kelli P. Moses, Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
Nastassja Noell, Biology, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
Daniel Casado, Chewonki Foundation, Chile
Rajan Rijal, Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
Yanet Medina, Conservación y Manejo de Recursos Naturales en Ambientes SubaUniversidad de Magallanes, Universidad de Magallanes Programa de Conservación Biocultural Subantártica - Parque Etnobotánico Omora, Punta Arenas, Chile
Lily R. Lewis, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Manuela Mendez, University of Concepción, Chile, Chile
Paula P. Caballero, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB) , and Universidad de Magallanes, Santiago, Chile
Veronica Morales, Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program, Institute of Ecology & Biodiversity - Omora Park (Universidad de Magallanes-University of North Texas), Santiago, Chile
Adam M. Wilson, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Paola Vezzani, Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile
Francisca Massardo, Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG), Punta Arenas, Chile
Leopoldo Sancho, Dept. Biología Vegetal II, Fac. Farmacia, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain., Madrid, Spain
Shaun Russell, CAZS Natural Resources, University of Wales, Wales
Lohengrin A. Cavieres, Botanica, Universidad de Concepcion, IEB Chile, Concepcion, Chile
Bernard Goffinet, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Ricardo Rozzi, Philosophy and Religion Studies, University of North Texas (UNT), TX
Background/Question/Methods

"Ecotourism with a Hand Lens (EHL) in the Miniature Forests of Cape Horn(MFCH)" at the Omora Ethnobotanical Park (OEP) in Puerto Williams, Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (CHBR), Chile, is a conservation initiative being develop by a team of scientists, philosophers, artists, architects, engineers, musicians, and tourism operators associated with the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program (SBCP), jointly coordinated by the University of North Texas (UNT) in the US, and the Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG) and Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) in Chile.  EHL builds on botanical research which determined that  CHBR hosts 5% of the world's bryophyte diversity in less than 0.01% of the Earth's land surface, distinguishing it as a biodiversity "hotspot.”  This discovery inspired a novel new type of tourism that calls attention to the high diversity of bryophytes and lichens of this region, through a field activity organized in interpretive trails where tourists get down on the ground and use magnifying glasses. At OEP, the trail is a one-kilometer circuit with 14 stations that calls attention to the ecological, economic, aesthetic, and ethical values these tiny forest communities, including invertebrates that inhabit them.


Results/Conclusions

A main sustainability attribute of EHL is that the tourists can see diverse miniature forests on the trunk of a tree or on a rock and discover the broad array of biodiversity without impacting large areas of the ecosystem. This new type of ecotourism has been implemented with great success at OEP, with guides specially trained in the ecological and ethical attributes of bryophyte conservation. Many tourists specifically request to visit the trail of the MFCH, and evaluations offered at the end of the tours indicate that tourists are highly satisfied with their experience.  The sustainability of this novel form of ecotourism is being communicated to a broad and diverse audience. Publications, including a coffee-table book entitled “Ecotourism with a Hand Lens at Omora Park,” documentaries, brochures, school texts, newspaper articles and other media have socialized this experience and an art gallery exhibition of EHL will be held in New York.  EHL could be implemented not only in the sub-Antarctic region but also in the sub-Arctic, and in the high altitudes of the Himylayas. Hence, this type of ecotourism could have applications for conservation and sustainable tourism in subpolar regions around the planet.