Why Tourism In San Antonio

November 7, 2009 by Monica
Filed under Places & Trips

ned-cresswell

Ned Cresswell and Carlos

Ned Cresswell, owner of the San Antonio Farm is aswering a series of questions for a virtual interview about his interesting life in the San Antonio Community, in Ecuador.

Here my first question and his response: From London to an isolated village in Ecuador

My next question is:

Why is it important for you to promote tourism in the San Antonio Community and the Intag Region?

Ned’s answer:

Well, on a grand scale of course it is not important at all! We live in a crowded world of more than 6 thousand million people, in whose struggle to survive places like Intag are destroyed every day. The story of my own country, England, shows clearly how easily most people adapt to having their environment turned into a “concrete jungle”. So, in many people’s view, the huge copper deposits of Intag would amply justify the exploitation of the area.

My own point of view is different. As a biologist, I learnt that every species eventually reaches the point at which the growth of its population is no longer possible because the natural resources on which it depends have become exhausted, and its surroundings poisoned by its own waste products. And I think that man could be at this biological crisis point, or at least very close to it. If that is true, then how mankind cares for the environment over the next decades will be of the greatest importance.

I have no solutions to such complicated worldwide problems. All I can focus on is my adopted home of Intag, helping local people to continue being healthy, happy and productive, while conserving the native forests that capture the vital rainfall and maintain the rivers during the summer months. The increasing population of Intag also means that there must be alternative sustainable sources of income to supplement farming.

Tourism is one such possible source of income, and that is why I think it is worth promoting the natural wonders of San Antonio, the cotacachi nature reserve, and of Intag. We still have water here in abundance; the Alto Choco zone of which Intag is part is one of the wettest areas on the planet. If we take care of the forests, there could be plenty of water here for the years to come.

Ned

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Thanks for your answer! I really wish sustainable tourism thrives in the region so that the forest and species could be saved.

During our visit I was impressed by the crystal clear water of the streams, which is already very rare to find even in the country side. Here’s a picture I took:

intag-clear-water

And my next question for Ned: