Ecotourism
Angel Conservation has always been keen on developing a sustainable development plan for ecotourism in the Kamarata Valley and indeed Canaima National Park as a destination this would greatly benefit the conservation of the Pemón culture. The plan is to work within the structure and confines of the Telemedicine / Communications Project to include these locations for the benefit of medical, cultural and tourism sustainability. A natural bi-product too would be the creation of much needed employment for the local Pemón and a distraction from the illegal extraction of gold in the national park.
The sustainable tourism program has two primary educational objectives – Education and Outreach.
Education
Preparing the Kamarakotos for the forthcoming collaboration they will soon have with the wider world, including, in a sense, their entry into the ‘responsible tourism industry’. Outreach directed to the greater public, which is often not familiar with indigenous cultures generally and the Pemón in particular.
Outreach Objectives
- To raise awareness about indigenous cultures and peoples and efforts underway across the world to protect and sustain indigenous cultural heritage and life.
- To assist in making the program sustainable by attracting financial support from foundations and others through the creation of a visible presence as a forum for education about the region.
- To prepare those members of the public who will visit the area to recognize they are visiting a fragile ecology and help them understand the impact outsiders will have.
- To reach those who are most interested in learning about and possibly traveling to the region: museum-goers, academics, anthropologists, etc.