nated, giving little economic protection to the forests. Profits leak back to the developed nations through tour operators, plane tickets, foreign owned accommodations and use of non-local supplies. The World Bank estimates that worldwide only 45 percent of tourism’s revenue reaches the host country. In less developed areas, the percentage is often lower. One study of the popular ecotourism destination of the Annapurna region of Nepal found that only 10 cents of every dollar spent stayed on the local economy. Within the country, the money may end up in the large cities of in the hands of the wealthy elite. Tourist dollars should help to acquire and improve management of conservation areas on which the tourism is based, but money from tourism does not often end up with the agencies that manage these areas. In Costa Rica, the park service does not earn enough money from its entrance fees to manage and protect its numerous parks. Only 25% of it’s budget comes from fees; the other three quarters must come from donations. Tourists often resent paying large sums of money on entrance fees. Although these fees are only a small portion of the money spent on a trip they can be the most important dollars spent in protecting the resource because they go directly toward protecting the site. The environmentalists and government officials play a vital part in the protection of the Rainforests. Without them, all of the Rainforests would probably be gone. (4) In conclusion, the Rainforests, the lungs of the earth will be gone in just a few years if the current rates of destruction continue. But luckily, there are environmentalists there to protect the rainforest and potentially protecting our lives. I say protecting our lives because in the past 100 years the earth’s temperature has risen one degree Fahrenheit. This may sound small and insignificant but it is very serious. Combined with global pollution from cars, fa...
