If Leviathan has a face, does Gaia have a soul?: Incorporating environmental education in marine eco-tourism programs

Abstract

Current frameworks available to the public for understanding human impacts on the environment may be insufficient to ensure needed reductions in a variety of destructive behaviors. A model is presented for structuring marine eco-tourism programs so as to capitalize on a range of cognitive states experienced by tourists in a novel marine environment setting. The model is demonstrated in the context of a whalewatch trip in Hawaii. Questions as to the suitability and effectiveness of the model are discussed, and future areas requiring additional study are pointed out.