The only country that I have traveled to, in which the difference in respective wealth between me and the people who live there is obscenely huge, is Mexico.  In principle, I find the idea of an American traveling to undeveloped countries for recreational purposes morally difficult.  That is not to say that Americans who make such trips are immoral people.  But I cannot help wondering what is going on in the heads of the people there, in those countries that we visit.

Plainly, the global discrepancy in wealth is a major moral problem.  And Americans should not be complacent about it.

Jason, you reported, in a summary and suggestive way, on what you observed regarding the people living in (?) or around Komodo National Park, and how they are coping with or resisting certain regulations.  Thank you for that.  Could you perhaps give us a more detailed picture, with theories postponed?

Also, did you observe that in that predominantly Muslim country, there was a tendency to reject advice from North Americans and Europeans, precisely because the advice was coming from people who happen to be North American or European?

Chickens are our cousins! So are other sensitive animals! Enough is enough! No more factory farms!

People on and around Komodo had several regulations inflicted upon them - on Komodo there were limitations on what they could grow, on the livestock they could keep as well as more stringent policing of bomb and poison fishing - which has resulted in villagers being tortured/shot.

At the same time there is, or was, massive poaching of deer on the island which involved people from the village, the neighbouring islands and park rangers if villagers are to be believed. There has also been a huge increase in population on the island due to migration and corrupt village leaders and this has increased environmental degradation in the area.

The Nature Conservancy didn't really create any new income streams either from tourism, seaweed farming or grouper farming and they failed to communicate their intentions to the islanders who live in the park - they may have aggressive media relations at international level, but people who have worked for the tnc in the park describe their communications with locals as laughable. At the same time, plans (now abandoned I think) to develop Komodo National Park tourist facilities created resentment - particularly as they would have used a relatively large amount of water - scarce on the island to be begin with.

Tourist infrastructure in the region has not necessarily improved (more dive schools?) and transport links have got worse in some ways with the local ferry no longer stopping at Komodo Island and isolating villagers there further.

All this is based on visits from a few years ago - basically the TNC promoted a highly selective version of events that is as disingenuous as the versions of corrupt village leaders, rangers and government officials.

Thanks, Colin, for this interesting observation.  It supports my suspicion, that eco-tourism (so-called) is a stop-gap.  Regional economic sustainability in countries such as Indonesia cannot be based in the long run on flying in tourists from rich countries.  Morally, that would not be good for either the head-barely-above-the-water people, or for the jet-flying-class people.

Of course, it is immediately better, practically, for the former than for the latter.

And as for the (non-human) animals: Are they, as it were, held at stake?  Is it that they will all be murdered by the kidnappers who have them virtually captive, with guns at their heads, unless lots of rich tourists come from the West to Ooh and Aah over them, meanwhile throwing tons of bucks into local coffers during their sojourn?

This situation is difficult to tolerate.

Chickens are our cousins! So are other sensitive animals! Enough is enough! No more factory farms!