262
B. Borsari et al.
without jeopardizing the resources that support farming systems (De Souza Silva
2014).
BFI supports OTU and more universities in Panamá in a variety of education/research initiatives focused on experiential learning. With 25 km of trails
throughout its 2000 ha property, BFI and its natural areas (600 ha) are “habitat” to a
variety of plants and animal taxa that are endemic to western Panamá. The conservation of these species is essential for BFI to remain attractive to ecotourists and to be
beneficial to its farming operations. The benefits to agriculture are achieved through
soil improvement, which enhances crops and livestock health. Preliminary observations suggest that carbon sequestration is occurring in the soils of BFI when teak is
nearest to the natural areas, or corridors. As discussed by Borsari (2020), this process
is caused by soil micro biota that have access to unlimited carbon-rich biomass to
digest from crop residues in the agricultural fields, throughout the year. Thus, microbial metabolism changes topsoil to a darker colour, which indicates higher levels of
stable organic matter (OM). In this manner, soil biodiversity enhances the health of
crops and livestock.
2.1 Systems Approach to Sustainable Ecotourism
A systems approach is a construct that was first conceived to maximize efficiency
in business and management disciplines. Mizikaci (2006) defined it as a holistic
effort to achieve quality in the evaluation of education programmes. When applied
to ecotourism, a systems approach will focus primarily on: programmes planning
and evaluation, scale of operation, training workers, sustainable management of the
site (infrastructure and natural resources), impacts on local community, and overall
emphasis on an ecological education for stewardship and conservation for both
employees of the ecotourism enterprise and tourists. Carlsen et al. (2008) suggested
that in order to be innovative, a planning process of tourism programmes should
include all the above-mentioned concepts in an integrated manner. Agroecology
should be added as a component of systemic planning processes too, as food is a
factor so important to any tourism programme. In a study of representative cases from
ten distinctive tourist locations around the world, Carlsen et al. (2008) pointed out that
innovations occurring in each tourism programme were dissimilar; however, what
emerged from this analysis was that in each case the drivers, barriers and networks
for innovation possessed many similarities, when a systems approach is employed
in the programming process.
B. Borsari et al.
without jeopardizing the resources that support farming systems (De Souza Silva
2014).
BFI supports OTU and more universities in Panamá in a variety of education/research initiatives focused on experiential learning. With 25 km of trails
throughout its 2000 ha property, BFI and its natural areas (600 ha) are “habitat” to a
variety of plants and animal taxa that are endemic to western Panamá. The conservation of these species is essential for BFI to remain attractive to ecotourists and to be
beneficial to its farming operations. The benefits to agriculture are achieved through
soil improvement, which enhances crops and livestock health. Preliminary observations suggest that carbon sequestration is occurring in the soils of BFI when teak is
nearest to the natural areas, or corridors. As discussed by Borsari (2020), this process
is caused by soil micro biota that have access to unlimited carbon-rich biomass to
digest from crop residues in the agricultural fields, throughout the year. Thus, microbial metabolism changes topsoil to a darker colour, which indicates higher levels of
stable organic matter (OM). In this manner, soil biodiversity enhances the health of
crops and livestock.
2.1 Systems Approach to Sustainable Ecotourism
A systems approach is a construct that was first conceived to maximize efficiency
in business and management disciplines. Mizikaci (2006) defined it as a holistic
effort to achieve quality in the evaluation of education programmes. When applied
to ecotourism, a systems approach will focus primarily on: programmes planning
and evaluation, scale of operation, training workers, sustainable management of the
site (infrastructure and natural resources), impacts on local community, and overall
emphasis on an ecological education for stewardship and conservation for both
employees of the ecotourism enterprise and tourists. Carlsen et al. (2008) suggested
that in order to be innovative, a planning process of tourism programmes should
include all the above-mentioned concepts in an integrated manner. Agroecology
should be added as a component of systemic planning processes too, as food is a
factor so important to any tourism programme. In a study of representative cases from
ten distinctive tourist locations around the world, Carlsen et al. (2008) pointed out that
innovations occurring in each tourism programme were dissimilar; however, what
emerged from this analysis was that in each case the drivers, barriers and networks
for innovation possessed many similarities, when a systems approach is employed
in the programming process.