"墨西哥村莊希望推動環保觀光"

居住在墨西哥太平洋海岸上的Mazunte居民正在努力將他們的村莊變成環保觀光中心。這對當地居民而言是一個很大的轉變，因為從前他們每年只靠捕捉和殺害超過三萬隻海龜才能夠維生。然而1990年，政府下令禁止獵殺海龜，所以他們被迫尋找別的收入來源，沒多久他們發現原來之前的獵物可以成為他們的生命線。

與其繼續捕殺動物，現在漁夫們整天努力招攬觀光客參加付費的鱷魚探險之旅以及與海龜一起游泳。一小時的行程只要35比索 (2.5美元)。儘管價格已經非常低，但是導遊們還是擔心，如果價格調漲就無法吸引顧客上門。結果就是村民依然很貧窮，目前大約仍有10%的孩子無法上學。

做為一個旅遊景點，其實Mazunte有著許多優勢。除了擁有珍奇的野生動物生態，某些村莊也因為擁有優美的海灘而自豪。不幸的是，如果沒有政府的協助，這個剛起步的產業將可能以失敗收場，結果就是居民將繼續貧窮挨餓，海龜保護計畫也將面臨經費不足的窘境。

(Travel) Mexican Village Hopes to Prosper from Ecotourism

On Mexicos Pacific coast, the residents of Mazunte are working hard to turn their village into a center for ecotourism. Its a huge turnaround for the locals, who once made their living by capturing and slaughtering up to 30,000 sea turtles a year. A government ban on turtle hunting in 1990 forced them to look for other sources of income, though, and they quickly realized that their former prey could become their lifeline.

Instead of ensnaring animals, the fishermen now spend their days trying to entice tourists into paying for excursions to see crocodiles and swim with turtles. The hour-long tours cost just 35 pesos (US$2.5). Its a meager amount of money, but the guides fear that if they charge more, they wont attract any customers at all. The result is that the villagers still live in poverty V around 10% of the children are not even able to attend school.

As a tourist location, Mazunte has much to offer. In addition to its gloriously exotic wildlife, the village also boasts some exquisite beaches. Sadly, though, without government assistance, the fledgling industry may fail, leaving the people poor and hungry and the project to preserve the turtles short of financial assistance.

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