By Logan Hawkes They call it ecotourism for short, an industry term referring to ecological touring, a form of tourism designed to take an ecologically and socially conscious approach to travels throughout the world -- traveling with care, you might say. And you've heard the term often as it refers to the delicate ecology of the Texas coastline. You need not look far, in fact, to find eco-tours available up and down the coastline, from dolphin encounter tours to birding adventures to wildlife viewing at one of several national and state protected areas that dot the Texas tidal plains, each dedicated to protecting the natural environment and the natural order of nature. Who was it that said "take only pictures, leave only footprints"? While the name and face may evade us, you can bet that person was a major supporter of ecological touring. And for good reason. Tourism, you see, is big business, Really big in fact. According to the WWF, once known as the World Wildlife Fund, one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, tourism is one of the world's largest industries, responsible for over ten percent of the world's employment. According to the WWF, over 1.6 billion annual tourist trips will be taken by the year 2020, and the strain on natural resources is taking its toll. Mass tourism, they argue, is not sustainable, meaning it's just a matter if time before we use it all up - everything. Gone will be the wild rivers, the wilderness trails, the pristine and unspoiled beaches. The influx of tourists into sensitive natural areas will create such a heaven burden on natural habitat that more and more species will come to an end, plant varieties will dwindle, and sensitive areas will be overrun with progress and the milling crowds that made Miami Beach famous. Ecotourism — defined by the International Tourism Society as responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people and natural habitat — is often considered the best solution to the growing problem. Yet, many ecological touring efforts, they argue, are misguided. Lack of regulation has also led to ecotourism being used as a profitable marketing label for adventure holidays instead of an indication that tour operators are serious about practicing responsible tourism. The first World Ecotourism Summit was staged in Quebec, Canada, the same year the United Nations declared 2002 the International Year of Ecotourism. Conservation groups, governments and world leaders gathered and  recognized the growing problem of natural resource depletion. And since that time, ecotourism has been a catch phrase used often around the travel industry. According to most conservation groups, tourism should maintain or enhance biological and cultural diversity, use resources in a sustainable way, and reduce over-consumption and waste normally associated with general tourism. But is it working? The correct answer is probably both yes and no. Even the WWF warns that awareness of the issue is only the first step to finding a solution to the problems of mass tourism. According to their Web site, the WWF believes that ecotourism should always be a part of a wider sustainable development strategy and its growth carefully monitored. They also warn that the existence of a wilderness area does not automatically mean that an ecotourism initiative will be successful. Success, they say, requires good access, training, comfortable accommodation, visible wildlife, appropriate marketing, impact monitoring, and proper regulation to make it work. Yet we learn to walk by taking baby steps, and the conservation and ecotourism movement worldwide is certainly doing that if nothing else. It is the smaller, more regionalized efforts of conservation that can make the most difference by focusing local attention on the global problem. The answer surrounds to sound ecological travel is all around us if you take the time to look. A visit to the Lower Texas coast, for example, provides ample opportunity to see majestic Ospreys gathering on pier poles and bridge lights. From Galveston to South Padre you can watch dolphins play in the bays? This is what ecotourism is all about. Observing the delicacies of Nature without disturbing the order of things. The world is at risk of losing most of its natural resources and protected lands because more and more people are traveling into these areas to catch a glimpse of what could be the last of the natural areas, and failing to respect the ecology without adding to its problem. Take the time this spring and summer to understand what ecotourism is all about. Make it a family project. Make certain everyone understands how important conservation is and what eco-preservtion is all about. After all, supporting ecotourism means not having to tell your grand kids what a beautiful place Texas "once was". That alone should explain the urgency of better ecology management.