Final answer:
Ecotourism is environmentally responsible travel to protected areas that seeks to appreciate nature, promote conservation, and benefit local communities by being sustainable and generating income for preservation efforts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Environmentally responsible travel to protected areas aimed at appreciating nature, promoting conservation, and providing benefits to local peoples is known as ecotourism. This form of tourism strives to be sustainable, contributing to the preservation of flora and fauna in endangered natural environments. It encompasses visiting threatened environments, observing wildlife in its natural habitat, and supporting the local economy and awareness of biological and cultural diversity, while minimizing environmental impacts.
Leading ecotourism destinations, such as Costa Rica, the Serengeti, and the Galapagos Islands, often involve policies that share the revenues from ecotourism with the local community. This approach provides an incentive for local residents to protect their environment, as preserving wildlife habitats becomes more lucrative compared to practices like deforestation or livestock grazing, which could degrade the ecosystems.