cotourism is a form of tourism marketed as "responsible" travel (using what proponents say is sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people.[1] The stated purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and human rights. Since the 1980s, ecotourism has been considered an important endeavor by environmentalists, who have said they want future generations to experience destinations relatively untouched by human intervention.[2]: 33  Ecotourism may focus on educating travelers on local environments and natural surroundings with an eye to ecological conservation. Some[who?] include in the definition of ecotourism the effort to produce economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural resources financially possible.[3]