Vol. 103, Issue 14
April 15, 2026 - May 5, 2026
Balancing the future of ecotourism By Paulina Barnjak Co-Opinion Editor
“Protect our oceans” has become a global rallying cry, but the debate over how to actually do it is reaching a boiling point. For decades, humans’ relationship with the sea has been defined by what we can take from it. Between overfishing and physical destruction of coral reefs, the coastline has suffered a quiet, steady decline. We aren’t looking at a “wild” ocean anymore; we are looking at one that is struggling to stay alive. Ecotourism, a term coined in the early 1980s, refers to “supporting conservation efforts in part by leveraging nature for leisure and directing revenue back to the ecosystem,” and is seen as a solution to dying reefs. However, there are arguments that tourists are better off staying away from the water and leaving the ocean alone entirely. As environmental anthropologist Amanda Stronza warns in a Discover magazine article, we have a “double-edged sword” in our hands. In other words, ocean conservationists and advocates must weigh whether ecotourism does more good than harm to the environment. The blueprint for restoration When managed correctly, tourists can be a powerful tool for environmental conservation and economic recovery. Society can either leave the ocean to the mercy of industrial forces or harness those forces for conservation. Ecotourism transforms the human presence from a source of harm into a tool for repair, providing the only stable financial shield for marine habitats. The greatest benefit of the ecotourism industry is its ability to make a living ecosystem more valuable than a dead one. A 2025
study titled “Global economic impact of scuba dive tourism” by Dr. Schuhbauer found that scuba dive tourism alone generates b i l lions i n
economic benefits, the mere presence of humans, regardless of their intentions, introduces biological stresso r s that
economic impact worldwide. This isn’t just profit — it’s protection. For many coastal communities, the choice isn’t between tourism and a pristine wilderness; it is between ecotourism and extraction. When a local community earns a living through whale watching, they gain a vested interest in stopping illegal poaching. In Costa Rica, researcher An Nguyen found that this created a “poacher-to-protector” pipeline that funded the very parks that protect leatherback sea turtles. Beyond protecting what remains, we are entering the era of the “Restoration Economy.” Modern ecotourism provides the labor
an already fragile ecosystem cannot handle. Humanity has arrived at the water’s edge with a dangerous posture: a camera in one hand and a marketing brochure in the other. We cannot buy a healthy ocean one snorkel tour at a time. This is not conservation; it is a “pay-to-play” burial of the deep. Research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography reveals a darker reality. In hubs like Baja California Sur, many operations are simply conventional tourism with better marketing. These crowds impose a “biological tax” that the ocean cannot afford, causing chronic stress on wildlife and
Sovannreach Po // Graphics Editor and funding for seagrass replanting and coral gardening — activities that turn travelers into advocates. The industry creates a global political constituency for the sea. As supporters see it, an empty beach is a beach vulnerable to developers. Ecotourism is the “pragmatism of hope,” using human curiosity to fund the planet’s survival. The cost beneath the surface Despite restoration efforts and
disorienting hatchlings with light pollution. We aren’t saving these species; we are managing their decline for a front-row seat. Then there is the “carbon paradox.” These high-traffic sites often require long-haul flights. This creates a contradiction: travelers claim to protect a reef in the morning while their flight’s carbon emissions accelerate the ocean acidification that bleaches that same reef by evening. We are saving the local view while burning the global sky. Furthermore, the infrastructure built for resorts, such as docks and seawalls, creates a “coastal squeeze.” As sea levels rise, these barriers prevent marshes and mangroves from migrating inland, crushing natural nurseries between the rising tide and a concrete shore. Tourists should not gamble with the ocean’s life support. Tying conservation to tourism makes the sea’s survival dependent on a fickle travel market. The bottom line While those arguing for marine ecotourism see a restorative force, the other suggests the most eco-friendly thing a tourist can do is stay on shore. True sustainability may not be found in a managed interaction, but in the choice to leave the ocean alone. Ultimately, the future of our seas depends on whether we view the water as a resource to be visited or a sanctuary to be respected. Writer’s note: This article is inspired by the Oceans Debates, a tournament hosted by UM’s Debate Team every year in the spring. Protecting our environment is important, and as neighbors to our oceans, we should be obligated to advocate for solutions and policies that further protect it.
Triple Cane works to raise awareness about sea level rise By Katie Karlson Editor-in-Chief Water laps at Miami’s edges as sea levels continue to swell, and UM alum and eco-artist Xavier Cortada is determined to raise awareness. Miami’s population is the fourth most vulnerable to sea level rise in the world, according to the World Resources Institute. Predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicate that with “high greenhouse gas emissions and rapid ice sheet collapse,” sea levels for the U.S. will rise more than seven feet by 2100. For areas like Miami Beach, which has an average elevation of 4.4 feet above sea level, this data is staggering. Cortada was born in New York and moved to Miami at the age of three. After spending the majority of his life in South Florida, he graduated from UM with three degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in 1986, a Master’s in public administration in 1991 and a Juris Doctor from the School of Law in 1991. He launched “The Underwater,” a series of interactive public art installations, in 2018 to spark community interest and conversations about sea level rise. “My time at the University of Miami was foundational. That interdisciplinary training shaped how I approach problems — connecting knowledge across fields and applying it in the real world,” Cortada said. “Just as important, being embedded in Miami made the climate crisis tangible.” In 2020, Cortada collaborated with UM’s ECO Agency and Climate Reality Project on the “Underwater Vote” installation. Signs reading “vote” and others featuring the number of feet an area was above sea level
INDEX:
Courtesy of Xavier Cortada Studio “Underwater Vote” installation at the University of Miami’s “U” statue.
Courtesy of Xavier Cortada Studio Xavier Cortada speaks to UM students at an on-campus Plan(T) event, where they later planted hundreds of mangrove trees.
were placed in three locations across UM’s campus: Lakeside Village, the “U” statue and the Foote Green. Cortada designed this project to “engage students directly.” “We installed yard signs across campus marking elevation above sea level to make climate risk visible in a place students experience every day,” he said. “The project encouraged civic participation, asking [students] to consider thinking long-term about the future they are inheriting and shaping when casting their votes in elections.” The majority of the yard signs were placed at elevations ranging from seven to ten feet. If NOAA’s predictions are accurate, these elevation levels mean that parts of UM’s campus will be underwater by 2100. “The Underwater” is made up of three more installations: “Underwater HOA,” “Underwater Florida” and “Underwater Gulf.” “Underwater HOA,” based in the Village of Pinecrest, was created in 2018 and was a precursor to the larg-
work. Many of our interns are current students or recent graduates, and all members of our team — including leadership — began as interns,” Cortada said. “They help implement projects, conduct outreach, and lead educational programming in schools.” Adam Roberti, executive director of the Cortada Foundation and UM alum, feels that his education at UM shaped how he chooses to communicate about these climate-related issues. He originally started as a marine biology major, but “decided to shift into ecosystem science and policy and pursue [his] masters, which had a very strong focus on climate communications” after realizing that the biggest threat to the climate was a “lack of political will” to implement available solutions. Since working at the Cortada Foundation, Roberti and Cortada have made it their mission to keep UM students involved in the cause — including by bringing on students as interns. For students who want to raise awareness of environmental issues,
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er project. The installation similarly uses painted intersections and yard signs to mark the area’s elevation. Now, Cortada is collaborating with the UM’s College of Engineering’s Structures and Materials Lab to implement sustainable concrete underwater elevation sculptures — part of “The Underwater” installation — across 261 Miami-Dade County parks. “This collaboration builds on work I began as a faculty member at UM and as Miami-Dade County’s Artist-in-Residence,” said Cortada. “It was launched as part of the socially engaged art classes I taught when I was a full-time faculty at [UM]. Our students helped deploy and document the early iterations of the project.” After a sculpture has been installed, the Xavier Cortada Foundation hosts a dedication ceremony at the site. Participants pour water from Biscayne Bay onto the sculpture and promise to work to prevent saltwater from ever touching it again. “UM students remain central to the
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The Cortada Foundation hosts events to get involved. This semester, interns with the Cortada Foundation are also working to launch the Cortada Climate Collective club at UM. “Through it, students will be self-directed in organizing art-based projects to engage students and residents in developing creative solutions to our environmental crisis and expanding the reach of Foundation initiatives like ‘The Underwater,’” said Cortada. To join, Roberti recommends that students email Kiki Lopez Nowotny, the club’s president, and Theresa Pinto, the advisor. While UM’s course work options are helpful for preparing students for the real world, partnerships like these are also extremely beneficial for students who want to continue being a part of the positive work that the University has done through its alumni. “UM gave me the academic tools, but it was engaging with the community that made the work urgent and actionable,” said Cortada.
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