British Columbia hosts landscapes and world class wilderness areas ranging from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean with some of the most isolated scenic terrains in continental North America. With almost a million square kilometres populated by 4 million people living mainly in the urban centers of Vancouver and Victoria, adventure and wilderness travel would seem to be a natural for the province.

But layers of government rules and regulations continue to confound many individuals trying to start new ecotourism ventures. Many don't progress beyond initial inquiries to various government departments. A recent change of government, despite an election decree of reducing red tape and encouraging business, has shown little progress for those in the business trenches.

Steve Noakes, President of GeoQwest Excursions Ltd. has found that "…government departments have no decision making autonomy in the execution of their mandates. And each mandate has grown to cover every potential contingency within their discipline. The resulting regulatory mix is a maze of protocol that is impossible to follow to make viable a new business idea."

Noakes formed GeoQwest Excursions Ltd. in 2001 after two decades in mineral exploration throughout British Columbia's backcountry. GeoQwest is BC's only licenced off-pavement backroads safari company specializing in wilderness culture, wildlife and resource history. Noakes spent 8 months working through a single licence that would allow him simply to drive of provincial backroads with his international clients.

In talking with other members of the Adventure Okanagan Cooperative where GeoQwest is one of the 30 eco-adventure companies, Noakes has found that government over regulation is a critical factor in hampering many ecotourism companies. The list includes but is hardly restricted to Motor Carrier Commission rules, National Safety Code, land use permits, user fees, park permits and restrictions, travel agent certification, vehicle definition and associated ICBC insurance issues, guiding and outfitters certification, wilderness 1^st aid requirements, government insurance dictates, communication licencing, WCB definitions... Each department is well intentioned in covering every conceivable eventuality but quickly create untenable conflicts when combined and makes many great business ideas, highly successful in other countries, unworkable in British Columbia.

In forming GeoQwest, Noakes found that "…when satisfying one regulatory body, another surfaces that wants something covered by their mandate. There seems to be a directive by every government department to have a rule for every facet of a company regardless of individual circumstance."

"A limited company of two employees working a home based ecotourism venture, typical of ecotourism enterprises, is treated in the same way as large corporations that have the resources, fiscal resilience and staff to wade through the burden of paperwork."

As the International Year of Ecotourism draws to a close, ecotourism in British Columbia has made little headway in spite of having the greatest potential in North America.