This paper questions the legitimacy of ecological stewardship as an innate characteristic of traditional societies, a widely held belief in much academic work on ecotourism and manifest in ecotourism operations. Evidence from biologists, archaeologists and anthropologists is used to show that traditional societies found it difficult to manage resources in a sustainable way, with over-utilisation as the norm. Armed with this knowledge, the paper argues that there may be serious philosophical and operational problems inherent in packaging aboriginal ecotourism as having a superior environmental ethic, and a need for further research and changed management practices.