Conservation Science and Practice

Ecotourism originated in the 1980s, at the dawn of sustainable development, as a way to channel tourism revenues into conservation and development. Despite the “win-win” idea, scholars and practitioners debate the meaning and merits of ecotourism.We conducted a review of 30 years of ecotourism research, looking for empirical evidence of successes and failures.We found the following trends: Ecotourism is often conflated with outdoor recreation and other forms of conventional tourism; impact studies tend to focus on either ecological or social impacts, but rarely both; and research tends to lack time series data, precluding authors from discerning effects over time, either on conservation, levels of biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, local governance, or other indicators. Given increasing pressures on wild lands and wildlife, we see a need to add rigor to analyses of ecotourism. We provide suggestions for future research and offer a framework for study design and issues of measurement...

This is a dialogue centered around, at least from an academic's perspective, the conceptual and practical utility of the idea of sustainable tourism. There is an introductory description, the article itself, four rebuttals, and a response by McCool

Ecotourism originated in the 1980s, at the dawn of sustainable development, as a way to channel tourism revenues into conservation and development. Despite the “win-win” idea, scholars and practitioners debate the meaning and merits of ecotourism. We conducted a review of 30 years of ecotourism research, looking for empirical evidence of successes and failures. We found the following trends: Ecotourism is often conflated with outdoor recreation and other forms of conventional tourism; impact studies tend to focus on either ecological or social impacts, but rarely both; and research tends to lack time series data, precluding authors from discerning effects over time, either on conservation, levels of biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, local governance, or other indicators. Given increasing pressures on wild lands and wildlife, we see a need to add rigor to analyses of ecotourism. We provide suggestions for future research and offer a framework for study design and issues of measurement and scaling.

China has ~8000 protected areas, with different categories and levels of designation. These include many reserves of global conservation significance. There are more numerous but smaller parks in the more heavily populated provinces of the south and east, and fewer larger parks in the northwest. We sampled 1200 representative parks nationwide, using questionnaires delivered to park managers in person, with 160 categorical or ordinal parameters. Response rate was 92.5%. We carried out three analyses: first, for each parameter independently; second, for five multi-parameter aggregate indices; and third, for two top-level indices of environmental and visitor management respectively. We tested for patterns by category, level, size, age, region, visitor volume and revenue, with >600 individual tests, and >70 patterns significant at p < 0.0001. We found that both environmental and visitor management practices are more intensive for large, old, rich, heavily visited parks. A number of parks receive >100,000 visitors per day, and have adopted large-scale infrastructure approaches which successfully minimise impacts and maintain conservation values, as confirmed by on-site audits. Key conservation concerns include off-park air and water pollution sources in some regions, and sale of items including threatened species, in 7% of parks.

Some conservationists assert that multiple-use protected areas can accommodate competing claims for resource use, including extraction (e.g. mining and fisheries) and in-situ use (e.g. ecotourism). This is despite a growing number of studies showing how communities struggling with poverty, isolation, economic stagnation and environmental degradation experience limited benefits from ecotourism. This paper examines opposing claims over resource use (mining and ecotourism) in a World Heritage site in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. It explores the idea that institutional processes can dis-incentivize both income generation from ecotourism and conservation if inequitable access to resources is not remedied. The article illustrates how ecotourism's contribution to socio-economic development of local communities can be circumscribed by: (1) the historical patterns of resource use; (2) misdirected interventions by state actors; (3) duplicitous actions of multi-national corporations, and (4) opaque governance processes with limited accountability. Findings support arguments that the capacity of ecotourism to reduce inequitable access to resources is limited and highlight why ecotourism cannot substitute for genuine institutional reform in protected area designation and management. Certains protecteurs de l'environnement affirment que l'aménagement polyvalent de zones protégées permet des revendications concurrentes dans l'exploitation des ressources, y compris dans l'extraction minière et la pêche, ainsi que l'utilisation in situ (écotourisme). Celles-ci est malgré le fait que de nombreuses études démontrent que les communautés aux prises avec la pauvreté, l'isolement, la stagnation économique et la dégradation de l'environnement bénéficient de façon très limitée de l'écotourisme. Cet article examine les revendications conflictuelles à l'égard de l'utilisation des ressources dans le site du patrimoine mondial de la biosphère El Vizcaíno au Mexique. Il explore l'idée que si l'inégalité dans l'accès aux ressources n'est pas remédiée, les processus institutionnels peuvent empêcher à la fois la génération de revenus de l'écotourisme et la préservation de l'environnement. Cette article examine aussi comment la contribution de l'écotourisme au développement socio-économique est limitée par: (1) le modèle historique de l'exploitation des ressources; (2) les interventions mal dirigées a la part de l'État; (3) la duplicité dans les gestes des sociétés multinationales, et (4) les processus opaques de gouvernance sans obligation de rendre compte. Ces conclusions soutiennent l'argument que la capacité de l'écotourisme à réduire les inégalités dans l'accès aux ressources est limitée. Elles mettent aussi en évidence pourquoi l'écotourisme ne peut pas remplacer une réforme institutionnelle authentique dans l'aménagement et la désignation des zones protégées. Algunos conservacionistas afirman que las áreas protegidas de múltiples usos, pueden acomodar las reclamaciones competidoras para el uso de los recursos, incluyendo la extracción (por ejemplo, minería y pesca) y conservación in situ (ej. Ecoturismo). Esto es a pesar de un creciente número de estudios que muestran cómo las comunidades luchan contra la pobreza, el aislamiento, el estancamiento económico y la degradación del medio ambiente experiencia limitados beneficios de ecoturismo. Este documento examina las reclamaciones sobre el uso de recursos (minería y ecoturismo) en un sitio del Patrimonio Mundial en la Reserva de la Biosfera El Vizcaíno, México. Se explora la idea de que los procesos institucionales pueden dis-incentivar la generación de ingresos a partir del ecoturismo y la conservación, si la inequidad en el acceso a los recursos no está solucionado. El documento ilustra cómo el ecoturismo su contribución al desarrollo socioeconómico de las comunidades locales pueden estar circunscrito por: (1) los patrones históricos de uso de los recursos; (2) confundió las intervenciones estatales; (3) las deshonestas acciones de corporaciones multinacionales, y (4) la opacidad de los procesos de gobernabilidad con una responsabilidad limitada. Conclusiones apoyan los argumentos de que el fomento del ecoturismo para reducir las desigualdades en el acceso a los recursos es limitado y resaltar por qué el ecoturismo no puede sustituir a una verdadera reforma institucional en el área protegida de designación y gestión.

COVID-19 pandemic has had huge impacts on multiple industries and sectors, not just ecotourism and wildlife protection in Morocco. Ecological health and wildlife are a critical resource for the country’s tourism sector recovery. Conservation is considered as one of the industries that are hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the threats facing biodiversity and protected areas have been exacerbated during and following, the outbreak with practices such as poaching, wildlife trafficking, and forest logging activities resumed due to the country lockdown and ecotourism collapse. Conservationists should take emergency actions in the short-term to help rural communities and grassroots organizations and review waysto achieve conservation and sustainability goals in the post-pandemic era.

We analyse decision processes of specialist travel agents in luxury wildlife tourism. Agents narrow down their choice by considering 5 groups of external factors sequentially. Agents use intuitive tacit expertise relying principally on their personal experience. Expectations are very high and agents act as powerful information brokers. To confirm their choice, agents project themselves into their clients' perspective. a b s t r a c t We report an ethnographic study of specialist travel agents in luxury wildlife tourism. Agents consider 30 factors in 5 groups, related to client, destination, attraction, operator and agent. They consider the groups in sequence rapidly and intuitively. They are driven by a powerful regard for the high expectations of wealthy clients, and a sense of responsibility to the clients, but they assume authority over the decision. They rely on personal experience with each particular place and tourism product, and sell only what they know. One of their skills is to project themselves into the client's perspective so as to imagine a trip in great detail. This process contrasts strongly with the explicit deterministic approach used by retail travel agents in high-volume lower-priced subsectors, where earnings are driven by commission and incentive structures. For high-end agents, establishing long-term relationships of mutual trust with individual clients and tour operators is paramount.

Some conservationists assert that multiple-use protected areas can accommodate competing claims for resource use, including extraction (e.g. mining and fisheries) and in-situ use (e.g. ecotourism). This is despite a growing number of studies showing how communities struggling with poverty, isolation, economic stagnation and environmental degradation experience limited benefits from ecotourism. This paper examines opposing claims over resource use (mining and ecotourism) in a World Heritage site in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. It explores the idea that institutional processes can dis-incentivize both income generation from ecotourism and conservation if inequitable access to resources is not remedied. The article illustrates how ecotourism's contribution to socioeconomic development of local communities can be circumscribed by: (1) the historical patterns of resource use; (2) misdirected interventions by state actors; (3) duplicitous actions of multinational corporations, and (4) opaque governance processes with limited accountability. Findings support arguments that the capacity of ecotourism to reduce inequitable access to resources is limited and highlight why ecotourism cannot substitute for genuine institutional reform in protected area designation and management. Résumé Certains protecteurs de l'environnement affirment que l'aménagement polyvalent de zones protégées permet des revendications concurrentes dans l'exploitation des ressources, y compris dans l'extraction minière et la pêche, ainsi que l'utilisation in situ (écotourisme). Celles-ci est malgré le fait que de nombreuses études démontrent que les communautés aux prises avec la pauvreté, l'isolement, la stagnation économique et la dégradation de l'environnement bénéficient de façon très limitée de l'écotourisme. Cet article examine les revendications conflictuelles à l'égard de l'utilisation des ressources dans le site du patrimoine mondial de la biosphère El Vizcaíno au Mexique. Il explore l'idée que si l'inégalité dans l'accès aux ressources n'est pas remédiée, les processus institutionnels peuvent empêcher à la fois la génération de revenus de l'écotourisme et la préservation de l'environnement. Cette article examine aussi comment la contribution de l'écotourisme au développement socio-économique est limitée par: (1) le modèle historique de l'exploitation des ressources; (2) les interventions mal dirigées a la part de l'État; (3) la duplicité dans les gestes des sociétés multinationales, et (4) les processus opaques de gouvernance sans obligation de rendre compte. Ces conclusions soutiennent l'argument que la capacité de l'écotourisme à réduire les inégalités dans l'accès aux ressources est limitée. Elles mettent aussi en évidence pourquoi l'écotourisme ne peut pas remplacer une réforme institutionnelle authentique dans l'aménagement et la désignation des zones protégées. Mots clés: l'écotourisme, la participation, la Réserve de la biosphère d'El Vizcaino, Mexique, conservation néolibérale, le développement durable, l'équité Resumen Algunos conservacionistas afirman que las áreas protegidas de múltiples usos, pueden acomodar las reclamaciones competidoras para el uso de los recursos, incluyendo la extracción (por ejemplo, minería y pesca) y conservación in situ (ej. Ecoturismo). Esto es a pesar de un creciente número de estudios que muestran cómo las comunidades luchan contra la pobreza, el aislamiento, el estancamiento económico y la degradación del medio ambiente experiencia limitados beneficios de ecoturismo. Este documento examina las reclamaciones sobre el uso de recursos (minería y ecoturismo) en un sitio del Patrimonio Mundial en la Reserva de la Biosfera El Vizcaíno, México. Se explora la idea de que los procesos institucionales pueden dis-incentivar la generación de ingresos a partir del ecoturismo y la conservación, si la inequidad en el acceso a los recursos no está solucionado. El documento ilustra cómo el ecoturismo su contribución al desarrollo socioeconómico de las comunidades locales pueden estar circunscrito por: (1) los patrones históricos de uso de los recursos; (2) confundió las intervenciones estatales; (3) las deshonestas acciones de corporaciones multinacionales, y (4) la opacidad de los procesos de gobernabilidad con una responsabilidad limitada. Conclusiones apoyan los argumentos de que el fomento del ecoturismo para reducir las desigualdades en el acceso a los recursos es limitado y resaltar por qué el ecoturismo no puede sustituir a una verdadera reforma institucional en el área protegida de designación y gestión. Palabras clave: el ecoturismo, la participación, la Reserva de la Biosfera del Vizcaíno, México, la conservación neoliberal, el desarrollo sostenible, la equidad

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations in southeast Queensland are in decline. Although various studies have looked at broad-scale tree preference and habitat quality, there has been little attempt to quantify fine-scale activity shifts from one year to the next or examination of activity at the mesoscale. This study quantified koala activity levels in a 909-ha forest patch at Karawatha Forest Park, in south Brisbane. The Spot Assessment Technique was used to quantify activity and tree selection on 33 long-term monitoring plots in 2009 and 2010. In total, 843 trees were searched and koala pellets were found underneath 34 and 47 trees in 2009 and 2010, respectively. A higher proportion of pellets was found underneath Eucalyptus tindaliae and E. fibrosa and there was weak selection for larger trees. A low occurrence of revisits and a minor shift in activity distribution from 2009 to 2010 indicate that the koala population exists at a low density. Rapid declines in koala populations are occurring in primary habitats. Hence, stable low-density koala populations are important for maintaining genetic diversity and connectivity in fragmented urban landscapes.

Avitourism is a specific type of bird-focused nature-based tourism that can potentially contribute to community development and avian conservation. The details of the most memorable as well as the most desired destinations for avitourists are relatively under-examined. To sample the global birding population, questionnaires were distributed electronically via birding forums, birder mailing lists and social media sites asking about birders’ destination preferences. A total of 303 respondents identified their most memorable destinations and 290 their most desired destinations. Among the destinations identified, Pacific Islands were stated as memorable (n = 23) and desired destinations (n = 55). New Zealand was the most memorable destination for 17 of the 23 respondents and the most desired was Papua New Guinea (33 of the 55 respondents). Key aspects that made New Zealand memorable were the presence of multiple endemic species and seabirds, while Birds of Paradise are the main attraction for birders wanting to visit Papua New Guinea. Understanding what biological attributes appeal to avitourists may help island destinations increase their market share in avitourism. Targeted marketing and management of the industry can bring benefits to Pacific Island communities which in turn can enhance conservation.

Ecotourism has emerged within the umbrella of alternative tourism development in the 1980s. Since its emergence ecotourism has been championed as a tool to achieve the dual aims of conservation and development. However, ecotourism is criticized for not attaining the objectives it purports. In contrast to a self-fulfilling prophesy research approach whose intent is to prove something with preconceived assumptions, this study seeks to explore and better understand the reality on the ground under the lenses of stakeholder and collaboration theories and the principles of triple bottom-line predominantly from participants point of view. The study argues that in destinations of developing countries where there are limited livelihood opportunities, failure to meaningfully participate ecotourism stakeholders, especially host communities accelerates not only the demise of ecotourism but also jeopardizes the entire ecosystem. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for the various stakeholders to redress the current situation and develop the ecotourism sector in a more participative and sustainable manner.

Front Matter: Table of Contents, List of Contributors, Introduction