5 Chapter I: Introduction 6 Arrival 6 Thesis Outline 8 Chapter II: Geology, Geography, and History 12 Geology and Geography 12 History 13 i. Pre-Settlement 13 ii. Settlement 16 iii. Darwin’s Visit 19 iv. Modern History 22 Chapter III: The Anthropology of Tourism 25 Introduction 25 History and Notable Works 25 Theory 31 Themes 33 Chapter IV: Costa Rica and Ecotourism 35 Why Costa Rica? 35 Implem...

This research note considers ways in which we may better understand how ecotourism ventures impact on the lives of people living in, and around, the environments which ecotourists frequent. From a development perspective, ecotourism ventures should only be considered ‘successful’ if local communities have some measure of control over them and if they share equitably in the benefits emerging fro...

Ecotourism has arisen as a popular strategy for merging the interests of environmental conservation and development. One way of analyzing ecotourism is to consider how this linkage between environment and development is constructed in various environmental discourses to promote ecological, economic, and/or human interests. Although a variety of definitions and discursive models of ecotourism ar...

The World Tourism Organization has estimated that over 595 million people traveled internationally in 1997. Although tourism overall has been growing at an annual rate of 4%, nature travel, also known as ecotourism, is increasing at an estimated annual rate of 10-30%. The Ecotourism Society (TES) of North Bennington, Vermont, was founded in 1990 as a tool for both consumers and ecotourism profe...

Ecotourism as a strategy for achieving biodiversity conservation often results in limited conservation impact relative to its investment and revenue return. In cases where an ecotourism strategy has been used, projects are frequently criticized for not providing sufficient evidence on how the strategy has reduced threats or improved the status of the biodiversity it purports to protect. In Lao ...

This paper and its successor examine the gap between ecotourism theory as revealed in the literature and ecotourism practice as indicated by its on-site application. A framework is suggested which, if implemented through appropriate management, can help to achieve a balance between conservation and development through the promotion of synergistic relationships between natural areas, local popul...

Protected areas in Kenya constitute 7% of the total land area with over 75% of wildlife in the country being found on private or communal land. Rural communities in Kenya, where protected areas generally exist, face a range of development issues with limited resources and livelihood opportunities. In this context, community-based biodiversity conservation has the potential to promote ecotourism...

Ecotourism is widely promoted as a conservation tool and actively practiced in protected areas worldwide. Theoretically, support for conservation from the various types of stakeholder inside and outside protected areas is maximized if stakeholders benefit proportionally to the opportunity costs they bear. The disproportional benefit distribution among stakeholders can erode their support for or...

A new fast growing trend in tourism is ecotourism, in which tourists visit natural ecosystems under low impact, nonconsumptive and locally oriented activities. Through these activities species and habitats are maintained and typically, underdeveloped regions are emphasized. Ecotourism provides a great alternative, especially for rural and undeveloped area. At the same time, despite its many ben...

The connections between people, parks, and tourism have received significant attention in recent years, recognizing the potential for mutually beneficial relationships. Ecotourism has been promoted and widely adopted as a strategy for funding conservation initiatives, while at the same time contributing to the socioeconomic development of host communities and providing for quality tourism exper...