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NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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  • Tania P Romero-Brito
  • Ralf C Buckley
  • Jason Byrne

Abstract

We analyse 214 cases worldwide where non-governmental organisations (NGOs) use ecotourism for conservation. Other stakeholders in these initiatives include local communities, the private sector, and government agencies. Stakeholder relationships determine NGO roles and project management structures and governance. We classified cases into 10 structural categories based on the initiating stakeholder and the NGO role, and used these categories to analyze geographic patterns and success factors. Most of the 214 cases are community-based (~170; 79%); most are in developing countries (190; 89%); and most are in protected areas (196; 91%). Frequencies of structural categories differ between continents. More cases in Latin America and Asia are initiated by NGOs and local communities, and more in Africa by the private sector. Case-study authors used a range of economic, socio-cultural and environmental criteria to judge whether projects were successful. At global scale, we found no significant association between project success and the involvement of private tourism entrepreneurs. Projects involving either local or international NGOs had higher success rates than those that involved both simultaneously. Future research could adopt political ecology approaches to examine: the factors that lead NGOs to adopt ecotourism enterprises; their internal decision-making processes and strategies; their interactions with the stakeholders involved; and their conservation goals and outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Tania P Romero-Brito & Ralf C Buckley & Jason Byrne, 2016. "NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(11), pages 1-19, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0166919
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166919
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Buckley, Ralf, 2019. "Tourism publications as newly tradeable commodities: Academic performance, prestige, power, competition, constraints and consents," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 121-133.
    2. Parvaneh Sobhani & Hassan Esmaeilzadeh & Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi & Isabelle D. Wolf & Azade Deljouei, 2022. "Relationship Analysis of Local Community Participation in Sustainable Ecotourism Development in Protected Areas, Iran," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, October.
    3. Riyan Mohammed Sahahiri & Amy L. Griffin & Qian (Chayn) Sun, 2023. "Investigating Ecotourism Opportunities Measurements in a Complex Adaptive System: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, February.
    4. Zoltán Lakner & Anna Kiss & Ivan Merlet & Judit Oláh & Domicián Máté & Janusz Grabara & József Popp, 2018. "Building Coalitions for a Diversified and Sustainable Tourism: Two Case Studies from Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-23, April.
    5. Ante Mandić, 2020. "Structuring challenges of sustainable tourism development in protected natural areas with driving force–pressure–state–impact–response (DPSIR) framework," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 560-576, December.

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