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Ecotourism and the development of indigenous communities: The good, the bad, and the ugly

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  • Coria, Jessica
  • Calfucura, Enrique

Abstract

A large part of the literature analyzing the links between biodiversity conservation and community development assumes that nature-based tourism managed by indigenous communities will result not only in conservation of natural resources but also in increased development. In practice, ecotourism has often failed to deliver the expected benefits to indigenous communities due to a combination of factors, including shortages in the endowments of human, financial and social capital within the community, lack of mechanisms for a fair distribution of the economic benefits of ecotourism, and land insecurity. Based on a review of experiences, we analyze the complex interaction among the factors shaping the success and failure of ecotourism experiences in indigenous communities, and we stress the need for a better approach to enhance the indigenous communities' livelihood possibilities coming from ecotourism, as well as to promote land tenure and communities' empowerment.

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  • Coria, Jessica & Calfucura, Enrique, 2012. "Ecotourism and the development of indigenous communities: The good, the bad, and the ugly," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 47-55.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:73:y:2012:i:c:p:47-55
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.10.024
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    1. repec:eee:ecoser:v:16:y:2015:i:c:p:354-364 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Dyah Maya Nihayah, 2017. "Development Strategies to Improve the Ecotourism of Indigenous Villages," GATR Journals jber140, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    3. repec:eee:ecoser:v:8:y:2014:i:c:p:75-83 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Wood, Apanie L. & Butler, James R.A. & Sheaves, Marcus & Wani, Jacob, 2013. "Sport fisheries: Opportunities and challenges for diversifying coastal livelihoods in the Pacific," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 305-314.
    5. Vallino, Elena & Aldahsev,Gani, 2013. "NGOs and participatory conservation in developing countries: why are there inefficiencies?," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201318, University of Turin.
    6. Gianna Moscardo & Laurie Murphy, 2014. "There Is No Such Thing as Sustainable Tourism: Re-Conceptualizing Tourism as a Tool for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 6(5), pages 1-24, April.
    7. Ren-Fang Chao, 2015. "Development of Slow Tourism Challenge and Operation Architecture: A Case Study on Green Island, Taiwan," Acta Oeconomica, Akadémiai Kiadó, Hungary, vol. 65(supplemen), pages 351-367, December.
    8. Enrique Calfucura & Eugenio Figueroa, 2016. "Using benefits and costs estimations to manage conservation: Chile’s protected areas," Working Papers wp418, University of Chile, Department of Economics.
    9. repec:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:7:p:1134-:d:102910 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Gianluca Felicetti, 2015. "The perception of Stakeholder’ s from protected areas on ecotourism development," Manager Journal, Faculty of Business and Administration, University of Bucharest, vol. 22(1), pages 32-43, December.
    11. repec:eee:forpol:v:84:y:2017:i:c:p:72-82 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Knight, David W. & Cottrell, Stuart P., 2016. "Evaluating tourism-linked empowerment in Cuzco, Peru," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 32-47.
    13. repec:eee:ecolec:v:146:y:2018:i:c:p:85-95 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Coria, Jessica & Robinson, Elizabeth & Smith, Henrik G. & Sterner, Thomas, 2012. "Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Services Provision: Tale of Confused Objectives, Multiple Market Failures and Policy Challenges," Working Papers in Economics 546, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    15. Tomas Gorner & Klara Najmanova & Martin Cihar, 2012. "Changes in Local People’s Perceptions of the Sumava National Park in the Czech Republic over a Ten Year Period (1998–2008)," Sustainability, MDPI, Open Access Journal, vol. 4(6), pages 1-17, June.
    16. Kathleen Segerson, 2013. "Voluntary Approaches to Environmental Protection and Resource Management," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 5(1), pages 161-180, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ecotourism; Biodiversity; ICDP; Indigenous communities;

    JEL classification:

    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General

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