| This research examined the influence of ecotourism on conservation policy in Costa Rica. It sought to determine whether, and to what degree, ecotourism influences conservation in a developing country relative to conservation attitudes and paradigms; laws, strategies, regulations and other national policies; and establishment and administration of protected areas. The context of sustainable development provided a useful framework to determine and analyze the role of ecotourism in formulating and implementing conservation policy in Costa Rica. The research focused on the early stages of this evolving field, and is therefore bounded in a temporal sense. Additionally, ecological, economic and cultural effects of ecotourism, as well as reciprocal effects of conservation on ecotourism, were outside the bounds of this research. A substantial amount of literature and archival research began in the United States and continued in Costa Rica. Seven months of field study included a survey questionnaire to officials and experts, interviews and other discussions, and site visits to many protected areas in the country.; Beginning in the late 1980s, sustainable development became the conceptual framework within which policies for both conservation and development (tourism in the context of this study) are formulated and implemented within Costa Rica. At the same time, ecotourism began its dramatic growth, becoming the leading earner of foreign exchange by the mid-1990s. The findings demonstrated that ecotourism has influenced conservation policy in a number of direct and indirect ways, as the primary instrument of sustainable development in Costa Rica. The influence of ecotourism is evident on environmental thought and conservation paradigms, national conservation policies, and public and private protected areas which comprise approximately one third of the national territory. The degree of influence, considered to be significant overall, is strongest in the area of protected areas, especially private reserves.; Ecotourism has also furthered the achievement of sustainable development principles and goals, primarily in its role as an economic justification for conservation. Ecotourism is contributing to formulation of an environmental ethic as well as conservation models and paradigms that foster sustainable development. Consequently, its role in changing the character of national conservation polices and protected areas is also contributing to sustainable development in Costa Rica. |
