Introduction to sustainable tourism (ecotourism) in Central America

In response, Paseo Panteo ("Path of the Panther"), a regional wildlands consortium stemming from A.I.D."s RENARM (Regional Environmental and Natural Resources Management) project, began a program to develop a strategy of sustainable ecotourism for Central America, i.e., tourism that would support the conservation of the protected areas on which tourism depends while remaining economically profitable. This book provides an overview of the multiple issues involved in sustainable ecotourism for all concerned stakeholders -- government officials, protected area managers, local tourism operators, organized labor committees, and community representatives. The subjects discussed include: the status of conservation and ecotourism in Central America; the goals of ecotourism and its impacts on natural resources; the use of tourism to subsidize natural resource conservation; the cultural and socioeconomic impacts of tourism; and planning for tourism development and developing systems for evaluating its impacts. A key element of Paseo Pantera"s strategy involves the establishment of National Environmental Councils composed of the aforementioned stakeholders; this process is discussed both in the body of the book and in the appendices, which also include a bibliography, a list of contacts, national profiles of the status of ecotourism planning in Central America, and a list that ranks the desirability of native fauna for the tourist industry by marketing value and observation satisfaction.