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Researchers study tourism-poverty nexus in Central America 25 March 2015, by Jennifer Miller and other forms of tourism is its link to biodiversity conservation. "It does not just feature nature as part of a tour, but it also provides direct support to the mechanisms responsible for actively protecting nature," Hunt said. Hunt and co-investigators studied the Osa Peninsula, one of the last sections of Costa Rica's Pacific coast where ecotourism is the main type of tourism and a major aspect of the local economy. Coupled with exceptional biodiversity, these conditions make the area an ideal location to test indicators of economic, social and environmental impacts of ecotourism. The Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. Credit: Carter Hunt What researchers found is that ecotourism is providing stable employment with nearly double the salary of other local livelihoods, more career advancement opportunities, increased support for Central American economies are experiencing an environmental conservation and improved access ongoing boom in tourism, and in certain regions to strategic resources including knowledge of this often comes with real estate speculation in national development policies for the region. Hunt support of a trend toward all-inclusive resorts, large said the study shows the notion "more tourism is hotels and vacation homes. better," does not apply in biodiverse environments. A study conducted by researchers at Penn State and partnering institutions, however, challenges the notion that this mass tourism model is better for resident well-being in biodiverse regions as compared to ecotourism, which has considerably less impact on the environment and local communities. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the wellbeing of the local people, and involves interpretation and education." "There are important qualitative distinctions between different forms of tourism with respect to outcomes for local people and environments," Hunt said. "This research empirically demonstrates that the aggregate impact of numerous small-scale ecotourism projects across the Osa Peninsula region has improved local residents' livelihood prospects and quality of life, while still contributing directly to the conservation of the region's globally significant biodiversity." The results have the potential to inform socially and environmentally responsible tourism development policy in the Osa Peninsula and other biodiverse Carter Hunt, assistant professor of recreation, park regions of Central America, Hunt said. and tourism management at Penn State, explained that an important distinction between ecotourism "Mass tourism development drives real estate 1/3 speculation, which in turn displaces rural residents, compromises their access to important resources and can often rely largely on imported, Englishspeaking employees," Hunt said. "This means that often there are few employment opportunities for local people beyond low-paying, unskilled positions as housekeeping staff, gardeners or security." Hunt added, "In contrast, the dominant form of tourism in the Osa Peninsula is ecotourism and this has provided very different—and better—opportunities and outcomes for local communities and environments." Recently, results of the researchers' work were published in a 2015 issue of Journal of Sustainable Tourism. The findings will also be included as a contributing chapter in "Tourism and Poverty Reduction: Principles and Impacts in Developing Countries" edited by Routledge. For the study, researchers conducted interviews with local residents, including both residents who work in ecotourism and residents who work in other economic sectors to determine if ecotourism offers a greater economic benefit compared to other industries, such as timber, gold mining or agriculture. Hunt described Costa Rica as one of the 20 most biodiverse countries in the world, housing 4 percent of global biodiversity despite comprising just 0.03 percent of the Earth's land area. Within Costa Rica, the Osa Peninsula – particularly Corcovado National Park – is as biodiverse as any region in the country. More information: "Can ecotourism deliver real economic, social, and environmental benefits? A study of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica." DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2014.965176 Provided by Pennsylvania State University APA citation: Researchers study tourism-poverty nexus in Central America (2015, March 25) retrieved 15 June 2017 from https://phys.org/news/2015-03-tourism-poverty-nexus-central-america.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no 2/3 part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 3/3 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)