Local community participation in ecotourism and conservation issues in two nature reserves in Nicaragua

Abstract

This paper explores the factors influencing community participation in ecotourism and how this affects conservation in the Nature Reserves of Mombacho Volcano and Datanlí-El Diablo in Nicaragua. Information was collected using individual structured and semi-structured interviews and focus groups, with local people, farmers and tour operators, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. The farmers in the two communities are engaged in the protection of the reserves because of environmental concern and also because their own welfare is at stake. In different ways, the farmers and communities benefit from ecotourism, but not enough. Either they are excluded from the management system, or they lack resources to promote the sites and improve infrastructure. Community participation is to a large extent dependent on the management system, but it is not the only aspect required to make ecotourism successful. A minimum of governmental support to infrastructure and local entrepreneurship is required. In the case presented, there are direct economic benefits from ecotourism, as the records of visitors illustrate. But there are many differences between the two reserves and their communities, illustrating that ecotourism development is complex and demanding, and demonstrating that ecotourism is not a “one size fits all” approach to sustainable development.

尼加拉瓜的两个自然保护区的生态旅游的当地社区参与和保护问题

该文章探讨了在生态旅游中影响社区参与的因素和这些因素如何在尼加拉瓜的Mombacho火山和Datanli-El Diablo自然保护区影响保护活动。信息是使用定性和定量的方法来与当地人民，农民和旅游运营商进行单独安排的和半结构性的面访来收集的。在两个社区里的农民由于关心环境和为了他们自己的生活利益，在自然区里的保护活动都是有参与的。农民和社区以不同的方法从生态旅游中受益，但是不够的。他们有时会被管理系统排除在外，或者他们缺乏资源来促销地区和改善基础设施。社区参与在很大程度上依赖于管理系统，但是这不是唯一使生态旅游成功的方面。最少程度的政府对基础设施的支持和当地的创业精神都是必需的。在讨论的例子中通过参观者的反映解释了来自生态旅游的直接经济收益。但是在两个保护区和他们的社区中存在很多的不同点，这显示出生态旅游发展是复杂和高要求的，并显示生态旅游并不是在可持续性发展中“一种能适应任何情况”的方法。

Keywords:

• community participation
• ecotourism principles
• protected areas
• socioeconomic impacts
• conservation awareness
• local stakeholders

关键词:

• 社区参与
• 生态旅游原则
• 保护区
• 社会经济影响
• 保护意识
• 当地利益相关者

Acknowledgements

Funding for this work was provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) under the auspices of the Research Cooperation Program. The authors thank students Jefftte Alonso and Itza Centeno for their help in the field work. Likewise, thanks go to Fundacion Cocibolca for facilitating information on the NRMV, and to their park rangers for their support during the field work. We would like to recognize and thank Valerio González, Rodrigo López and all the farmers of the Cooperative Lina Herrera. Equally, we thank all the farmers and community members who voluntarily participated in the interviews and focus group discussions in both nature reserves. Thanks go as well to the colleagues at CEFO (CEMUS Research Forum) for their comments during the seminar presentation. Finally, we acknowledge with great appreciation my supervisor, Hans-Georg Wallentinus, for his continuous encouragement and constructive suggestions in the development of this research.

Notes

1. The INTUR is an independent but government-funded institution which promotes, coordinates, and facilitates the development of an effective tourism sector in Nicaragua, and coordinates the work of the many actors in the tourism sector.