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Abstract
Ecotourism comes with a definitional promise to promote responsible travel to natural areas, to make a positive contribution to environmental conservation, and to enhance the well-being of local communities. This article summarises a study designed to test whether the Lapa Rios Eco-lodge of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, a widely acclaimed example of the species, delivers on these promises and to what degree. The study uses an interdisciplinary nested-scale analysis, combining careful on-the-ground interview methods with remote sensing analysis of forest and land-use impact of the Lapa Rios (LR) lodge. This combination of methods allows us to reject the null hypothesis, confirming that LR lodge has made substantial contributions to both local livelihoods and environmental conservation, including the highest rates of reforestation of all areas studied in the Osa Peninsula. We conclude that LR fulfils the definitional promise of ecotourism and delivers social, economic, and environmental benefits in the region.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their abiding appreciation for the many people and organizations whose efforts made this study possible: Karen and John Lewis, Martha Honey, the employees of Lapa Rios, the people of the Osa Peninsula who discussed ecotourism and shared their lives with us, the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad de Costa Rica (INBIO). We offer special thanks to the Center for Latin American Studies at Stanford University whose financial support was crucial to this undertaking.