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Closing the ecotourism-conservation loop in the Peruvian Amazon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

CHRISTOPHER A. KIRKBY ,
RENZO GIUDICE ,
BRETT DAY ,
KERRY TURNER ,
BRITALDO SILVEIRA SOARES-FILHO ,
HERMANN OLIVEIRA-RODRIGUES  and
DOUGLAS W. YU
CHRISTOPHER A. KIRKBY
Affiliation:
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (CEEC), School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK Ecology, Conservation, and Environment Center (ECEC), State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
RENZO GIUDICE
Affiliation:
Ecology, Conservation, and Environment Center (ECEC), State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
BRETT DAY
Affiliation:
Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
KERRY TURNER
Affiliation:
Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
BRITALDO SILVEIRA SOARES-FILHO
Affiliation:
CSR, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901 MG, Brazil
HERMANN OLIVEIRA-RODRIGUES
Affiliation:
CSR, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901 MG, Brazil
DOUGLAS W. YU*
Affiliation:
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (CEEC), School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK Ecology, Conservation, and Environment Center (ECEC), State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
*
*Correspondence: Dr Douglas Yu Tel: +86 1398 719 1275 Fax: +86 871 519 9941 e-mail: dougwyu@gmail.com
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Summary

Annual revenue flow to developing countries for ecotourism could be as large as US$ 29 billion, providing an enormous financial incentive against habitat loss and exploitation. However, surprisingly little quantitative evidence exists on the profitability of the rainforest ecotourism sector, which determines the incentive and capacity of the sector to engage in conservation. A Peruvian rainforest ecotourism cluster generated US$ 11.6 million in 2005. The after-tax profit margin was at least 14% and has increased with tourist volume. High profitability, coupled with new legislation, has allowed operators to put 54 358 ha of rainforest near the new Interoceánica Sur highway under private management and to engage in conservation actions. A previously published microeconomic contract model of protected-areas management identifies two key features of rainforest tourism that link ecotourism to conservation: (1) tourists demand an immersive experience, which incentivizes the acquisition of large amounts of forest cover, and (2) institutional reforms have increased the expected effectiveness of conservation actions. In Peru, these conditions appear to be met, so that profits from ecotourism can combine with new land tenure rights to create a governance structure within which the industry can act as an independently financed partner to the conservation community.

Keywords

conservation policycontract theorydeforestationecosystem serviceecosystem valuationgovernanceincentivesintegrated conservation and development projectsInteroceanica Sur highwaynature-based tourismPeruprotected area management
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , March 2011 , pp. 6 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2011

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