WebinarOnline
Ecotourism in action: Balancing sustainable development, resident perceptions and conservation realities
Friday, 8 January 2027
Examine ecotourism as a negotiated practice involving conservation goals, development pressures and resident experience, with attention to fair governance, credible evidence and decisions adapted to the conditions of each place.
About this event
Ecotourism is often presented as a practical route towards conservation, local prosperity and meaningful visitor experiences. Its outcomes, however, depend on how projects are designed, governed and evaluated. This webinar examines the tensions that arise when environmental objectives, development ambitions and resident priorities meet within living landscapes and working communities.
The discussion will consider how tourism revenue may support protected areas, livelihoods and environmental education while also creating new pressures. Visitor growth can increase waste, disturbance, resource use and dependence on unstable markets. Conservation rules may protect ecosystems yet restrict customary access or distribute costs unevenly. Participants will explore why apparently successful projects can produce conflicting assessments among residents, businesses and conservation practitioners.
Resident perceptions are central because support is influenced by fairness, voice and everyday experience rather than aggregate economic gains alone. The session will examine participation, benefit sharing and local knowledge as substantive elements of governance. It will also address the need to recognise disagreement within communities, avoiding the assumption that residents hold a single position or that consultation automatically creates consent.
The webinar will connect these social questions with practical approaches to conservation management. Attendees will consider suitable indicators, visitor limits, adaptive planning and transparent reporting across economic, cultural and ecological dimensions. Case-based reasoning will be used to test claims and identify trade-offs without treating ecotourism as inherently beneficial or harmful. The aim is to provide a framework for assessing what works, for whom and under which conditions, supporting decisions that remain responsive to evidence and place.