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Ecotourism in action: Balancing sustainable development, resident perceptions and conservation realities
WebinarOnline

Ecotourism in action: Balancing sustainable development, resident perceptions and conservation realities

  • 09:00–09:45 UK time45 minutes
  • Online, on Zoom, inside ScholardemiaRegister, then join on this page from 08:50. How to join
  • Elissa KeenanConvened by Prof. Eugenia Wickens

This webinar examines when ecotourism supports conservation and local livelihoods, and when it creates new pressures.

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About this event

Speaker update, 2 October 2026: Elissa Keenan is confirmed as the industry speaker. The academic speaker will be announced once confirmed.
Ecotourism can provide finance for conservation, support local livelihoods and strengthen environmental education. Poorly governed activity can also create waste, disturb wildlife, deplete resources and increase dependence on volatile international markets. This webinar examines the conditions under which ecotourism contributes to sustainable development. It treats conservation outcomes as matters for continuing scientific and social assessment rather than automatic consequences of visiting a natural area or adopting an environmental label.
Panellists will evaluate local authority, benefit sharing, Indigenous ecological knowledge and the distribution of access within protected areas. The discussion will recognise that residents may experience conservation measures differently and may hold conflicting views about land use, tourism and development. It will examine visitor limits, zoning, ecological indicators and mechanisms for responding when evidence shows deterioration. Commercial viability will be considered alongside biodiversity, cultural responsibilities and the security of livelihoods beyond tourism.
Participants will learn to apply adaptive management principles by setting clear objectives, selecting indicators and reviewing decisions as conditions change. They will consider how to establish credible baselines, identify cumulative impacts and communicate uncertainty. The session will also address transparent governance, independent monitoring and meaningful routes for community influence. Delegates will leave with a framework for determining what works, for whom and under which local conditions, enabling them to distinguish genuine conservation benefit from activity that depends primarily on environmental branding. This approach supports learning across projects while respecting ecological difference and local authority. It also makes failure visible before ecological damage becomes irreversible or community trust is lost.

How to join

This webinar runs on Zoom. You join it here on Scholardemia, where the meeting opens inside the page with the chat, questions and polls beside it. You do not need a Zoom account or a Zoom link.

  1. RegisterFree, with your Scholardemia account.
  2. Come back on the dayThe room opens at 08:50 on Friday 8 January. We email you reminders with the Join button 24 hours and 1 hour before.
  3. Press JoinSign in with the same account. The meeting opens here, with questions, polls and the group chat beside it.

Use an up-to-date Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. Allow sound when your browser asks, and use headphones if you can.

Featured speakers

All 1 speaker →
EK

Elissa Keenan

ms · Ecotourism Australia

Scholardemia
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Ecotourism in action: Balancing sustainable development, resident perceptions and conservation realities

WebinarOnlineSession 7 of 29

This webinar examines when ecotourism supports conservation and local livelihoods, and when it creates new pressures.

  • 09:00–09:45 UK time
  • Online, on Zoom, inside Scholardemia · 45 minutesRegister, then join on this page from 08:50. How to join
  • Elissa KeenanConvened by Prof. Eugenia Wickens

About this webinar

Speaker update, 2 October 2026: Elissa Keenan is confirmed as the industry speaker. The academic speaker will be announced once confirmed.
Ecotourism can provide finance for conservation, support local livelihoods and strengthen environmental education. Poorly governed activity can also create waste, disturb wildlife, deplete resources and increase dependence on volatile international markets. This webinar examines the conditions under which ecotourism contributes to sustainable development. It treats conservation outcomes as matters for continuing scientific and social assessment rather than automatic consequences of visiting a natural area or adopting an environmental label.
Panellists will evaluate local authority, benefit sharing, Indigenous ecological knowledge and the distribution of access within protected areas. The discussion will recognise that residents may experience conservation measures differently and may hold conflicting views about land use, tourism and development. It will examine visitor limits, zoning, ecological indicators and mechanisms for responding when evidence shows deterioration. Commercial viability will be considered alongside biodiversity, cultural responsibilities and the security of livelihoods beyond tourism.
Participants will learn to apply adaptive management principles by setting clear objectives, selecting indicators and reviewing decisions as conditions change. They will consider how to establish credible baselines, identify cumulative impacts and communicate uncertainty. The session will also address transparent governance, independent monitoring and meaningful routes for community influence. Delegates will leave with a framework for determining what works, for whom and under which local conditions, enabling them to distinguish genuine conservation benefit from activity that depends primarily on environmental branding. This approach supports learning across projects while respecting ecological difference and local authority. It also makes failure visible before ecological damage becomes irreversible or community trust is lost.

How to join

This webinar runs on Zoom. You join it here on Scholardemia, where the meeting opens inside the page with the chat, questions and polls beside it. You do not need a Zoom account or a Zoom link.

  1. RegisterFree, with your Scholardemia account.
  2. Come back on the dayThe room opens at 08:50 on Friday 8 January. We email you reminders with the Join button 24 hours and 1 hour before.
  3. Press JoinSign in with the same account. The meeting opens here, with questions, polls and the group chat beside it.

Use an up-to-date Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. Allow sound when your browser asks, and use headphones if you can.

Speaker and convenor

Elissa Keenan

Presenter

ms · Ecotourism Australia

Scholardemia profile

Prof. Eugenia Wickens

Convenor

OTS Academy

United Kingdom

Professor Eugenia Wickens edits the Journal On Tourism & Sustainability (JOTS) and the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education (JTHE), and chairs Scholardemia webinar sessions. Her research covers tourist experience and typologies, tourism routes and rural development, volunteer tourism, and event and cultural tourism. Formerly Reader in Tourism at Buckinghamshire New University, she has helped plan tourism education in Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Serbia, Greece, Ireland and Turkey.

Scholardemia profileORCIDGoogle Scholar

Organised by Scholardemia.

Committee

Organising Committee

Operational leadership and event delivery team.

Prof. Eugenia Wickens

Convenor

OTS Academy

United Kingdom

Professor Eugenia Wickens edits the Journal On Tourism & Sustainability (JOTS) and the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education (JTHE), and chairs Scholardemia webinar sessions. Her research covers tourist experience and typologies, tourism routes and rural development, volunteer tourism, and event and cultural tourism. Formerly Reader in Tourism at Buckinghamshire New University, she has helped plan tourism education in Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Serbia, Greece, Ireland and Turkey.

Scholardemia profileORCIDGoogle Scholar

Scholardemia

Organizer

Event committee

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Next in this series

All 29 sessions
  1. Fri 15 Jan09:00The destination lifecycle revisited: Navigating overtourism and fostering sustainable growth in a post-pandemic worldSession 8
  2. Fri 22 Jan16:00The soul of tourism: Anthropological perspectives on cultivating true destination stewardshipSession 9
  3. Fri 29 Jan14:00Planning for resilient destinations: Integrating cultural heritage, rural tourism and community-led strategiesSession 10
  4. Fri 5 Feb15:00Heritage on the frontline: Community-based tourism, cultural preservation and the geopolitics of sacred sitesSession 11