WebinarOnline
Ecotourism in action: Balancing sustainable development, resident perceptions and conservation realities
Friday, 8 January 2027
This webinar examines when ecotourism supports conservation and local livelihoods, and when it creates new pressures.
About this event
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.