Increasing the value of wildlife through non-consumptive use? Deconstructing the myths of ecotourism and community-based tourism in the tropics

Abstract

It has long been recognized that the costs of living with wildlife, particularly for poor, rural communities in the developing world, are rarely offset by any material benefits (Ghimire and Pimbert 1997). Whilst the economic benefits of wildlife and biodiversity are diffuse and accrue to society in general, and financial benefits generally accrue to governments and external entrepreneurs, many of the costs are acute and borne locally (Dixon and Sherman 1990; Wells 1992; Balmford and Whitten 2003). This does nothing to improve tolerance among local communities and, as a result, wildlife continues to decline through persecution and habitat destruction.