La creación de la Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde del Centro Científico Tropical en 1972 marca un hito en la economía de la región. La llegada de científicos y turistas para conocer el ecosistema ha generado que su población vea una oportunidad de mejora en su nivel de vida. Este progreso es evidente a través de la llegada de más de 100 mil visitantes a la reserva, permitiendo a los locales, ofrecer servicios de hospedaje y alimentación, convirtiéndose en operadores turísticos y generando así un traspaso de su actividad agricultora y ganadera hacia el rubro empresario del turismo y en algunos casos, adicionando estas actividades a las agrícolo- ganaderas incrementando con ello su economía familiar.

Actualmente, todos los pobladores se encuentran relacionados de alguna manera con el turismo, lo cual se debe a la creación de este área protegida.

Different waves of Ebola killed gorillas in many important areas in Central Africa, including Odzala National park, Congo. Even worse, 2 habituated gorilla groups disappeared and left the park without this important source of potential income. The idea arose to habituate gorillas in a nearby community zone. GRASP provided matching funds to a community conservation project, and since 2012 tourists can see western lowland gorillas in the Lossi Interzone.

Since 2009, EcoGourmet has enhanced the technical and administrative capacities of artisanal fishing cooperatives and to achieve responsible fishing. EcoGourmet facilitates the signing of fair agreements between suppliers, fishing cooperatives and restaurants and sensitizes consumers to the ramifications of their purchasing decisions. Participating restaurants offer locally sourced, sustainably caught fish. Negative impacts on ecosystems are reduced while profits for local fishers increased.

 Ajloun Reserve covers 12 sq km from the remaining fragile and fragmented forest patches northern Jordan. The most important component of RSCN’s solution to integrate the local communities in its conservation programs was nature-based low impact ecotourism. We developed eco-tourism infrastructure and facilities (cabins, restaurants, trails) to attract nature lovers to stay overnights in the area, which only received limited numbers of day visitors before the establishment of the reserve. We linked the reserve with the surrounding historical and cultural attractions creating benefits and alternative income to the local communities, and assisted in the rehabilitation of local houses located along the hiking trails as stop points for food and beverage.  Our ecotourism product depends on natural and cultural resources, low level of technology with low negative impact on nature respecting the sites carrying capacity. 

In the face of climate-related challenges, and various socioeconomic pressures in Sian Ka’an, CONANP has created an innovative multi-actor alliance to increase local adaptive capacity through an EbA strategy based on mangrove rehabilitation & income diversification. A key step was to engage farmers using targeted public financial mechanisms. CONANP has supported the fishing sector to diversify its productive activities. The academia has also played a prominent role in planning, and regulation.

This solution helped to stop the poaching of sea turtles on the most important nesting beach of Côte d’Ivoire, the beach of Mani-Kablaké located west of the country. Thanks to the project implemented by CEM since 2013, turtle hunting and nest destruction have been eradicated at the site, more than 1,000 turtles and their nests were protected yearly, local stakeholders have benefited from drinking water supply and solar electrification, and eco-tourism has been developed in the area.

The Almaty Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan is an attractive destination for ecotourists due to its rich biodiversity, modern tourism infrastructure in nearby city of Almaty and international flight connections. Although met with some local resistance when created due to imposed restrictions, a three pronged strategy focusing on environmental, educational and public engagement has improved relations with communities and the reserve now welcomes ecotourists every year and hosts annual eco events.

Fishing is an important and primary activity for Imraguen populations in Banc d’Arguin National Park. Imraguen women are engaged in processing fishery products using different species of fish, the most famous is the yellow mullet. This activity often provides women with only small revenues. To support them, the park administration has set up the “Imraguen Credit Fund ” with a 0% interest rate.

WWF Adria provides a model on how national parks can generate environmentally responsible economic development by encouraging entrepreneurs to start or grow businesses in the tourism sector. Activities include establishment and support to Una Tourism Cluster and work with its 27 members, (private sector hotels, B&B facilities, women associations, organic food farms), establishing an eco-market; providing a grants program to fund new tourism facilities and integrate local products into tourism offers; branding and standardization; and strengthening the capacity of TC Una members. 300 families are directly benefiting being cluster members or employees of hotels/restaurants which are cluster members while more than 1000 people are indirectly benefiting. The idea is that all products and services marked as UNASANA are recognizable as high quality and unique in the region, while simultaneously meeting criteria for being sustainable businesses within protected areas. 

As a former PA ranger, manager and then lecturer for Tourism & Protected Areas at the National University in Mongolia, I understand well the challenges Protected Areas face. In 2015, my tour company Stone Horse Expeditions developed along with the Khan Khentii SPA Administration a Wilderness Conservation Holiday Adventure horse trip, whereby international guests could work with rangers and contribute to conservation efforts while on a great wilderness holiday.

En 1968 se fundó la Cooperativa “Pescadores de Vigía Chico”, introduciendo un nuevo sistema de organización y aprovechamiento sustentable, respetando el área de captura designada y prohibiendo el uso de redes y buceo con tanque dentro del Complejo Sian Ka’an, donde posteriormente se consolidarían nuevas cooperativas pesqueras y turísticas. Su trabajo desde 1980, ha tenido impactos positivos en los ingresos locales y en la biodiversidad marina, tanto para las poblaciones de langosta, aprovechada de manera sustentable, como de peces, ya que se utilizan técnicas de pesca artesanal y en las actividades turísticas como pesca recreativa, snorkel y observación de megafauna marina y aves. Las cooperativas se enfocan en manejar conjuntamente los recursos marinos, desarrollo de pesca sustentable, ecoturismo, la mejora de cadenas de suministro, educación ambiental y unir a los pescadores locales y son consideradas modelos de organización y pesca responsable a nivel internacional.

Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) have joined forces to ensure that the people who contribute their land, coastal and marine resources, labor and knowledge to tourism are the ones who reap the benefits. Together with businesses, civil society and local government on the Cape Whale Coast (South Africa), the DICT creates awareness about protecting the marine environment to travelers visiting the coast’s little towns of Hermanus, Stanford, Gansbaai and Kleinmond

To address the need for proper management of fisheries waste, members of the fishing community El Caracol in Guasave, Sinaloa state, founded Grupo Crustil – a small-scale processing enterprise. The group uses discards from artisanal fisheries to produce fishmeal. The process creates opportunities for alternative income generation, maximises product utilization and mitigates environmental impacts.

Costa Rica faces enormous challenges in ensuring the sustainability of conservation endeavours. A shortage of sustainable finance continue to exert pressure on protected areas. To ensure the long-term funding of conservation, SINAC, together with its partners, created the public-private conservation initiative Forever Costa Rica. This non-profit association aims to complement state and private efforts to preserve biodiversity e.g. through the implementation of management plans for fourteen MPAs.

The Nam Nern Night Safari is a tour in Nam Et-Phou Louey NPA, Lao PDR, designed to give communities incentives to reduce illegal hunting and sale of endangered species. Tourism has been initiated as a measure to reduce threats in addition to enforcement and outreach activities. Incentives are created through a contract signed with the 1,186 families of 14 forest-edge communities, which ensures income to families for every tourist and wildlife sighting on the tour.

The DDCR has implemented a nature-based tourism offering in partnership with seven tour operators which allows over 250,000 visitors to the protected area on an annual basis. Effective planning and implementation of a zonation plan ensure environmental sustainability by limiting areas of environmental impact. Furthermore, each tour operator has an individual route ensuring a premium experience of wildlife in a pristine desert landscape as well as greatly enhancing safety for the visitor.

All visitors to the DDCR pay entrance fees, through the tour operators, which is used exclusively for the management and research requirements of the protected area.

In 2007, following an attempt to blast a road in the heart of the mountain known as Jabal Moussa, the Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa (APJM) NGO was established to protect the mountain from increasing pressures, within challenging socio-economic and political contexts. APJM negotiated and funded a lease contract with religious endowments to rent large swaths of the mountain, and Jabal Moussa was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2009. Inspired by the Man and Biosphere Programme, APJM launched a community-based ecotourism program the same year, engaging several local community members. From a previously neglected and threatened area, Jabal Mousa became a well conserved touristic destination, welcoming 20,000 visitors in 2017, and increasingly contributing to the wellbeing of its local communities. Despite the very fragile law enforcement framework, Jabal Moussa is today thriving due to the engagement of the local community and the support of the general public.

Through eco-tourism the WCS, park authorities, business and communities are protecting globally significant endangered species in northern Cambodia. These enterprises generate enough revenue for local people to change their behavior to more wildlife friendly ways, while also increasing their wealth. Communities manage eco-lodges and provide employment. A community payment directly linked to conservation is discretionary spending for the village committee.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the support from the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and in partnership with Conservation International, initiated the SMARTSeas PH Project in Verde Island Passage (VIP) in 2016, one of the project’s five sites established to strengthen the protection, conservation, and management of marine biodiversity in the area. SMARTSeas is working with the people’s organizations in Batangas to train VIP citizens on how to upcycle plastics and other rich resources of the area.