ABSTRACT
Conservation issues are now at the forefront of public awareness. Climate
change, the decline of rainforests, loss of endangered species and increasing
land degradation have galvanized public support for conservation. It is no
accident that the interest and growth of ecotourism and nature-oriented
tourism have coincided with this worldwide concern (e.g. Wearing et al.,
Ecotourism and nature-oriented tourism often take place in protected and
remote regions, areas of exceptional beauty, ecological interest and cultural
importance. Today, these areas are established to conserve biodiversity and to
halt the large-scale loss of natural ecosystems. In 1962, there were 1000
protected areas covering 3% of the earth’s surface, now there are 102,100
covering 18.8 million square kilometers or 11.5% of the Earth’s land surface
(Bushell and Eagles, 2003). This represents a phenomenal growth in both the
public desire and political will to see natural areas protected in perpetuity.
