Community Ecotourism for Biodiversity and Rural Livelihoods: Multi-Country Analysis

Abstract

Community-based ecotourism (CBET) has been widely promoted as a mechanism for reconciling biodiversity conservation with rural economic development, yet empirical evidence of its effectiveness across diverse geographic and institutional contexts remains fragmented. This study presents a comparative analysis of six CBET projects in Nepal, Costa Rica, Botswana, Indonesia, Peru, and Madagascar, examining how each contributes to biodiversity conservation outcomes and rural livelihood enhancement. Employing the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework as the analytical lens, data were collected through document analysis, key informant interviews (n=48), and community focus groups (n=12) conducted between 2022 and 2023. Results demonstrate that CBET projects with strong community governance structures, equitable revenue-sharing mechanisms, and direct linkages between tourism income and conservation activities achieved the most favourable outcomes across both conservation and livelihood dimensions. Botswana and Costa Rica emerged as the strongest performers, benefiting from established institutional frameworks and decentralised resource management. Madagascar and Peru, despite rich biodiversity endowments, faced persistent challenges related to governance capacity, infrastructure deficits, and market access. The findings suggest that CBET success depends less on natural resource abundance than on the institutional and social capital surrounding the tourism enterprise.