Ecotourism is often suggested as a tool for promoting
conservation but evidence for its usefulness is mixed.
The success of conservation projects is widely recognized to
depend upon the positive attitudes of local communities and
thus it is important to know if ecotourism affects local
perceptions of natural resources and conservation, as these
can be important determinants of conservation behaviour.
Rapid Rural Appraisal and questionnaire-based interviews
were used to investigate this issue in the village of Grande
Riviere, Trinidad. This has a community-based ecotourism
programme for leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea,
and is also one of the few sites where the Critically Endangered
endemic Trinidad piping-guan Pipile pipile may be
sighted. Topics addressed were knowledge and awareness of
local conservation issues, focusing on attitudes to the environment
in general, turtles and the Trinidad piping-guan.
Ecotourism significantly affected perceptions. Villagers
showed more awareness and support for turtle conservation
than for the piping-guan or any other wildlife. Moreover,
those households directly benefiting from the ecotourism
industry had better knowledge of local natural resources and
greater general awareness of conservation issues (not limited
to turtles). Other socio-economic factors such as education
and income also affected attitudes and knowledge but the
ecotourism effect was still present after accounting for these.
Hunting was seen as the main threat to wildlife but was also
a popular pastime, illustrating the potential for mismatch
between attitudes and conservation behaviours.