NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

We analyse 214 cases worldwide where non-governmental organisations (NGOs) use ecotourism for conservation. Other stakeholders in these initiatives include local communities, the private sector, and government agencies. Stakeholder relationships determine NGO roles and project management structures...

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Main Authors: Tania P Romero-Brito, Ralf C Buckley, Jason Byrne
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5125656?pdf=render
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author Tania P Romero-Brito
Ralf C Buckley
Jason Byrne
author_facet Tania P Romero-Brito
Ralf C Buckley
Jason Byrne
author_sort Tania P Romero-Brito
collection DOAJ
description We analyse 214 cases worldwide where non-governmental organisations (NGOs) use ecotourism for conservation. Other stakeholders in these initiatives include local communities, the private sector, and government agencies. Stakeholder relationships determine NGO roles and project management structures and governance. We classified cases into 10 structural categories based on the initiating stakeholder and the NGO role, and used these categories to analyze geographic patterns and success factors. Most of the 214 cases are community-based (~170; 79%); most are in developing countries (190; 89%); and most are in protected areas (196; 91%). Frequencies of structural categories differ between continents. More cases in Latin America and Asia are initiated by NGOs and local communities, and more in Africa by the private sector. Case-study authors used a range of economic, socio-cultural and environmental criteria to judge whether projects were successful. At global scale, we found no significant association between project success and the involvement of private tourism entrepreneurs. Projects involving either local or international NGOs had higher success rates than those that involved both simultaneously. Future research could adopt political ecology approaches to examine: the factors that lead NGOs to adopt ecotourism enterprises; their internal decision-making processes and strategies; their interactions with the stakeholders involved; and their conservation goals and outcomes.
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spelling doaj.art-2a0156a82f5c48dc967d0b34ba1921732022-12-22T03:56:44ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-011111e016691910.1371/journal.pone.0166919NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Tania P Romero-BritoRalf C BuckleyJason ByrneWe analyse 214 cases worldwide where non-governmental organisations (NGOs) use ecotourism for conservation. Other stakeholders in these initiatives include local communities, the private sector, and government agencies. Stakeholder relationships determine NGO roles and project management structures and governance. We classified cases into 10 structural categories based on the initiating stakeholder and the NGO role, and used these categories to analyze geographic patterns and success factors. Most of the 214 cases are community-based (~170; 79%); most are in developing countries (190; 89%); and most are in protected areas (196; 91%). Frequencies of structural categories differ between continents. More cases in Latin America and Asia are initiated by NGOs and local communities, and more in Africa by the private sector. Case-study authors used a range of economic, socio-cultural and environmental criteria to judge whether projects were successful. At global scale, we found no significant association between project success and the involvement of private tourism entrepreneurs. Projects involving either local or international NGOs had higher success rates than those that involved both simultaneously. Future research could adopt political ecology approaches to examine: the factors that lead NGOs to adopt ecotourism enterprises; their internal decision-making processes and strategies; their interactions with the stakeholders involved; and their conservation goals and outcomes.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5125656?pdf=render
spellingShingle Tania P Romero-Brito
Ralf C Buckley
Jason Byrne
NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
PLoS ONE
title NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_full NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_fullStr NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_full_unstemmed NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_short NGO Partnerships in Using Ecotourism for Conservation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_sort ngo partnerships in using ecotourism for conservation systematic review and meta analysis
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5125656?pdf=render
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