Ecotourism was a concept developed in the 70’s and 80’s as a way to use tourism to encourage conservation and promote the well-being of local communities. Though ecotourism is intended to be a more environmentally friendly alternative, in practice it’s not as straightforward. Studies show that in some cases, ecotourism efforts can flop. These failures are often the result of areas that attract too many tourists, and in some cases based on a lack of “charismatic” animal species. In this episode of Mongabay Explains, we look at what makes an ecotourism project a success, and when that can turn into a failure.

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