Ecotourism and Private Reserves

Abstract

Ecotourism and private reserves are a subset of the tourism industry, which is one of the world’s largest industries. Costa Rica is often viewed as one of the most successful ecotourism places in the world. For instance, in 2010, Costa Rica generated more revenue from tourism than from cattle, coffee, and bananas combined. The author presents an historical overview, provides more details on the mechanisms, presents three case studies, and then undertakes both a financial analysis and a policy analysis, along with a future outlook.

The 3 case studies are the Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge & Reserve in Costa Rica, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. The Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge is an ecotourism lodge, whereas the STRI in Panama raises a portion of its funding from visiting scientists, and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve raises a portion of its funding from ecotourism.

The Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge is the oldest tropical rainforest lodge in Costa Rica. The Lodge, the adjacent Braulio Carrillo National Park, and the La Selva Protection Zone collectively provide a contiguous protected area of more than 100,000 hectares (i.e., approximately 250,000 acres). Today, STRI is the longest standing and most modern research facility in the Neotropics—if not the world. The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is located in the South of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico’s State of Quintana Roo. With the declaration of the Uaymil Flora and Fauna Protection Area and the creation of the Sian Ka’an Reefs Biosphere Reserve, the 3 protected areas including Sian Ka’an are protecting 652,193 hectares (1.61 million acres). Several NGOs, including Amigos de Sian Ka’an, are creating a new destination in Quintana Roo called Maya Ka’an, one of the most ambitious ecotourism initiatives in the world.