Can ecotourism contribute to tackling poverty? The importance of 'symbiosis'

The establishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as the principle focus for debate on development, has shaped the discussion of rural development in recent years. Rural development has tended to be discussed in terms of linking the dual goals of conservation and development, with this in turn often regarded as 'sustainable development'. Ecotourism has often been associated with sustainable rural development, especially in the developing world. This is the case in both the academic literature and in the practice of rural development and conservation non-governmental organisations. The principal argument behind this association is the potential for ecotourism to establish, to a greater or lesser degree, a 'symbiosis' between conservation and development. This is well rehearsed in the literature. Put simply, ecotourism can generate revenue, and development, based upon the conservation of the environment, rather than through its transformation. However, this formulation, and its association with sustainable development (with all this implies vis-a-vis the development debate), resides on certain assumptions and premises. This paper uses case studies to examine this argument. It seeks to establish and question the assumptions implicit in this view, and through this assesses the potential for ecotourism development projects to contribute to achieving the MDGs.