Ecotourism as a driver of forest conservation on small farms in Costa Rica

Conservation of fragmented forest on private land is instrumental to long-term protection of tropical biodiversity. However, few incentives exist for small landowners to conserve. This study addresses ecotourism as an incentive for forest fragment conservation. Small farmers were interviewed to determine the extent of land in regeneration or protection and the ecotouristic activities on each property. The data suggest that a greater percentage of land is in regeneration on farms with small-scale tourism (20% + 10.1) than on farms with large-scale tourism (12% + 6.0) and no tourism (5% + 2.1; Kruskal-Wallis Test, H = 6.0673, p = 0.0481, N = 19). I conclude that of the farms employing tourism, three types of private property classifications exist: 1) land that would be conserved with or without tourism, 2) land whose maintenance benefits from ecotourism directly, and 3) land with tourism that is not ecological, but could still contribute to conservation. Each property type is addressed with a specific conservation strategy that could enhance long-term biodiversity protection in the Monteverde area. Este estudio aborda el ecoturismo como un incentivo para la conservación de los bosques fragmentados. Los pequeños agricultores fueron entrevistados para determinar la extensión de tierra en regeneración o protección y las actividades eco turísticas en cada propiedad.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/1022/thumbnail.jp