The Namche Conference: May 24-26, 2003 People, Park, and Mountain Ecotourism Participants and Presentations: Ms. Lisa Hiwasaki

Ms. Lisa Hiwasaki (Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan); email: hiwasaki@iges.or.jp Abstract: Community-Based Tourism in Protected Areas This presentation will be an interim report of a research project on community-based tourism in protected areas of four countries in Asia: India, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand. For the first year of research (ending March 2003), members of the research team in the four countries will collect good practices of community-based tourism in mountain/terrestrial national parks (or other protected areas administered at the national level and which allow people to live in and around them). The good practices will be collected based on criteria such as: co-operation between protected area tourism authorities and communities working in community-based tourism; conservation of key resources in and around protected areas; increased environmental awareness and improved attitudes by local communities and visitors; local social and community development in and around protected areas; and profitable business for local communities. The second year of research will build upon the analysis of the good practices collected in the first year in order to formulate “Strategic Policy Options” on ways to actively involve communities living in and around protected areas in tourism to facilitate effective integrated protected area management. It is expected that key issues for facilitating effective integrated protected area management will include: different kinds of support provided by national governments and the international community; the ways in which community consensus is built on matters related to tourism and other components of protected area management; effective means to ensure incorporation of local communities’ consensus in tourism and other aspects of protected area management; and changes in protected area policy that would actively support community participation. The presentation will give an overview of the good practices collected in four countries, followed by their analysis, focusing on lessons learned and potential for application. The presentation will conclude by providing suggestions for innovative ways to ensure community-based tourism objectives to facilitate community-based tourism in protected areas.

Email: info@namche.net