In this thesis, I contemplate the ecotourism in theory and in practice. I use the case study of a solid waste crisis (2002-2004) in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, a turtle tourism destination, to explore: the consumptive nature of ecotourism, tourist perceptions of the environment, ecotourism aesthetics, local resistance to ecotourism development, local perceptions of ecotourism's environmental impacts, and the future of ecotourism. I used mixed methods including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and on-site surveys to collect data. I conducted mainly qualitative analysis (thematic coding; adapted grounded theory) influenced by political ecology, environmental justice, resistance studies, tourism studies, and the geography of tourism. My use of environmental justice concepts to frame the solid waste crisis in Tortuguero, and the application of key concepts from Scott's (1981) Weapons of the Weak to local behavior and narratives both represent fairly novel applications in an ecotourism context. I attempted to move beyond a restricted case study by emphasizing characteristics shared between Tortuguero and other sites, in the hopes of contributing towards efforts to inject new theoretical applications into tourism studies. This case study reveals the consumptive side of ecotourism, and the analysis of tourist survey responses highlights the central role of aesthetics in ecotourism. This project challenges simplistic portrayals of ecotourism as 'benevolent and benign' (e.g. by highlighting its consumptive impacts and related injustices), and of ecotourists as more aware and altruistic than mass tourists (e.g. by presenting a heterogeneous group of respondents who none the less, stress aesthetics). It updates existing literature on Tortuguero by presenting data on tourist and local perceptions of Tortuguero, and by suggesting explanations for divergent perceptions of the park's role in ecotourism, for example. The evidence that I present of local resistance and waste-related injustices suggest that despite its high profile reputation, multimillion dollar annual revenues, improved local standards of living, and green turtle conservation successes, critical details and key voices have largely been 'left out of the story of ecotourism in Tortuguero'. I hope that his study contributes to encouraging the culture of 'greater ecotourism realism' that is needed in order to move forward. / Dissertation

El cambio climático es atribuido directa o indirectamente a la actividad humana y se considera como la mayor amenaza a la salud pública del siglo XXI. Tiene impactos sobre el acceso al agua, la alimentación, en la agricultura y medios de vida, y en la salud de las personas. El objetivo de este texto es evaluar las percepciones del cambio climático en niños, niñas, adolescentes, autoridades y representantes de organizaciones juveniles, de mujeres y que trabajan con la niñez en las regiones de Cusco, Loreto y Piura, en Perú. Para ello se realizó un estudio cualitativo que utilizó la técnica de Fotovoz con doce adolescentes y entrevistas a profundidad con veintidós actores clave. Para el análisis se utilizaron las narrativas en las fotos y el análisis temático de las entrevistas. En las tres regiones se identificaron cambios extremos en el clima. En la región de Cusco reconocieron el cambio de temperatura con sequías y heladas, mientras que en Loreto y Piura manifestaron aumento en la intensidad de lluvias. En general, estos cambios afectaron la agricultura. El cuidado del agua como recurso, tanto en su acceso y calidad, fue una gran preocupación para todos los participantes. El estudio concluye que no se identifica el concepto de cambio climático como tal, sin embargo, describen cambios y variaciones en el clima que afectan sus actividades diarias, en particular la agricultura. Un tema transversal a todas las regiones fue el cuidado y uso del recurso del agua. Además, los jóvenes se mostraron particularmente entusiasmados en colaborar en iniciativas futuras contra el cambio climático.

Ecotourism is a popular tool for biodiversity conservation and local community development. It has long been argued that the depth of community involvement and support is imperative in creating effective and sustainable ecotourism programs, although widespread community involvement is rarely achieved in practice. Local perceptions of the benefits and impacts of ecotourism development and held values for the resources utilized in ecotourism activities may influence community support and decisions to be involved; however, little is understood as to why such perceptions exist. This research highlights community perceptions of ecotourism and held values for sea turtles and explains the emergence of these perceptions within two villages on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Data were collected through face-to-face community surveys, key-informant interviews, and participant observation during the summer of 2012. The field data revealed that community members did not perceive ecotourism to be widely beneficial, but instead viewed the government, people who work in the tourism industry, and tourists themselves to benefit from ecotourism practices. Further, community members perceived ecotourism as negatively affecting poor people, people who do not work in the tourism industry, and the environment. These perceptions of who or what is affected by ecotourism development were traced back through centuries of political-ecological processes on St. Kitts that have mediated local people’s relationship with their land and resources, as well as their relationships with each other. The results of this research suggest a focus on the role of ecotourism in amending the persistent marginalization of local people from their resources by applying a participatory development approach to ecotourism development through collaboration with existing community groups and social networks.

This thesis examines the proposition that the local population at a tourist destination copy the economic behaviour of tourists and learn to give economic value to the same objects and activities that are demonstrated by tourists. Levuka, the old capital of Fiji, served as the case study. It was found that decisions are based on the experiences and the cultural template of which those decisions are a part. There are many acculturating factors involved in the learning process as a subsistance-based economy becomes more monetised. The purchasing habits of tourists have little obvious effect. However, there is evidence that what is of value to tourists and what encourages them to visit the destination are not fully appreciated by many of the host population. Examples of these culturally dissimilar values are externalities such as the physical structures of the built environment and unquantifiable factors such as the ambience of the destination. It is argued that an understanding of the factors that have created cultural rules is necessary if a complete analysis of the effects of tourism is to be undertaken. This can be achieved by considering change as a process and tracing that process by examining the cultural history of the host community. Tourism should be seen as another aspect of change. The response to tourism will then be seen as a new challenge that will be met using the lessons previously learnt and incorporated into the cultural template.