Thesis (MScAgric)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

This case study deals with ecotourism and its impacts on the indigenous people of Amaltari,  Nawalparsi district of Nepal. Homestay is practiced by locals of different villages in Nepal. Amaltari is one of such villages which are home to the 'tharu' local group. This research work will unleash impacts on the local indigenous people. The research work deals with both primary and secondary data to find the realities. Several hosts of homestay ecotourism have been interviewed to find the real impacts of ecotourism on indigenous people. The finding has been supported by previous literature work which deals with similar topics. With the help of secondary data, it has been proved that the positive impacts are far more than the negative impacts of homestay ecotourism on the indigenous people of Amaltari, Nepal. The Finding s of the study showed that, socioeconomic status of people has improved, and they have found outof-box ways to earn a livelihood. In addition, socially, they have seen positive changes in themselves. Learning English is one of the major positives. Society has become inclusive, and homestay eco-tourism has helped women's empowerment and increased the prosperity of women. Research also finds that there are some threads to the culture of the locals; western culture is penetrating into the region and impacting young people.  Furthermore, there are some problems that need to be solved to make ecotourism more adaptable, including the relationship between society, the environment, and tourism.

No description available.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone / The study investigates how local-level efforts at sustainability have been implemented in developing countries and Caribbean islands. In order to protect resources and longevity of these regions, communities often adopt sustainable development initiatives with assistance of external support. The goal of this study is to evaluate initiatives taken by similar communities and organizations that have met the needs of ecosystems through sustainable action plans. The combined information gathered in this study will aid St. Croix, USVI in evaluating current practices as well as planning for future actions. The purpose of this research is to develop a case study of local-level sustainable development initiatives for St. Croix, USVI in order to address the needs of community members and environment through evaluations and successful frameworks of similar island communities. Through information collected, an analysis that addresses issues related to improving community for healthier communities via an improved built environment design, will investigate possible forms and systems of successful urban populations. This thesis addresses some of the issues related to improving community design for better civiv health outcomes via an improved design and framework policy for the built environment. In order to explore this, the thesis seeks sustainable potentials in urban inner cities and island communities to develop an action plan and design for St. Croix. USVI.

No description available.

Univ., Diss.--Utrecht, 2006.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone / The study investigates how local-level efforts at sustainability have been implemented in developing countries and Caribbean islands. In order to protect resources and longevity of these regions, communities often adopt sustainable development initiatives with assistance of external support. The goal of this study is to evaluate initiatives taken by similar communities and organizations that have met the needs of ecosystems through sustainable action plans. The combined information gathered in this study will aid St. Croix, USVI in evaluating current practices as well as planning for future actions. The purpose of this research is to develop a case study of local-level sustainable development initiatives for St. Croix, USVI in order to address the needs of community members and environment through evaluations and successful frameworks of similar island communities. Through information collected, an analysis that addresses issues related to improving community for healthier communities via an improved built environment design, will investigate possible forms and systems of successful urban populations. This thesis addresses some of the issues related to improving community design for better civic health outcomes via an improved design and framework policy for the built environment. In order to explore this, the thesis seeks sustainable potentials in urban inner cities and island communities to develop an action plan and design for St. Croix. USVI.

Ecotourism is a development strategy for many local communities in and around protected areas. Its ability to improve tourism opportunities, conservation and livelihoods is supported by many ecotourism studies. Such communities often employ diverse livelihood strategies to reduce risk and survive. As such, ecotourism becomes an integral part of a portfolio of livelihoods and assist with livelihood diversification. However, in some locales climate change is making livelihoods, including ecotourism vulnerable, due to its impacts on protected areas and their associated biodiversity. Climate change creates vulnerability as well as opportunities for adaptation. Climate change adaptation has become important in ensuring tourism sustainability, as it is critical in reducing the vulnerability of tourism. However, the literature supplies only limited knowledge on such adaptation at the local level. This may undermine ecotourism???s prospects in improving local livelihoods and conservation. There is a need to understand the lived and embodied everyday experiences of local communities who are experiencing tourism within the context of climate change. In particular, this research needs to capture local knowledge and understanding of climate change, and local efforts at adaptation. In understanding adaptation at the local level, it is important to understand how households construct their livelihoods, including the role of ecotourism. This study examined local perceptions and lived experience in sustainable ecotourism development as a livelihood adaptation to climate change in a case study site in Ghana. This examination and subsequent understanding provided a process for integrating local knowledge into livelihood adaptation as communities become more vulnerable to future climate change that will adversely affect traditional patterns of livelihoods. The study used the vulnerability-based approach which assessed vulnerability of households??? livelihoods to climate change and adaptations. Mognori Eco-Village in Ghana was used a case because of its geographic location in the savannah and experience of climate change as well as households` involvement in ecotourism activities. In focusing on lived experience, the study was guided by the philosophical ideas of Gadamer, as it lends itself particularly well for exploring the complexities and understanding of households??? lived experience with climate change. It also informed the recruitment of 22 households, use of conversation interviews and a focus group as well as data interpretation. The study found four main underlying essences that explain households??? lived experience with climate change: 1) adopting different livelihood strategies; 2) experiencing the impacts of ecotourism on assets and activities; 3) experiencing current vulnerability conditions and developing adaptation strategies; and, 4) sustaining ecotourism by building future adaptation strategies. The first essence suggests strategies such as intensification/extensification, livelihood diversification and migration as broad adaptations for survival. The second essence supports the use of ecotourism as a form of livelihood diversification that complements other non-ecotourism activities. The third essence describes the vulnerability to climate change the local adaptations use to reduce vulnerability. The last essence suggests local agency in overcoming adaptation constraints to improve adaptive capacity to sustain ecotourism as an adaptation strategy to climate change. The study found that local adaptive capacity exists to support ecotourism. However, the capability of the local community is limited and recommendations are made for government and other stakeholders to further support the local adaptation that is underway.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 116-130). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.