Assessing tourism's impacts using local communities' attitudes towards the environment

Abstract

The presence of ecotourism activities is often cited as a significant benefit in environmental terms owing to the potential for income generation to be linked towards conservation activities. This is of enhanced significance in remote areas of developing countries where opportunities for other forms of economic development may be limited. However, notions of effective conservation are almost exclusively based on Western ideals and principles, with little understanding of local residents attitudes. This research is therefore directed towards examining environmental perceptions held by local residents in a marine protected area in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia with a view to assessing the requirements of environmental education programmes initiated by a local ecotourism organisation. Two local indigenous communities were the focus of this work, which used a Modified Thematic Apperception Test to quantify attitudes towards the local environment as represented in a series of illustrations. Statistical analysis indicates that culture and gender characteristics influences environmental preferences. This data indicates the need to recognise the differing environmental perceptions held by the different indigenous groups and therefore, to tailor existing environmental education programmes more directly, in order that the environmental benefits of ecotourism in the region can be appreciated more widely.