Ecotourism in the rangelands: landholder perspectives on conservation

Abstract

Research on landholder perspectives of conservation through ecotourism is conducted through a social science viewpoint to provide guidance for multifunctional land-use planning with a particular focus on sustainable tourism operations in the Australian rangelands. When addressing the adoption of ecotourism as a conservation practice, the influence of economics, uncertainty and confidence in proposed land-use changes appear tightly linked. The financial position of landholders is presented as a primary limitation to the adoption of increased sustainable land-use practices. Diversification into sustainable tourism is perceived as assisting landholders achieve a range of economic and environmental goals; landholders are pulled into ecotourism as a favourable response to the push away from traditional pastoralism. Results show the majority of landholders are of the opinion that ecotourism can contribute to conservation in the following ways: (1) financially by enabling additional income to devote to ecological recovery efforts and (2) by educating tourists about the rangelands and sending sustainability messages to the wider population. Further, the research brings to light that support for ecotourism may be amplified through sharing experiences in a heuristic method of collective judgement. This process enables landholders to address the elements of confidence and uncertainty of new practices with others facing similar sustainability goals as their own.