Abstract
A fundamental tenet of conservation and development is that providing alternative income opportunities to local residents near protected natural areas will lead to fulfillment of biodiversity objectives. This belief was examined in a project centered on a conservation-oriented language school in a community traditionally dependent on consumption of forest products. Data from the school's thirty-two homestay families revealed a moderate and slightly decreasing level of dependence on destructive forest practices. Although overall dependence on unsustainable activity appeared to be on the decline, data from some households supported the opposite hypothesis that provision ofalternative economic opportunities canlead to accelerateddestruc tion of the forest. The study highlights the importance of examining popular assumptions about reducing pressure on parks in the tropics. It also identifies key fieldwork challenges that one confronts while exploring alternative income effects, especially the complexity of household decision making and the influence of broader scale forces.
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