| Abstract: | Summary Ecotourism has been used successfully in many countries to promote economic well-being, conserve natural resources, and promote community development. A thorough examination of the factors that make a successful and unsuccessful ecotourism program was conducted in this paper. This analysis was performed in order to formulate recommendations for the development of an ecotourism program in the Panama Canal Watershed that will meet these objectives. A careful look at the conservation of natural areas, community development, and the economics of ecotourism fleshed out the good and the bad of existing programs. Case studies from other developing countries were used in order to set up criteria that should be used in Panama's blossoming ecotourism industry. Panama has a vast array of natural and cultural resources that can benefit from a carefully planned ecotourism program. When planning this initiative it is very important to take the politics of the country and communities into consideration, make sure the project is scaled to the carrying capacity of the natural resources and community involved, use existing infrastructure, train a skilled local work force, and maintain monitoring programs that ensure that an unsuccessful program be either improved or terminated. |
