Date of Award:

5-2014

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Environment and Society

Committee Chair(s)

Ann Laudati

Committee

Ann Laudati

Committee

D. Layne Coppock

Committee

Mark Brunson

Abstract

Ecotourism is a popular tool for the conservation of fragile ecosystems and local development of the communities surrounding them. It is widely argued that the key to effective and sustainable ecotourism programs relies on the depth of community involvement and support. This research reveals a better understanding of community members’ perceptions of ecotourism and conservation, and how these perceptions potentially influence participation in current and future ecotourism projects within the villages of Cayon and Keys on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. Data were collected through several qualitative methods including: face-to-face surveys with Cayon and Keys villagers; interviews with government workers, staff, and members of the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network and UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Reserve; and participant observation of sea turtle ecotourism activities as well as community and organization meetings.

The community surveys revealed that local people perceived ecotourism on St. Kitts as being beneficial to specific groups of people, namely those in government, those who work in the industry, and tourists. Community members perceived poor people, people who do not work in tourism, and the local environment as being negatively impacted by ecotourism activities. In addition, issues such as environmental apathy or disinterest in conservation of resources such as turtles, as well as a pervasive distrust in the government, were shown to exist among residents of Keys and Cayon that work as barriers towards support and participation in ecotourism activities. Historical analysis of the field data revealed past socio-political processes that help to contextualize and explain why these perceptions exist. The results of this research highlight these challenges and suggest a focus on understanding community concerns and needs, while building participation from already established community groups and social networks.

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