“Ecotourism and Conservation Finance. Making tourism pay its way”. The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 1.29.08 – “Over the long term, the future of national parks and other protected areas depends on their ability to be financially self-sustaining. Funds are needed for the management of conservation lands and waters as well as for ensuring the health and well-being of nearby populations. The Conservancy helps partners design and implement a range of financial mechanisms that support on-site management of protected areas and provide incentives for landscape and national level conservation.
Through consultations with park service staff, conservation organizations, communities and tourists, we work with partners to develop and test strategies for using tourism as a source of funding for conservation. Entrance fees, dive fees, tourism concessions and tourist donation funds are examples of revenue-generating strategies that are proving successful. As a critical complement to developing these initiatives, we work to ensure that the funds are well managed supporting key conservation objectives.”
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