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Show 37 college of health Nature-based tourism continues to grow faster than all other forms of tourism development. The contin-ued advancement of nature-based tourism can serve to protect sensitive environments for this generation and generations to come. For this essential cause, this project is focused on a meta-synthesis of the last 30 years of tourism-environment case study research. The synthesis evaluates the relationship between tour-ism and the three tenets of sustainability (environmental, economic and social sustainability) within areas designated as Biodiversity Hotspots by Conservation International (CI). This designation is priority-setting strategy that focuses on biodiversity hotspots around the world. Hotspots are regions containing excep-tionally high concentrations of endemic species which also are experiencing high habitat loss (Myers et al. 2000). A keyword search of numerous databases yielded approximately 25,000 articles and, through the application of more specific research criteria, was reduced to approximately 1,500 articles that are currently being analyzed. The analysis of these articles is achieved by a coding process based on the following socio-economic, cultural and environmental factors: Is tourism a source of financing for conservation; Does tour-ism provide an economic justification for tourism; Has tourism provided local people with economic alter-natives; Is tourism building constituency for conservation at local, national, and international levels; and, Is tourism providing an impetus for private conservation efforts? Through addressing both sustainability and biodiversity hotspots, this research is of critical importance in understanding the type of tourism research taking place within these vital biologically rich regions and how the tourism industry is influencing either positive or negative change. Analysis of Western Hemisphere biodiversity hotspots yielded inconsistent application of the five socio-economic, social and environmental factors. However, a correlation was found between these five factors and environmental attitude (r = .593, p < .001) and environmental behavior (r = .249, p < .05). Preliminary research findings have presented at conferences in Madeira, Portugal (January 2011) Lake George, NY (April 2011), with additional presentations and publications forthcoming. TOURISM IMPACTS AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION HOTSPOTS: A SYNTHESIS OF RESEARCH 1970 TO THE PRESENT Jeremy Houskeeper (Kelly Bricker, Philip Sarnoff) Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism University of Utah UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Kelly Bricker Jeremy Houskeeper Philip Sarnoff |
