About the Book

Globally rainforests are under threat on numerous fronts, including clearing for agriculture, harvesting for timber and urban expansion. Yet they have a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and providing other ecosystem services. As the term is used in this book, rainforests include both temperate and tropical, although the emphasis is on tropical rainforests. Rainforests are also attractive tourist spaces and where they have been used as a tourism resource have generated significant income for local communities. However not all use of rainforests as a tourism resource has been sustainable. This book argues that sustainability must be the foundation on which tourism use of this complex but ultimately fragile ecosystem must be built upon. It provides a multi-disciplinary perspective, incorporating rainforest science, management and tourism issues. The book is organized into four sections commencing with Rainforest Ecology and Management followed by People and Rainforests, Opportunities for Rainforest Tourism Development and finally Threats to Rainforests. Each major rainforest region is covered, including the Amazon, Central America, Africa, Australia and south-east Asia, in the context of a specific issue. For example rainforests in Papua New Guinea are examined in the context of community-based ecotourism development, while the rainforests in Borneo are discussed in an examination of wildlife issues. Other issues covered in this manner include governance, empowerment issues for rainforest peoples and climate change.

Table of Contents:
Part 1: Tourism in Rain Forest Regions 1. Factors Governing the Development of Tourism in Rainforest Regions Bruce Prideaux 2. Tropical Rainforest Ecology: Implications for Tourism Development Bruce Prideaux 3. National Parks, Rainforests and Tourism in Australia: An Historical Perspective Warwick Frost Part 2: Threats to Rainforest Tourism 4. Climate Change Impacts and Response Strategies for Rainforest Tourism: Cairns Case Study Robyn F. Wilson 5. Climate Change and Rainforest Tourism in Australia Stephen M. Turton 6. Trees, Tourists and Trade-offs: The Political Ecology of Rainforest Tourism, Forest Clearance and Biodiversity Conservation in Madagascar Ivan R. Scales Part 3: The Development and Management of Rainforest Experiences 7. The Lamington National Park: A Contrasts Approach to Rainforest Tourism Research Noel Scott, Don Getz, Steve Noakes and Eric Laws 8. Visitor Motivations, Expectations and Satisfaction in a Rainforest Context: Implications for Tourism Management Jennifer L. Hill and Georgina Gough 9. Ecotourism: A New Challenge for Protected Rainforest Areas in Chile Mirko Vera Campos, Noel Scott and Noreen Breakey 10. Enabling Ecotourism: Principles, Challenges and Achievements from Tambopata, Peru Jennifer Hill, Ross Hill, Nicolette de Sausmarez 11. Developing Backpacker Tourism in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest: Adding Value to the Forest Cristina Rodrigues and Bruce Prideaux 12. The Use of Mayan Rainforests for Ecotourism Development: An Empowerment Approach for Local Communities Adrian Mendoza-Ramos and Bruce Prideaux 13. Opportunities for Developing Tourism in Cockpit County, Jamaica Novadene Miller 14. Community Based Ecotourism: Opportunities and Difficulties for Local Communities and Link to Conservation Hana Sakata and Bruce Prideaux 15. Rainforests and Rural Village Ecotourism Venture in Papua New Guinea: A Case Study Grace Guaigu 16. Indigenous Peoples and Rainforest Tourism: Canopy Walkways as Tourist Attractions Heather Zeppel Part 4: Wildlife and Rainforest Tourism 17. Rainforest Wildlife: A Key Element in Sabah's Destination Appeal Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim and Bruce Prideaux 18. Implications of Invasive Alien Species for Rainforest Tourism: A Case Study on Feral Pigs in Australia's Wet Tropics World Heritage Area Kana Koichi 19. Rainforest Primate Tourism in Uganda: Successes, Challenges and the Future Dan Musinguzi, Eddy K. Tukamushaba, Celestine Katongole and Joseph Obua 20. The Complexities of Community Based Tourism: how External Forces Influence the Sustainability of Bird Watching Tourism in the Remote Arfak Mountains of West Papua Sharon Harwood and Richard Noske 21. Findings and Research Issues Bruce Prideaux