NGO-Community Collaboration for Ecotourism: A Strategy for Sustainable Regional Development

Ecotourism is being developed as part of an ambitious regional resource management programme to rehabilitate the watersheds above the mega tourist resort of Huatulco. The beach communities are home to international hotels but face a problem of rapidly declining water tables. The project discussed in this paper focuses on working with the peasant and indigenous communities to enable them to develop and manage the ecotourism facility in a sustainable way, supported by the transnational beach tourism industry. The key to success is the application of the principles of Autonomy, Self-Sufficiency, and Diversification to permit the communities to support their traditional institutions and economy while implementing programmes to facilitate economic growth.