Date of Award
1988
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Open Access)
Department
Colby College. Environmental Studies Program
Advisor(s)
Elizabeth R. DeSombre
Abstract
Under what conditions do biodiversity conservation projects that use economic incentives promote the most significant and sustainable biodiversity protection? The study of how nations can best invest their resources to promote conservation while simultaneously encouraging a sustainable form of economic development has recently become a major focus for ecologically rich, less-developed countries. There have been many innovative and successful attempts at combining biodiversity protection with economic development, and others that have done more harm than good. Since there is no guaranteed recipe for a successful project, it is crucial to examine projects in detail to discern which type of project is best suited for a specific set of conditions, and to determine what influences a project's success and sustainability. The Ecuadorian Amazon offers interesting case studies of attempts to integrate biodiversity conservation with economic development, providing important lessons applicable to future projects for how economics and conservation can reinforce each other. An investigation of sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and bioprospecting will reveal that under certain circumstances, each type of project can sustainably harmonize biodiversity conservation and economic development.
Keywords
Biodiversity conservation -- Ecuador, Biodiversity conservation -- Economic aspects
Recommended Citation
Lyons, Amy, "Use of economic instruments in biodiversity conservation projects: the sustainability of projects in the Ecuadorian Amazon" (1988). Honors Theses. Paper 149.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/149
Copyright
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