Ecotourism Participation and Environmental Stewardship in the Peruvian Amazon

A single paragraph of about 200 words maximum. Ecotourism has the potential to support biodiversity conservation and community development, particularly in biologically rich regions such as the Amazon. The Área de Conservación Regional Comunal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo (ACRCTT), located in the Loreto region of Peru, provides a case study in which local communities collaborate with ecotourism initiatives and researchers to protect biodiversity. This study examined whether varying levels of community involvement in ecotourism were associated with differences in conservation attitudes, knowledge, and self-reported conservation behavior. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with one adult from nearly every household in three adjacent villages within the ACRCTT between November and December 2019. The villages differed in ecotourism participation, allowing comparative analysis within a shared environmental and governance context. Findings indicated that villages with greater ecotourism involvement demonstrated significantly higher levels of self-reported conservation-oriented behavior. Employment in ecotourism was also positively associated with greater conservation awareness and knowledge, although conservation knowledge was more strongly associated with formal education. Qualitative responses suggested that residents perceived ecotourism as an alternative to hunting, logging, and other extractive activities. While the study design does not allow causal inference, the findings suggest that community-based ecotourism may contribute to conservation-oriented attitudes and behaviors by increasing environmental awareness and diversifying local livelihoods.