Tourism and Environmental Conservation: Conflict, Coexistence, or Symbiosis?

A new and promising field has appeared as a result of the increased tourist industry based on natural resources, though too often such expansion has been achieved without due planning and has taken many people by surprise. Conservationists and their organizations have often reacted adversely to this ‘invasion', but this need not be so. There are many reasons and examples which prove that a change of attitude, leading to a symbiotic relationship between tourism and conservation in the wide sense, can offer a very large variety of advantages and benefits—physical, cultural, ethical, and economic—to a country. A tourist industry can expect a brilliant future, based on natural assets of the environment, provided due consideration is given to the ecological principles which must guide resource-use. The alliance of those responsible for tourism with ecologists and conservationists is a natural one, that should contribute greatly to development—the right kind of development involving the right kind of change—leading to a better quality of life for all concerne

Ecoturismo en América Latina. Actualidad y derroteros

No disponible/Not availabl

Los Bosques de la América Central y la Salud: Sugerencias para un programa de acción

No disponible/Not availabl

La importancia de la buena interpretación en el turismo basado en recursos renovables

No disponible/Not availabl

Leguminosas arbóreas para sombreamento

Use of leguminous trees to provide shade, especially in perennial crops, would appear to be an ancient agricultural practice, probably coinciding with the domestication of perennials such as tea, coffee and cocoa. Leguminous trees can also be found in association with annual crops, in pastures, and in situations such as living fenceposts, where shade is not clearly being provided to an associated species. The factors which might influence the choice of leguminous as opposed to non-leguminous trees to provide shade in such situations are considered. Various such associations are described in some detail, in an attempt to elucidate some of the ecological interrelationships that are probably reflected in traditional agroforestry practices. It is concluded that not only the possibility of improving nitrogen nutrition but also other characteristics, such as type of shade, coppicing ability and ease of husbandry, might have favored the selection of leguminous trees for shade. Many of these areas would appear to merit considerably more research with the objective of obtaining more quantitative data than is presently available.O uso de leguminosas arbóreas, no sombreamento de culturas perenes, é uma prática agrícola antiga, provavelmente coincidindo com a domesticação de plantas perenes, tais como: o chá, o café e o cacau. As leguminosas arbóreas podem ser também encontradas em associações com culturas anuais, em pastagens, e em situações como moirões vivos, onde a sombra não é necessariamente importante à espécie associada. Os fatores que influenciam a escolha de leguminosas, ao invés de não-leguminosas, para o fornecimento de sombra em tais situações, são considerados. Várias associações são descritas em detalhe, numa tentativa de elucidar algumas das inter-relações ecológicas, provavelmente refletidas nas práticas agroflorestais tradicionais. Foi concluído que não apenas a possibilidade de aumentar a disponibilidade de nitrogênio como também outras características, tais como: o tipo de sombra, capacidade de rebrota, facilidade de manejo, devem ter favorecido a seleção de leguminosas arbóreas para sombreamento. Muito destes aspectos merecem maior atenção da pesquisa, com o objetivo de obter mais resultados quantitativos do que os presentemente disponíveis

Cuantificaci?n de las pr?cticas agroforestales tradicionales y de las parcelas de investigaci?n controlada en Costa Rica

29 ref. Tambi?n en microficha *IICA, Turrialba (Costa Rica)