Ecotourism is often viewed as a sustainable form of tourism, but has the potential to impart
negative environmental and social impacts if not well managed. When planning tourism, ex
ante assessments can provide a contextual understanding of the ecological, economic, and
socio-cultural forces that shape the prospects for sustainable tourism development.
Underlying conditions can suggest 'limits' to acceptable change levels incurred by tourism
development, which respect socio-cultural expectations and biophysical realities. Pulau
Banggi is a relatively remote island on the brink of tourism development in the Malaysian
state of Sabah. I conduct an ex ante biophysical study that evaluates how existing conditions
of the island's marine biodiversity, seasonality, and infrastructure might influence options for
sustainable tourism development. Through interviews, I also assess local residents'
perceptions and trade-off preferences towards environmental and socio-economic change
associated with tourism growth. I find that human expectations of economic benefits might
demand tourism development on a scale not compatible with existing biophysical capacity.
Persistent use of destructive fishing techniques, uncertainty over groundwater capacity, and
inadequate waste infrastructure are major ecological constraints to growth. I conclude that
prospects for sustainable tourism in Pulau Banggi can be enhanced through small scale
development operating under a community based approach, and institutionalised within a
Marine Protected Area framework.Science, Faculty ofResources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute forGraduat