Opportunities and threats to local sustainable development: Introducing ecotourism to Venado Island, Costa Rica Prepared by Björn G. Beeler 4304 Amoroso Place Davis, Ca 95616 U.S.A. (530) 758-1447
[email protected] SUBMITTED TO THE LUND UNIVERSITY'S INTERNATIONAL MASTER'S PROGRAMME IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES 1999/2000 December 2000 Advisor Professor Eric Clark Department of Social and Economic Geography Lund University Sölvegatan 13 SE - 223 62 Lund Sweden
[email protected] LUMES Thesis Opportunities and threats to local sustainability: 2000 Introducing ecotourism on Venado Island, Costa Rica Acknowledgements A number of acquaintances and colleagues have helped me with this thesis. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to each one of them. Professor Eric Clark from Lund University's Department of Social and Economic Geography was the principal thesis reviewer. Camelia Tepelus played instrumental role as one of my informal advisors. I am most grateful to these advisors who have been especially generous with their time, reviewing, critiquing and commenting this document throughout the development process. I would like to acknowledge assistance, contacts and information provided by those who helped informally and unofficially. I would like to thank Alejandro Gutiérrez and the faculty of the International Oceans Institute in Heredia, Costa Rica for generously offering a place to work and along with other resources making my fieldwork possible in Costa Rica. I would also like to express my appreciation, Fayen d'Evie of Earth Council in San José, Costa Rica. Both, Alejandro and Fayen providing numerous contacts in Costa Rica and Panama, which enriched the ideas presented in this paper.