7 Long-term income. Eco-tourism often proves to be a more sustainable development strategy than extractive uses of the land such as logging, grazing, mining, or agriculture. In one economic assessment of rainforest land use in Bahia, Brazil, Conservation International determined that logging the forest provided an initial high return, followed by little income. Conversion of the forest into pastureland was even less profitable and required substantial initial investment. The study concluded that eco-tourism provided the most income over the long term.
Local residents can benefit from the environmental education eco-tourism provides.
Honduran schoolchildren from the capital city of Tegucigalpa are routinely taken to visit the La Tigra cloud forest visitor center, funded in part by eco-tourist dollars, to learn about the intricacies of the rainforest. A Potential Threat to Local Communities and Ecosystems Destruction of ecosystems. High-volume tourism can damage the environment. Excessive entry into protected areas, especially when combined with high-impact activities such as hiking or camping, can be particularly harmful. On Mexico's Pacific coast, bright lights from beachfront hotels disorient female sea turtles coming ashore to lay eggs, often preventing successful reproduction.