Alleviating Poverty Through Ecotourism: Promises and Reality in the Monarch Butterfly Reserve of Mexico

The Monarch butterfly reserve in west-central Mexico attracts more than 250 000 visitors during the four-month annual overwintering period and yet the project has been unable to generate an impetus for local development among the indigenous and peasant communities in the region. This chapter explores the reasons for this failure and evaluates a proposed alternative development strategy. In addition to the usual problems of the paucity of local linkages, the problems involved with property rights and participation in decision-making and management suggest the need to reevaluate the model for successful and sustainable tourist development. An alternative model is presented that might contribute to overcoming the obstacles.