Resumen de Rainforest tourism: a systematic review of established knowledge and gaps inresearch
Daminda Sumanapala, Isabelle D. Wolf
Rainforests provide exceptional spaces for nature-based tourism activities attracting large numbersof visitors. Simultaneously, tourism activities may create environmental, social and economicimpacts that require management in order to conserve sensitive rainforest environments.Rainforest tourism constitutes a travel sector that receives growing interest worldwide. Thisstudy presents a timely review of current knowledge and research gaps in a new conceptualmodel to give recommendations for a future research agenda. Through a systematicquantitative review, the study identified 48 peer-reviewed journal articles addressingconservation and management topics (33), followed by visitor-related research (23), impacts(10), andfinally community and stakeholder research (3) of rainforest tourism, publishedbetween 1975 and 2019. The majority of research focused on management issues relating topolicy development, planning, education and conservation measures. A strong geographic biaswas noted with very limited research available for rainforest regions in Africa and Asia. Futureresearch should be concerned with expanding and linking rainforest research across countries,andfilling knowledge gaps around visitor monitoring, specific impacts and causes, and thecomplexity of community and stakeholder involvement in managing impacts. Protocols mayneed to be established to facilitate the design and delivery of standardised research approachesacross the globe.
