Parveen Kumar, Ashutosh Kumar Choudhary and Upendra Kumar
Abstract
Ecotourism is a potential tool for sustainable development especially in rural and eco-sensitive areas as it balances socio-economic growth with conservation of environment. This paper presents an in-depth review of the twin role of ecotourism in enhancing ecosystem preservation and rural livelihood management. The paper examines the role of ecotourism in biodiversity preservation, management of natural resources, and spreading environmental awareness, along with the simultaneous generation of additional sources of income, employability, and empowerment of the rural communities by considering insights from the regional and global studies. Various success case studies and models of ecotourism have led to perceptible preservation outcomes and enhanced standards of living. The paper also analyses issues like over-tourism, insufficient policy execution, and participation of local communities. An inclusive and environmentally accountable ecotourism framework to enhance long-lasting resilience of local communities and ecosystem health. This paper highlights the significance of cohesive policy, active participation of local communities, and strengthening capacity to tap the huge potential of ecotourism as a strategy for rural development and conservation of the environment. Ecotourism is key to minimizing environmental degradation and bringing development to rural communities. Further, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis on ecotourism research is performed using the SCOPUS database.