Abstract:
Colombia’s dry forest ecosystem has been greatly reduced and few patches are
left hosting the endemic and endangered Cotton Top Tamarin. The objective of
this Master’s project is to analyze the financial feasibility of protecting a small
remaining patch of dry forest near Cartagena, a high tourism city, based on
ecotourism activities. The project analyses the background of the area including
a SWOT analysis, a Stakeholders review and a short market analysis. It then
proposes not-for-profit activities: park maintenance, community development
and research as well as profitable activities: daily visit, camping, a traditional
restaurant and advertising for the area. The activities’ costs are estimated, and
the average number of visitors required to sustain the different combinations of
the activities on the proposed protected area are calculated to assess financial
feasibility. According to the analysis, the park would be financially feasible
based on daily visits and restaurant activities, but advertising and other funding
sources and partnership would be advisable to reduce the pressure on the natural
resources produced by the visitation rates required for financial sustainability.
