Ecotourism is often viewed as effective for promoting the conservation of endangered species and habitats in developing countries. By creating economic incentives for impoverished villagers or their communities, ecotourism is thought to encourage local guardianship of biological resources. To assess ecotourism's effect on the income of villagers living near Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal, one of the most heavily visited parks in Asia, we randomly surveyed 996 households in 7 of the 36 Village Development Committees adjacent to the park. Despite a 1994 visitation rate exceeding 60,000 tourists-most from industrial nationsthe economic impact of ecotourism on household income was minimal and limited to villages closest to the main park's entrance. Of the estimated 87,000 working-age people living near the park, less than 1100 were employed directly by the ecotourism industry. Only 6% of the surveyed households earned income directly or indirectly from ecotourism; the average annual salary of these households from ecotourism was $600. Ecotourism in Royal Chitwan National Park, as it is currently structured, provides little employment potential, has a marginal effect on household income, and offers few benefits for local people. Thus, it is not a panacea for long-term biodiversity conservation in this case. New policy changes, coupled with alternative approaches to the privately owned ecotourism industry, however, have the potential to redirect an appreciable amount of revenue to local development and strengthen local guardianship of endangered species and habitats. We urge that conservation biologists working in other areas ensure that well-defined mechanisms for profit sharing with local communities are in place before advocating ecotourism development. Where ecotourism programs already exist without such profit-sharing mechanisms, we urge conservationists to press for legislation that permits a percentage of profits to be spent on local community development. Soporte del Ecoturismo a la Conservación de la BiodiversidadResumen: El ecoturismo es frecuentemente visto como un medio efectivo para promover la conservación de especies y hábitats amenazados en países en desarrollo. Se cree que el ecoturismo promueve la custodia de los recursos biológicos locales al crear incentivos económicos para pobladores de bajos recursos en las comunidades aledañas. Para evaluar el efecto del ecoturismo en los ingresos de los pobladores que habitan cerca del Parque Nacional Royal Chitwan, en Nepal-uno de los parques más intensamente visitados en Asia-encuestamos al azar 996 familias en 7 de los 36 Comités de Desarrollo de Villas adyacentes al parque. A pesar de que la tasa de visitas en 1994 excedió los 60,000 turistas-la mayoría provenientes de países industrializados-el impacto económico del ecoturismo en los ingresos familiares fue mínimo y limitado a las villas más cercanas a la entrada del parque. De las 87,000 personas en edad de clase trabajadora que viven cerca del parque, menos de 1,100 fueron empleadas directamente por l...

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