"The Belize Audubon Society was formed by a group of 55 enthusiastic and energetic conservationists on February 6, 1969, as a chapter of the Florida Audubon Society, and became an independent Society in 1973. For the past forty years, the Belize Audubon Society (BAS) has helped to make Belize a model of a developing country with an environmental consciousness. Since the very beginning the Society has sat upon the same three-legged programmatic stool, the legs of which are: Advocacy, Environmental Education, and Management of Protected Areas. BAS manages nine of Belize's public protected areas: Actun Tunichil Muknal, Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye, and Victoria Peak Natural Monuments; Cockscomb Basin and Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuaries; Guanacaste and St. Herman's Blue Hole National Parks; and Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. For 40 years, each advocacy issue, environmental education project, research project, and protected area has been a story in itself, all of which are told with the colourful photographs by Dirk Francisco. BAS has accomplished all this with the help of its partners who have provided financial support and joined with us in the work of preserving Belize for a bright future. Belize's other environmental organizations, stakeholder communities buffering BAS-managed protected areas, international and local funding agencies, volunteer organizations, and corporate sponsors have all been our partners in conservation."--Page 4 of cover.

Protected areas operate within complex ecological and social systems, presenting challenges that cannot be resolved by technical solution alone. Achieving the management objectives of protected areas requires a social approach in which strategic communication is a key instrument. This publication explores the often underestimated potential of communication, sharing valuable experiences from protected areas across the world, drawing on papers presented at the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress, 2003 and others.

This book describes the state of the art of tourism planning and management in national parks and protected areas. It also provides guidelines for best practice in tourism operations. Other objectives are to: Describe case studies and guidelines that contribute to conservation of biological diversity; consider the role of local communities within or near these areas; outline the development of tourism infrastructure and services; discuss visitor management; provide guidelines to enhance the quality of the tourism experience. The focus is global and the book will appeal to both academics and practitioners.