Alexander, Sara E.Whitehouse, Jennie L.Baylor University. Dept. of Environmental Studies.2007-03-072007-03-072006-122007-03-07http://hdl.handle.net/2104/5001Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-94).Local stakeholder participation is critical for the sustainability of Protected Areas in developing countries. Community members have vested interests in conservation efforts, as their household livelihood depends on the natural environment in which they live. Women are key stakeholders in development projects because of their often unrecognized natural resource management roles. Historically, however, women have been left out of stakeholder meetings, policy making, and project implementation. The Government of Belize is focusing on the ecotourism industry as a development strategy to protect natural resources and to increase the household livelihood security of participants. This research serves as a measure to identify economic and social securities in households from both tourism and non-tourism based communities. The quantitative data show that female-headed households are economically more vulnerable than male-headed households, but are overall more secure than dual-headed households. Further investigation reveals differences in security rates among households in tourism and non-tourism communities.vii, 94 p. : map.157525 bytes757270 bytesapplication/pdfapplication/pdfen-USBaylor University theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact librarywebmaster@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.Ecotourism --- Belize.Sustainable development --- Belize.Tourism -- Social aspects.Tourism -- Environmental aspects.ThesisWorldwide access