ECOLOGICAL DISTURBANCE AND NATURE TOURISM

Recent research in biogeography presents a convincing case that natural disturbance is not an aberrant influence but is common to many biological systems. Human changes in the environment can have surprising and profound effects on the impacts of natural disturbances. If recent efforts to use nature tourism to conserve natural resources are to succeed, such development must incorporate ecological insights into the interaction of natural disturbance with social and biotic systems. Relevance of a nonequilibrium ecological model for environmental planning is illustrated for two barrier beaches on the Yucatan peninsula.