The incorporation of young farmers' perceptions about ecotourism is important for decision-making. This was an exploratory and descriptive research project aimed at understanding young farmers' views of a community-based ecotourism (CBE) project. Q methodology was used on a population of young adult farmers, of a small community in the state of Puebla. Three factors reflected their views: There was a group of people who wish to stay in Mexico to pursue the ecotourism project, but lack capabilities. A second group included young farmers who perceive ecotourism as a conservation project, but want to migrate to the United States. The third group was composed of people who envision ecotourism as a source of income for the community's women. The analysis elicited an important inquiry in relation to environmental inter-generation: what kind of development are future generations pursuing?
Abstract:Tropical forest management depends greatly on complex social interactions. To understand the underlying human causes of deforestation and to plan forest management, it is of great importance to incorporate social science in the study of forestry. There is insufficient information about the incorporation of social sciences in undergraduate forestry programs. Foresters are well prepared in ecology, silviculture, forest measurements, and operational topics such as logging, but their knowledge of basic elements of social sciences is limited. This study explored the extent to which tertiary forestry education programs in Colombia include social science. It also examined students' perceptions of social sciences courses in the curriculum. About 10% of course credits are in economics, administration, and foreign language, courses on social science are listed as optional. A high percentage of current sophomore (fifth semester), junior, and senior students do not have clear knowledge of basic social research methods, although a majority have used social science techniques at some point in their academic careers.
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