Abstract
Ecotourism is playing an important role in sustaining biodiversity and community development. This study focused on determining the operational challenges and conservation practices of ecotourism sites in the island of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. A total of 245 respondents, including ecotourism operators and staff at the ecotourism sites, participated in the study. The study used a self-made survey instrument that underwent confirmatory factor analysis, reliability testing and validation of model fit to ensure its appropriateness and applicability. The results emphasized that conservation practices are implemented at a practical level, with waste management and community involvement ranking highest. The operational challenges commonly faced by ecotourism sites include resource allocation. Pearson’s correlation indicated a significant positive association between operational challenges and conservation practices. Structural path analysis further showed that resource allocation predicted community involvement (β = 0.354, p < 0.01) and biodiversity (β = 0.313, p < 0.01), underscoring the importance of financial and material support in the attainment of conservation practices. However, visitor management, environmental degradation and climate change have no significant relationship with conservation practices, suggesting no direct effect. The findings emphasize the proper use and optimization of resources to protect biodiversity and to ensure community participation and involvement. In terms of policy implications, the results emphasized the need for strategic resource allocation, standardized conservation guidelines and adaptive contingency planning to ensure ecological sustainability in ecotourism destinations.
Keywords: Community Empowerment, Conservation Challenges, Ecotourism, Environmental Preservation, Resource Allocation.