Participatory planning for eco-trekking on a potential World Heritage site: the communities of the kokoda track

101 Pacific Economic Bulletin Volume 24 number 3 october 2009 © the australian national university Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) is an approach to data collection in participatory research. In this approach, the researcher is required to acknowledge and appreciate that research participants have the necessary knowledge and skills to be partners in the research process. PRA techniques were used to collect data on the Kokoda Track, Papua New Guinea, illuminating the communities’ perceptions of eco-trekking and how they could better benefit from it. This case study is an example of the implementation of community-based eco-tourism development and of understanding the multiplicity of forces that support or undermine it Stephen Wearing is Associate Professor, School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism at the University of Technology, Sydney.