IntfoduchonSinal 1935, the science of ecology has become animPOtent Subjed. With the rapid groWth of the internedon'al economy affer WOrld War 11 and increasedindusfoalhation, some west6rn countries raised the'' slogeds of "eCOIOgy awake" and "back to nature" inthe 1960s. In keeping with that theme, many kinds ofeCOIOeyXiriented parks were estsblished (e.g., forestP8rks, natUre perks, and national parks, Deng 1997).By ac 19905, 6COtourism had grown so rapidly that ithad ~e the one of the most importsnt forms oftouriop worldwide.What is 6COtourism? ECOtourism is a travel aCtivitythat fPCuses on ecology, traditional cultures, andprograms that ted6Ct those themes. Among the manykinds Of ~urism there are orient6d tOW8rd forests,oceans, grasslands, 'mountains, and traditional cultures. Of these, the most POpular form of ecotourism'is related tO foreStry (Wang 1996).One of the imPOrtsnt government resPOnses tO thedemand for forest tourism is tO concentF8t6 on comprehensive foreSt management by proteCting theenvironment While continuing tO carry out a develoPment strategy. During the 1992 Im6rnational Conference' of Environment and Development, the Unit6dNations produced a document outlining a long-termdevelopment strategy. The document demonstrateshow ecotourism and .other non-destructive uses ofnatural resources can improve the value of forests.Forest ecotourism is a multi-layered activity. TOuristsmay either directly or indireCtly use forest resourcesand still may be included in the cat6gory of ecotourism. The main ecotourism use is based on thesightSeeing resources of the forest. In this nonconsumptive use of the forest, the tourists enjoy theforest's ecological environment by somehow reconnecting to nature in a way that cultivates the civilization of human beings (inglehart 1995). It has the functions of relaxing body, hunting for the wonderful view,exploring for knowledge, maintsining health, moldingone's personality, inspiring art, and so on.Building forest parks and developing forest ecotourism are highly visible programs within the ChineseStste Forestry Administration as it comprehensivelydevelops and uses forest resources. In recent years,the Stst6 Forestry Administration changed the idea offorest reserves, deepened reform of forest management, and used its resources tO produce a high quality tourism environment for society. The work of theStst6 ForeStry AdminiStration is importsnt evidence ofitS determination tO develop ecologically andeconomically sustsinable forests, and expand theChinese peoples' acknowledged relationship between human beings and forests. It is also a syst6mahc projeCt tO complainly develop the economicbenefitS of the forest. TO develop forest ecotourism istO follow the trend of the times, and cat6r to people'smaterial and cultural demands. Because it conformstO the demands of society, forest ecotourism hasgreat prosPects.Current situation in ChinaEcotourism has a long history in China. However, itbecame a large-scale industry in China just affer thegovernment estsblished the policy of reform andopen doors. China built the first forest park in 1982fZhangjiajie National Park. It gave people a beautifulpark, not6d for its magical landscape and gracefulenvironment, and it set an example for successfulecotourism in China. By the end of 1997, there were874 forest parks of many types and different administrative levels all over the country. Each park emphasizes some natural majestic character, peculiarity,wildness, grace, seclusion, cultural history, folklore,or unique ecological dimat6. These resources haveattraCt6d more than 50000000 visitors each year(Stst6 ForeStry Administration 1997).Chinese forest parks focus on large landscapes inwhich there are large concentrations of animals,unique natural landscapes, or cultural resources.Forest parks were established on the precondition ofprotection and multiple uses. They suppoFt manytourism services as well as areas for scientific andcultural research. For examp
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