The role of the environment in brokering agro-tourism linkages in Tobago

Conservation of the natural environment has historically been a critical factor in shaping the economic development of Tobago. The establishment of the Tobago Forest Reserve in the eighteenth century marked the recognition of the principle that conservation of the natural environment is crucial to the long-term development and survival of the island. It is interesting to note that the decision to establish the forest reserve met with intense opposition and hostility on the part of the European colonists at that time. Today however, this reserve has become a major asset to Tobago's tourism sector. The distribution of natural resources and the need to conserve these resources have been highly influential in determining the agricultural systems that have developed in the past and the tourism systems that are presently evolving