2. Study Area
The area chosen for this current research is specially focused on the land ecosystems of Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand (Fig. 1), where 49% of the provincial area is mountainous with high mountain ranges along the north and south of the area. There are some important attributes that should be considered in order to develop successful ecotourism in the Province. For instance, it should largely be free from urban settlements with untouched landscape, have rich vegetation cover and considerable wildlife, traditional indigenous people’s groups and recreational tourist attractions. Such characteristics suit the selection of the area for a case study to demonstrate the application of the methodology.