Firstly, for exploring the basis of ecotourism, we should look for the basis of literature configuring of the tourism development and emersion of sustainability though in it. Tourism planning has progressed over this period after the WWII, with an detonation of economic and marketing ideas coming to prevailing tourism planning, so as it called “Boosterism” which we cannot consider it as a model of planning at all and model of “Mass tourism” with the belief of “the more is the better” was the best idea for its tourism development. Economic approach, with marketing techniques as its tolls is the next step in tourism development. During the 1970s, the results of tourism development proceeded, was an uneven distribution of benefits, and recognition of multitude of negative tourism’s impacts became more evident, so the question of development raised up as “growth paradigm” which referred “cautionary perspective” to this school of thought which this perspective might be considered as the physical/spatial planning tradition. The summery of evolution in the Think/Idea, Model and Tools in Tourism development after WWII are mentioned in Table 1. Table 1- Evolution in the Think/Idea, Model and Tool in tourism development after World War II Position of ecotourism in this stage instead of mass tourism in reducing impact on the environment, maximum social respect, economic revenue As a special type of tourism with local social structure and environmental preservation and also previous definitions. During the 80’s decades there are a great discussion between the tourism planning literature and language of marketing to prolong the destination’s growth stage. In late 1980, the theorizers described the model of “soft tourism” and considered it as the new development model instead of mass tourism. Also during this period “responsible tourism”, “green tourism”, and “appropriate tourism” introduced as new terms. The concept of sustainable tourism was bring together in the late 1980’s by the tourism industry’s reaction to the Brundtland report on sustainable development following the WCED in 1987. Some explains that conference report “Our Common Future” as “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. All above discussions and critics replaced by the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, that marked the beginning of a worldwide commitment which replaced Sustainable development (as a right in Agenda 21) must be applied in a way that respond to the social and environmental needs of current and future generation. But the problem was it is ignored on the working agenda and three pillars. In Barbados Conference it was for the first time that “sustainable tourism” and “nature based tourism” recognized as the branch of the sustainable development in final dissertation and action plans, and also ecotourism, economic growth and environmental preservation introduced as sustainable tourism development elements in all conference branches. Discussion and Results The article, explore the discussion on ecotourism through an expansion of its meaning starts from the Hetzer states about “ecological tourism” and then other theorizers, and then explore discussion about “the concept of ecotourism” through the viewpoints of some critic. They all can be concluded as below items: - Sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources - Impact minimisation, both upon the natural and socio-cultural environment, especially in therms of climate change energy, energy consumption and traditional cultures; - Empowerment and fully informed participation of local stakeholders, particularly local communities and indigenous peoples; - Awarness-raising and environmental education of all stakeholders, especially travellers and hosts; - Lasting economic benefits for all actors In comparison of the meaning and concept of ecotourism, we have one important question: why “small scale” and “the exact location-the location where action of ecotourism occurs” is not mentioned in above five elements? By literature review, it is obviously that although there is no great dissension between theorizers but there is not any common agreement on the discussion about that question too. There is a discussion about comparison of the mass tourism and soft tourism and he conclude that mass tourism ought to be useful for preserved areas, so it can be rejected the small scale. Also it can be drawn two polar of extremes for continuum of ecotourism paradigm. One pole is the view that all tourism (including ecotourism) has negative impacts on the nature...Conversely in the other pole, human are viewed as living creatures (as it called fauna) – whose behavior and activities is inevitably “natural” … so therefore human behavior is “natural”. As the human is part of the “natural process” and, as a result, they are literally unable and powerless to act and behave unnaturally. Therefore, no differention between ecotourism and other models of tourism in terms of their “naturalness” and thus, all ecotourism is tourism and conversely. This argument shows that there are no common agreement on the scale of ecotourism. So as it concluded in article three items can be considered as the common agreement on the concept of ecotourism: - Environmental/Biodiversity conservation and reduction of travel and development impacts - Local economic empowerment - Education through ecological and cultural Travel and experience After 1990’s decade correlated with the world acceptation on the definitions of ecotourism, the experimental activities tried to implement the concept of ecotourism in the urban area. This pragmatically activity starts with the activities of Green Tourism Association (GTA) in the city of Toronto in 1996. The next important step was the first international Urban Ecotourism Conference hold in in 2004, in its declaration, it respect Urban Ecotourism as an ongoing opportunity to conserve biological and social diversity, create new jobs and improve the quality of life and delivered declaration by these four goal as it deliberately defined by Planeta: • Restoring and conserving natural and cultural heritage including natural landscapes and biodiversity, and indigenous cultures; • Maximizing local benefits and engaging the local community as owners, investors, hosts and guides; • Educating visitors and residents on environmental matters, heritage resources, sustainability; • Reducing our ecological footprint. In the article it discussed ideas and implemented project according to the urban ecotourism. All those projects have this hypothesis that urban ecotourism is an applied idea so all of them try to implement their ideas by experiment them in a real urban region. According to all of them, urban ecotourism is an opportunity to conserve our urban areas and make it more sustainable. Some experimental articles is tried to define the dimension of urban ecotourism using fuzzy numbers construction. They tried to introduce an alternative approach, the fuzzy number construction approach, to construct Sustainable Urban Ecotourism Indicators System (SUEIS), which may contribute to the understanding of urban ecotourism, and to excavate the discrepancies of urban ecotourism and traditional ecotourism. The most important thing is that a relative unanimity is in the urban ecotourism theorizers article and case study. Constituents of their principles includes the concept of ecotourism which deployed expressions like these in their work. The concept of urban ecotourism consequence of the experimented and discussion can be draw in a diagram as below: Figure 1: Dimension of urban ecotourism

Most of the theorizer believe that urban ecotourism is a Contradiction in term. In this regard there are some practitioners who implemented the ecotourism in an urban region. Conversely, the group believed in urban ecotourism, predicate others as “traditional ecotourism” and try to deduce theirselves. In this article by discussion on evolutionary configuring the concept of ecotourism, it tries to consequence that there is no differention between two groups. In the other hand, the urban ecotourism is not a new paradigm and according to their pragmatist approaches it depends on the three main concept which those are as same as the ecotourism. While urban ecotourism is a burgeoning subject in the research of ecotourism, more attempts are needed to interpret the contents of urban ecotourism.

To avoid the adverse consequences of tourism، some decisions must be made about its development. To achieve this purpose، one of the first steps is to identify the suitable regions for tourism development and land use planning which will eventually lead to optimum model of development of tourism destination. Due to having unique natural attractions such as mountains، dense forests، rivers، up-country - historical villages، waterfalls and natural springs as well as beautiful beaches of the Caspian Sea، Talesh County has a very good potential for ecotourism. However unfortunately، the lack of proper tourism management as well as the unsustainable tourism development have led to destruction of these unique resources with a growing trend. As the largest county of Gilan province، this county is located in the west of this province. According to the intended evaluation features of the research which aims at identifying the ecological capabilities and the regional zoning in terms of ecotourism development capabilities and nature-based tourism planning، the feasibility of the areas of ecotourism of the region was performed by the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) and the ecological model of ecotourism for Iran and with regard to the special conditions of the region. In this survey، the researcher used the Arc GIS 10 software in order to overlay the maps and create the layers. Moreover، she used the information which had been obtained through climatic data (temperature، precipitation، humidity، number of sunny days)، topography، vegetation، soil texture، geology and protected areas. The model used in this study was the ecological model of ecotourism of land use development which had been proposed for Iran and had been based on the systemic analysis and multiple criteria evaluation. This model classifies the region into two groups of intensive and extensive ecotourism and each of which are classified and analyzed in two classes. The first class represents the most suitable condition and the second one represents the suitable condition for the development of ecotourism. To achieve an optimal model for the evaluation of the ecological potential of ecotourism، in the first step of the research، in this model the effective spatial and descriptive data were collected and then through georeferencing these data and linking them with the descriptive tables، the data layers were created. To achieve this purpose، the researcher used the Arc GIS 10 software. After the data layers were preparing based on data classification in evaluation model، the classified information was obtained. Then، through overlaying the maps، the spatial information was integrated together and based on their ratings، the potential regions for ecotourism development were identified and the extent of which were determined. To overlay the maps The findings suggest that 406 square kilometers of Talesh lands have the potential for development of intensive ecotourism and 1541 square kilometers of Talesh lands have the potential for development of extensive ecotourism. In addition، Markazi district has the most potential for the development of intensive and extensive ecotourism. Given that the regions which are related to intensive and extensive ecotourism of the first type are mostly seen in plains and coastal areas of Talesh County، these regions have the necessary conditions for the development of water- base and coastal tourism activities as well as the rural tourism and agritourism. The regions which have the potential for intensive and extensive ecotourism of the second type are mostly located in the highlands of the county. These regions have the necessary conditions for the development of the mountain Sports and activities. Due to the existence of Marian and Agh Evlar up-country-Historical villages، the scientific and specialized tours are also recommended in this area. In general it can be concluded that most parts of the county have the necessary conditions for the development of ecotourism and it indicates that Talesh County has a high potential for ecotourism development. It is in such a way that about 19% of the total area of the county (406 square kilometers)، is suitable for the development of the intensive ecotourism and 71% of its total area (1541 square kilometers) is suitable for the development of the extensive ecotourism. Moreover، given that Markazi district is of the most regions for the development of two types of intensive and extensive ecotourism، planning for the development of infrastructures and providing programs for tourism development in this region is very essential.

Planning and development are important concepts in the tourism (and ecotourism) industry and one that has several sides. Striking a balance between the requirements of these and viable economic development planning for local tourism and ecotourism is an important task. The objective of his paper is to consider the planning and development of cultural tourism and ecotourism – two significant types of niche tourism for Iran - in such a way as to derive the maximum benefits from it while incurring the minimum negative impacts. In its case study this paper considers the strengths and weaknesses of Iranian tourism planning and in less extended ecotourism and makes recommendations as to the best way to develop Iran’s potential in the field of cultural tourism and ecotourism. This study has been outlined as follows: tourism planning, ecotourism planning, carrying capacity as an important tool for planning and a case study of Iran.

The aim of this study is, the study of role of Mediator Management and Planning in the Relations between the role of Resources, Community and Tourism with Sustainable Eco-tourism Development in Darre Rageh of Rafsanjan town.
The method of the research is descriptive - correlation method. Participants were 252 people of tourists entered in to Rageh canyon which selected by using available sampling method. All of them completed the scales of the role of sustainable eco-tourism development, community, resource, tourism, management & planning. In this research, the data analyzed with SPSS & Lisrel software.
The results of the study indicate that resource has the role of resources has a direct effect on sustainable eco-tourism development. The role of resources with mediation of management & planning has indirect effect on sustainable eco-tourism development, But with mediation of management & planning has an indirect impact on the sustainable eco-tourism development. Tourism has a significant effect on sustainable
eco-tourism development both directly & indirectly with intermediation management & planning. Also, management & planning perform a direct & significant effect on sustainable eco-tourism development.
Resource & tourism role can impact directly and indirectly on sustainable eco-tourism development. But, the community has only an indirect impact on sustainable eco-tourism development. Applied implications of results were discussed.

The purpose of this study is investigating the cause and effect relationship between the factors affecting the development of ecotourism in Yazd city using descriptive-analytical method. The statistical population included experts in the tourism and ecotourism industry of Yazd city who were selected using purposive sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The reliability of the measurement tool was 0.7. The novelty of the research is to determine the causal relationships between the factors affecting the development of ecotourism using the DEMATEL approach in Yazd city. The results show that the factors influencing in development of ecotourism in Yazd city is including Appropriate planning and management, Education and training manpower in the field of ecotourism, The direct supervision of the government and institutions active in the field of ecotourism, existence of experts fluent in the living languages of the world along with tourist attractions, culturization tourism development and promotion of culture tourism to citizens (host society), Trying to improve security in the region and enact environmental laws to intensify charges and impose more restrictions.

Ecotourism is catering for tourists wishing to experience the natural environment without damaging it or disturbing its habitats. It is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial mass tourism. It means responsible travel to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Natural attractions can be one of the most important sources in sports tourism. So sports-ecotourism refers to any sport tourism activity with an emphasis on the principles of ecotourism. Paying attention to the ecological potential of the regions is one of the basic principles of ecotourism development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to Ecological-Humanitical feasibility of sports-ecotourism development in desert areas of Qom province. The first stage was analytical and the second stage was descriptive-survey. In the first stage, using ecological data including temperature, number of sunny days, topographic map, soil texture, geology, protected areas, railway, land use, road map, cities and rivers and areas and in software Arc GIS identified suitable areas for ecotourism development in Qom province. In the next step, the human potential of the community was evaluated with a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha (0.812). The statistical population of the second section included all sports and tourism experts in Qom province (especially in the ecotourism and sports-ecotourism) and all local authorities. The results of first phase showed that only 26.5% of the area of Qom province is suitable for ecotourism development and the remaining 73.5% are not suitable for ecotourism activities. In Qom province, 14 suitable areas for ecotourism development were identified, of which 8 areas in the central part; 2 zones in Salafchegan section; 1 zone jointly in the parts of Khalajastan- Salafchegan; And the districts of Jafarabad, Khalajastan and Kahak each had 1 suitable zone. Generally; According to the zoning, it can be said that the zones located in the central part and Jafarabad located in the desert areas of the province, while the zones located in the southwest of Qom province include Khalajastan, Salafchegan and Kahak are in the mountainous areas. Based on this, the following activities are proposed for the development of sports-ecotourism in Qom province. Hiking on sand and gravel; Holding barefoot resistance competitions on hot sands; Camping at night in the desert; Camel riding and equestrian competitions; Sand skiing; Riding over the desert sky, etc. in the desert areas and mountaineering competitions, rock climbing, cave climbing, mountain biking, etc. in the mountain parts. In the second step, 95 questionnaires were completed by experts in the ecotourism and sports tourism field. The collected data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis in Amos.23. The results showed the human capacity of the local community for the development of sports-ecotourism consists of five dimensions: economic readiness, macro readiness, operational potential, cross-sectoral coordination ability and ecotourism literacy and model fit indices were also confirmed. One sample T-test showed; the status of components of economic readiness, macro readiness, operational potential, and cross-sectoral coordination ability is higher than average (P <0.05). While the status of ecotourism literacy component was lower than average (P <0.05). The total power was 3.11 higher than the theoretical mean (P <0.05). But comparing it with the maximum power, it can be said that there is a long way to go to reach the desired conditions for the development of sports ecotourism. Considering that development in tourism and its various sub-sectors, including sports-tourism will be possible only by relying on natural capacities and attractions, and also local communities potential, without the readiness of the local host there is a possibility of over-exploitation and overuse of resources Which can cause irreparable damage to tourism destinations. Therefore, due to the low status of ecotourism literacy factor, in order to increase this component among the general public, it is necessary to put public education programs in various ways, including mass media, especially television, on the agenda. This actions can increase the general readiness of the community to development of sports-ecotourism.

Ecotourism is a kind of tourism in which visitors want to visit some unique and attractive natural landscapes and enjoy observing ecotourism destinations which are suitable for ecotourism due to their attractive landscapes, biodiversity, and traditional agricultural productions. Such phenomena include endangered plant species, wildlife, mountains, waterfalls, caves, rivers, wetlands, beaches, gardens, local cultures, and so on. The objectives of ecotourism are the protection and sustainable exploitation of natural attractions, improving the livelihood of the local stakeholders, and the satisfaction and well-being of tourists. Therefore, the degradation of these valuable and unique natural phenomena not only makes the ecosystems fragile and imposes consequences such as floods, erosion, dust and desertification, but also deprives the society of the employment opportunities brought about by ecotourism. Nevertheless, due to the lack of welfare infrastructure, improper management and negligence of related departments, cutrrent tourism leads to the destruction of natural resources. The purpose of this research was to identify areas prone to ecotourism and its feasibility based on existing capabilities and required infrastructure in Kermanshah province.

Kermanshah province (west of Iran) has beautiful, diverse and unique ecotourism attractions, which are actually a reflection of its geological, topographic, soil, climatic, vegetation and geographical conditions. This research was carried out in three stages, which includes the collection of data and information on natural phenomena capable of ecotourism, interviewing relevant experts and experienced inhabitants about the potential and capabilities of ecotourism (within a designed questionnaire) at the local scale as well as addressing the destruction factors and infrastructures required for the sustainable development of ecotourism. Validity of the content of the questionnaire was obtained based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient which obtained between 0.75 and 0.93. The questions respondents focused on centered around infrastructure and facilities for the development of ecotourism, threatening factors and proper management for its sustainability at the local scale in Kermanshah province, Iran.

The results indicated that there are 55 sites that are suitable for ecotourism industry in Kermanshah province, Iran. These ecotourism destinations include mountain highlands, forest park, forest reserve, cave, river, spring, tourist village (with traditional handicrafts, livestock and garden products, herbal plants), nomadic lifestyle, landslide (2016), Bazidraz mountain (relics of Iraq war) and urban gardens were detected in 55 places in Kermanshah province. Due to the phenomenon of dissolution, high altitude above sea level and sufficient rainfall, most of the mountains of the province have diverse faces such as valleys, ravines, rocks, rocky outcrops, springs and caves with unique biological diversity that are suitable for climbing, forest survey, skiing, temporary accommodation, recreation and scientific studies (botany, geography) on a local, provincial, national and global scale. Some cases are also suitable for forest reserves due to having rare or endangered plant species or having a special habitat for the establishment of extinct species. In addition, areas of rivers, pastures, traditional ways of life and animal husbandry activities and livestock products of nomads, villages with tourism destinations and handicrafts are also important in the development of ecotourism in this province.Furthermore, the results of the interview with experts showed that the security of the region for tourists, outstanding cultural features and local traditions of villagers and nomads along with natural tourist attractions were the most important factors attracting ecotourism in Kermanshah province. Also, the most important threats to ecotourism include lack of funds to equip surveillance forces (vehicles, fire suppression equipment, etc.), lack of planning to provide infrastructure facilities for ecotourism development, excessive livestock grazing, change of national land use, cultural barriers, and abandonment, garbage and plastic waste in the environment. Finally, the most important factors affecting the sustainability of ecotourism include preventing the destruction of ecotourism areas with the participation of local residents, private sector investment, preserving and reviving the traditions and historical identity of rural and nomadic life, training professional skills to guides and personnel related to ecotourism, the establishment of accommodation and reception facilities in line with international tourism standards.

Based on the results of this survey, there are 11 types of ecotourism in Kermanshah province, which are suitable for the sustainability of ecotourism and natural resources due to favorable geological, topographical, climatic and vegetation conditions. However, the current trend of nature tourism, which is effective without payment and supervision, destroys ecotourism destinations in various ways, including soil compaction, crushing plants, cutting of bush and branches, arson fire, and plastic waste. This improper tourism not only does not generate income for the local inhabitants, but also damages their farms and living environment. Numerous road constructions and land use changes and factors like this have an increasing trend that is almost irreversible. By providing the necessary facilities for the comprehensive management of ecotourism in Kermanshah province, the sustainability of natural resources, the satisfaction of tourists, and the creation of employment for local residents will be realized.

Empowerment has always been considered as one of the primary directions for improving the quality of life in local communities, and it may be accomplished in a variety of ways depending on the circumstances. Some disadvantaged urban areas with a significant need for empowerment offer the pristine natural potential for ecotourism. Ecotourism not only provides the proper quality of the environment for tourists, but also offers the greatest protection in the host society's different social, economic, cultural, and environmental domains. In this study, the meta-combination approach is used to combine the two ideas of empowerment and ecotourism, resulting in a set of benefits for empowering communities and the framework of Empowering Urban Ecotourism and its process and criteria had been explained by the relationship between, Empowering and Urban Ecotourism By means of using the Delphi method. The results of the research show that Empowerment ecotourism has social, cultural, economic, political, Psychology-perceptual, and, environmental domains. This approach follows step-by-step individual empowerment, increasing the ability to participate, social development and social effectiveness, social empowerment of the host communities.