| The 1980s saw a vigorous involvement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in economic, social and environmental facets of development work. This has helped fuel a growing international realization that partnerships and closer cooperation among and between NGOs, governments, international agencies, and other development actors are crucial for promoting environmentally sound and sustainable development. The paper aims to explore the role of NGOs in heritage conservation and resource management through their support for and use of tourism as a tool for positive change. Case studies from developed and developing countries are used to highlight how NGOs have focused on the four essential components – tourism related financing mechanisms for conservation, establishment of tourism industry and resource management standards and especially voluntary guidelines, research on the challenges facing the management of resources and the NGOs responsibility to address these challenges and education of respective stakeholders regarding solution for resource use problems. NGOs and other civil society groups are not only stakeholders in governance, but also a driving force behind greater international cooperation through the active mobilization of public support for international agreements. In summary, non-governmental organizations are not a romantic accessory to the process of development, but are legitimate and powerful instruments that can play a paramount role in catalyzing social change, with the right institutional incentives provided to them. |