為了達到「生態旅遊」的實現與永續經營，鄉村社區以社區為主體來推動旅遊是必須的。從提升社區生活與環境品質、減低負面觀光衝擊以及維繫社區長期福祉來建構以社區為核心之生態旅遊發展模式。本研究透過國內外個案之歸納分析，佐以生態旅遊與遊憩管理基礎理論的驗證，並以桃米生態村的實證個案，探討以社區為基礎之生態旅遊運作模式的相關議題。透過國內外個案的整合分析，本研究提出以社區為核心發展生態旅遊的六大課題，(1)掌握社區核心資源價值、(2)資源保育觀念的建立、(3)社區的支持與協助、(4)組織與機制的建立、(5)產業化課題的因應、(6)回饋機制的社區意含。本研究並進一步在桃米生態村進行田野調查與量化的實證分析，研究結果驗證了居民對生態旅遊理念的認同度高是支持桃米里發展生態旅遊的基石。也因為生態旅遊的發展居民對正面的環境衝擊感受深刻，但其對負面經濟衝擊的疑慮也顯示出生態旅遊與永續發展的隱憂。本研究最後提出「鄉村社區生態旅遊發展模式」，包括了「社區經營」、「資源管理」、「旅遊管理」等三個面向的運作機制。居民對此運作機制時反應，根據桃米里的調查結果，居民對社區旅遊產業經營的策略認同性最高，其次才是資源管理以及社區經營運作策略。

In order to deliver ecotourism and sustainable concepts, rural community should take a commending role to direct the tourism development. The community-based development approach is expected to benefits community in the long term, to enhance life and environment quality, and also to minimize negative tourism impacts. This study intends to establish a community-based ecotourism development model for rural communities by evaluating documented practices of several rural communities, reviewing recreation resource management theories and empirically examine Tou-Mi Eco-village which had been considered as the most successful example in Taiwan. This study identified six critical issues as rural community intends to develop community-based ecotourism. They are (1) identifying values for core resources, (2) educating conservation concepts, (3) full supports from the community, (4) organizing community's ecotourism development group and operational mechanisms, (5) responding strategies for the commercialization process and induced problems, and (6) rewarding devices for participants and community. The experience of Tou-Mi Eco-village confirms that solid beliefs for resource conservation by villagers become the strong base for this community to develop ecotourism. Resident's positive perceptions of environmental impacts bear out the community's success on ecotourism development; however, resident's concerns for negative economic impacts also reveal the possible troubles for ecotourism's sustainable development. Finally, this study proposes a model for rural communities to develop community-based ecotourism. This model is constructed by aspects of community management, resource management, and tourism management. How residents might react to this model? Based on Tou-mi community's survey results, residents are more willing to approve tourism management strategies than resource management and community management devices.