They wanted to improve the quality of life of rural people through projects that integrated the management of natural resources with economic development.
ICDPs try to benefit indigenous populations in several ways: through the transfer of money from tourism, the creation of jobs, and the stimulation of productivity in agriculture.
They are also unwilling to bear or support legal battles over land and are not willing to strengthen rural organizations because they find it to be “too political”.
External effects like a growing market demand for forest and wildlife products, demographic pressures and vested interests like illegal logging, mineral extraction and ranching often go disregarded by ICDPs.
The organization relies on the cheap and local labor of select individuals to enforce their conservation practices among the communities near the forests.
On one hand, the conservation agents are required to monitor the forests, and prevent peasants and other locals from farming portions of the land, which can become violent and dangerous.
This recognition has led many local conservation agents to turn a blind eye to illegal logging and unapproved agricultural practices by other peasants.
These labor tensions surrounding conservation help are rarely discussed as Western authorities continually emphasize the successes while diminishing any failures.
Tools such as lesson plans, trainings, and increasing communications between themselves and the local community have occurred in order to ease tensions and build a better relationship.