Regulatory frameworks for ecotourism: An application of Total Relationship Flow Management Theorems Songjun Xu a , Liang Mingzhu a , Naipeng Bu b , Steve Pan c, * a Tourism Management Department, School of Management, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510632, China b School of Hotel & Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,17 Science Museum Road, TST East, Kowloon, Hong Kong c Cluster of Design and Specialised Businesses, Singapore Institute of Technology,10 Dover Drive 138683, Singapore highlights  Propose a Total Relationship Flow Management Theorems (TRFMTs) of Ecosystem.  Develop a tourism impact regulatory mechanism design framework.  Offer a theoretical foundation for regulating and controlling tourism impact and policy making.  Congeal an elusive interactive relationship among ecotourism players. article info Article history: Received 22 March 2016 Received in revised form 10 February 2017 Accepted 13 February 2017 Keywords: Tourism impact Ecotourism system Total Relationship Flow Management Theorems Regulatory mechanism Sustainable development abstract Based on a comparison of three approaches derived from total relationship flow management theorems, the paper describes a potential regulatory framework for eco-tourism at Wanlu Lake, Guangdong, China. It is argued that the nature of tourism's impacts is determined by the relationship flows and interactions between sub-systems of economics, natural environment and socio-cultural variables, and successful policy depends on the management of flows between these sub-systems within a coherent whole. The key features of the regulatory framework are described. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Ecosystems, such as forest, wetland, ocean, and grassland, are considered vital and essential to the Earth because of their prom- inent ecological functions of biodiversity protection, carbon fixa- tion, oxygen release, climate regulation, and environment depuration. (Bullock & Acreman, 2003; Li, Yang, Liu, & Zheng, 2014; Li, Yu, et al.,2014; Mitsch et al., 2013; Xie et al., 2010). Meanwhile, the socio-economic value of ecosystems for popular science edu- cation, employment, leisure, and tourism, is also drawing more attention worldwide (Sharma, Rasul, & Chettri, 2015). Conse- quently, the conservation and sustainable utilization of ecosystems is now a major concern for both the academia and practitioners. To strike a fine balance between economic development and envi- ronmental sustainability, China is now making great efforts on the comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development of ecosystems. Ecotourism is one of the acceptable and sustainable approaches to ecosystem conservation and development. Because of its effi- ciency on environment protection and education, recreation, and job creation, ecotourism areas have become important tourist destinations (Bacon, 1987; Do, Kim, Kim, & Joo, 2015; Li & Han, 2001; Tao & Wall, 2009). However, with the rapid development and encroachment of mass tourism, ecosytem is facing negative tourism impacts. Behaviors such as pursuing economic benefits excessively, ignoring ecological sensitivity and vulnerability, or * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: bluestone578@163.com (S. Xu), tmzliang@126.com (L. Mingzhu), tom.bu@connect.polyu.hk (N. Bu), steve.pan@singaporetech.edu.sg (S. Pan). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Tourism Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.02.012 0261-5177/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Tourism Management 61 (2017) 321e330