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The primary objective of this two-phased study, conducted at two national parks on the Caribbean island of Dominica, was to explore the relationship between selected users' characteristics (e.g. gender, age, and nationality) and their perception of resources conditions. A secondary objective was to contribute to the nature tourism and natural resource database in the context of a small tropical island. Visitor use patterns were also examined. A questionnaire survey was the primary method of data collection, supplemented by some ecological data collected in one-meter wide trail corridors as part of a larger study. There was a high level of consistency between users' perceptions of resource conditions. It was evident however, that park users' perceptions of resource conditions were different in some respects to prevailing site conditions. Chi-square test of independence revealed that there was indeed a significant relationship between users' overall rating of resource conditions and their gender. Significant relationships between users' perceptions of resource conditions and their age and geographic region of nationality were identified only after some data were pooled. Based on the results of the study it was concluded that resource managers should utilize a combination of approaches rather than a single approach for assessing and monitoring ecological changes and resource deterioration and for guiding policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]