Madagascar is rich in natural resources, and since the late 1980s large-scale forest conservation policies have been promoted under the leadership of international organisations in collaboration with the national government. In the Eastern Tropical Forest region, strongly influenced by this trend, residents living near protected areas have been positioned as key actors in forest conservation within the framework of international organisations. They have participated in conservation activities in a semi-passive way through a model called “community forest”. In recent years, ecotourism in protected areas has been promoted by residents and is gaining attention as a means of economic benefit. Nature conservation in Africa has often been criticised as exclusionary towards local communities. While the importance of participatory conservation has been noted, cases in which local residents proactively pursue ecotourism as a livelihood may represent an important example of community-based conservation in practice. This study examines the impacts of ecotourism related activities on residents and local communities, focusing on economic and non-economic effects. The research was conducted intermittently over approximately one year from 2022 to 2025 in the village of Andasibe, located in the eastern tropical rainforest region of Madagascar. Interviews were conducted with community forest stakeholders, and household surveys were carried out in two villages within the area. The results revealed that ecotourism was supported by diverse actors, including guides as key providers and community forest members responsible for forest maintenance. Household data indicated that economic benefits for the broader community remain limited, suggesting constraints on the tourism gains highlighted in previous studies. Factors contributing to this include language barriers associated with guide participation. Nevertheless, residents recognise the potential for gaining benefits through participation in ecotourism and the community forest, and a desire for educational opportunities and the growing awareness of forest conservation were observed. Taken together, these findings suggest that residents are increasingly seeking to promote conservation by actively utilizing ecotourism in anticipation of its various benefits.