- This research aimed to conclude the appropriate patterns of eco-tourism management for the local tourist sites: a case study of KhunTa-Lae community, Mueang, Surat Thani. This research was the research and development process by using the participatory rural appraisal process in order to improve, adjust, and develop the management approaches, which could lead to the sustainability. The objectives of this research were: 1) to investigate the current situation of eco-tourism in KhunTa-Lae by studying on impacts on environment, society, culture, and economy influenced by many styles of tourism development including the activities and involvement of the locals; 2) to examine the body of knowledge within KhunTa-Lae community in many aspects used to support eco-tourism; and 3) to identify the appropriate patterns of ecotourism management for the local tourist sites of KhunTa-Lae community. This action research aimed to find the appropriate patterns of eco-tourism management for the local tourist sites of KhunTa-Lae community with three main procedures: to study the context of community; impacts on environment, social, culture, (4) and economy influenced by the tourists development, activity patterns, and involvement of the locals in the development process including the secondary and primary data, fieldworks, interviews, and group meetings; to study the body of knowledge within the community in order to identify the tourism development process including the training programs, field trips, group meetings in order to apply the knowledge on identifying the direction for tourism development and defining the indicators; and to identify the appropriate patterns of eco-tourism management through the informal discussion, mind mapping, brainstorming, satisfaction questionnaire of the trial tourists including the evaluation and improvement process. The research results showed that the locals were acknowledged with tourism experiences before with either the form of a person who received benefits and not received benefits. The problems happened in recent tourism situation were derived from the management due to lack of management knowledge and misconception of ecotourism including the lack of management skills and negative attitudes towards the developments, which resulted in the lack of participation in the management. For negative impacts, the impacts were the accumulation of solid waste due to the lack of proper waste management in the area; whereas, the positive impacts tended to deal with economy. In terms of identifying the appropriate patterns of eco-tourism management for the local tourist sites of KhunTa-Lae community, the community and local eco-tourist sites were prepared to subtend the tourism by creating community organization, tourism activities; developing indicator and criterion, and local (5) infrastructure development including tourism resources, tourism local facility, and raising the awareness to conserve tourism sites. Besides, the follow-up evaluation of tourism management in the community was used to evaluate the participation of locals in ecotourism development, the learning process about eco-tourism management of tourism committee, and the tourist satisfaction towards community tourist services. The eco-tourism management which could lead to the sustainability was required to concern the impacts on ecology and social relationship in the community including the utilization, conservation, and rehabilitation. The participation of locals was strongly required in every management process by sharing the benefits thoroughly and fairly. Apart from that, the direction for tourist activity management was required to comply with the potential of local tourist sites, physical potential of the area and social potential of the community, as well as the relationship between the community and external sectors. The factors driving the locals to participate in the activities were having better understanding of eco-tourism and good attitudes towards eco-tourism and expectation on returns, which led to the acceptance on tourism development in the area and participation in management process.