A combination of economic growth and 'economic empowerment' of the disadvantaged is an ideal pursued in many sectors and countries.  The search for this combination underpins initiatives in tourism and forestry in South Africa's Wild Coast.  Such initiatives rest on a big change of assumptions about the role of forests, wilderness and tourism assets for local economic development, and the roles that local people (or 'communities') and private investors play in such development.  This Brief outlines emerging findings on these changing assumptions, changing roles, and their implications for the poor.