This paper identifies the ecotourism development approach in the Mazandaran Province of northern Iran. It also evaluates the sustainability of this approach from local peoples perspectives. Thirty indicators were developed for the typology of the approach and the respondents were key figures in the provinces tourism sector. To evaluate the sustainability of this approach, 31 indicators were established, and based on cluster sampling and Cochrans method, 600 questionnaires were completed in 6 target cities in the Mazandaran Province. The studys findings show that ecotourism development in this region is based on a ‘hybrid approach’ (the combination of boosterism and economic factors), which have led to an unequal power interrelationships and interactions between the natural environment and human, and host and guest. Evaluating the sustainability of ecotourism, from local peoples perspectives, has revealed that ecotourism in the Mazandaran province has failed to be sustainable.