Abstract:
ABSTRACT
The tourism enterprise-based approach to conservation can diversify
livelihood opportunities in and around protected areas while incentivizing
conservation support and building community resilience. However, the
use of tourism as a tool for integrated conservation and development
(ICD) has produced mixed results, underscoring the need for adaptive
management that accounts for local context. We used a mixed-methods
approach to examine how individual and community-level involvement
in tourism influenced support for conservation, reliance on the natural
environment, and perceptions of governance and community resilience
in communities around Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. During
January 2017, we surveyed households in three communities (n=197)
with varying levels of tourism involvement and conducted focus groups
with village elders (n=28). Individuals and communities who engaged
in tourism-related livelihoods expressed stronger support for conservation
and reduced reliance on the natural environment. Links between tourism
and environmental, social, and economic resilience varied. Results suggest
the presence of a tourism sweet spot where moderate levels of tourism
facilitate alignment of conservation and community development goals.
Communities that achieve equitable access to and engagement in tourism and associated benefits may be more resilient and better positioned
to capitalize on linkages between tourism-based livelihoods and biodiversity conservation.
