Impacts of tourism on support for conservation, local livelihoods, and community resilience around Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

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.