Tourism as an incentive for local communities to protect nature

Visiting the Masaai in Tanzania © Honeyguide Foundation

The Alliance plans to train the local population which is involved in setting up tent camp sites, restaurants and a transport sector. The community also helps to develop activities for travellers, such as gorilla treks, volcano hikes, mountain climbing and savannah walks. At least 30% of the revenue generated from tourism is invested in local development projects, which the community itself picks.

In the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the border with Rwanda, lies one of the oldest and most diverse national parks. The Virunga Park is a protected UNESCO world heritage site. Its exceptional wildlife – including okapis and gorillas – and plants attract even the most demanding travellers.

However, over the past decades the region has seen many armed conflicts.

When oil was found, the Congolese government granted three exploitation concessions covering 85% of the park's area. And even though British oil company Soco announced it would not exploit the area, war and oil remain a real threat for the park's future, communities and ecosystem.

The public–private Virunga Alliance wants to restore peace to the park and offer better economic prospects to its 4 million inhabitants. One of the ways it aims to do so is through a large-scale tourism programme. It was launched in 2009 and is scheduled to last until 2020.

Camping sites, rebuilt by the local population © Virunga Alliance

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In the past, similar projects showed they could achieve an impact. More than 20 years ago, Rainforest Expeditions landed at the heart of the Peruvian rainforest.

In 1993, Tanzanian law-makers created Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). A WMA is a protected area within which the local population - and not the government is responsible for nature conservation. Managing a WMA is solely the responsibility of the local community, which should therefore also benefit most from conserving its natural resources.

Ecolodges were built at three sites in the forest, with the local population as main shareholder. Local families saw their income double, triple and even quadruple. The annual dividend paid out to the population goes to education, healthcare and social assistance. Improved revenue from tourism is an important reason for the population to ban loggers and gold miners.

One of the 38 WMAs in Tanzania is the Enduimet WMA, a large area covering approximately 1,200 km2 in the Longido district, which is bordered in the north by neighbouring Kenya, in the west by national parks and in the south-east by the impressive Kilimanjaro with its snow-capped top.

The nine within the Enduimet WMA are mainly inhabited by the Maasai. The area is home to many animal species, while others, including the impressive African elephant, migrate through the area in search of water and food.

West of Kilimanjaro the Maasai live in harmony with local wildlife and plants, but this balance, which has developed over centuries, is under threat due to population growth and an improved standard of living.

The communities require more land for agriculture and their livestock and the demand for natural resources such as charcoal and wood is on the rise. Farmers kill the wildlife because it damages crops while poachers go after ivory and meat for the local market.

Ecolodge Refugio Amazonas, Peru Š Weesam 2010

Uganda's gorillas are another case in point. This threatened primate is protected by the dollars that tourists are willing to pay to see them. In the past the gorilla population was threatened by poachers after meat and by local farmers protecting their crops.

Now the local community is involved in the tourist influx in the area. 20% of the admission fees to the natural park goes to the population and the sector also employs many locals, for instance as shopkeepers or hotel managers.

Currently, the gorillas generate revenue and consequently the community protects the primates.

Anti-poaching units Š Honeyguide Foundation

To ease the pressure on the environment, the Maasai, who are in charge of natural management in the Enduimet WMA, invest in anti-poaching units and adopt sustainable farming methods and soil protection techniques.

A stable income from responsible tourism would be an incentive for the community to sustainably manage natural resources and protect the environment. However, to turn tourism into a success, the Maasai need to know more about the tourism sector, but also capital, skills and training.

That is where Honeyguide Foundation wants to assist the Enduimet WMA and its communities.

Gorilla, Uganda Š Weesam 2010

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Some assets of the area:

 Lower admission fee compared to national parks;  No safari package where everything is done for you, but possibility for the independent traveller to go off the beaten track and into the wild;

 Unique encounters with elephants;  Unique cultural excursions to the Maasai community;

 Incredible views and sunsets thanks to the Some assets of Enduimet WMA: Elephants and the Kilimanjaro © Steve Garvie

exceptional location vis-à-vis Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru.

Honeyguide Foundation is a Tanzanian NGO that is dedicated to empowering local communities and conserving wildlife and natural resources. The organisation wants to achieve both goals by developing tourism.

Tourists who want to savour the local culture can stay in Maasai huts or get acquainted with local folklore or medicinal plants.

The development of a tourism offer only makes sense if tourists are made aware of the region's assets. Marketing channels used are a handy website, brochures and a local guidebook. To ensure the project's long-term viability, the managers of the Enduimet WMA are trained to get a better grasp of the sector but also how to better translate the expectations, needs and feedback of travellers in improved service delivery.

Till 2016 the Honeyguide Foundation will offer its expertise and experience to the Enduimet WMA. It supports the local community by developing responsible tourism businesses that are financially viable. The Maasai are given an extra incentive to protect their natural environment. The Trade for Development Centre, a programme of the Belgian development agency BTC, financially supports this project of the Honeyguide Foundation.

To put this area on Tanzania's tourism map, accommodations are being built first. The project has plans for the construction of seven camping sites which the local community itself will manage. A handy booking payment system, a map of the region and notice boards must help the traveller find his or her way to the area.

The Honeyguide Foundation will also help the Maasai to develop tourist activities. Adventurous travellers are offered mountain bike rides, hiking trips or donkey journeys and get to see wildlife.

Giraffes living in the Enduimet WMA © Honeyguide Foundation

Directly and indirectly, all 17,000 inhabitants of the nine villages in the area will somehow benefit of the improved revenue generated from tourism. 300 to 500 locals will be directly involved in tourism enterprises; Maasai women will make up 60%. They will earn money mainly by supplying the camping sites with water, providing donkeys for treks and selling tourist products and food. Men will be deployed for security or as local guides.

The park ranger and the Sakita village chief sitting together © Honeyguide Foundation

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In addition, 10% of the revenue from the WMA will be for an education fund, which first and foremost aims to train young Maasai girls. And of course the many wildlife and plant are spared.

In remote or unappealing regions tourism will not prosper.

Also, efficient collaboration within the community is essential. All local inhabitants must support the project to develop sustainable tourism and protect nature. Still, some will get a prominent role in developing the project while the jobs created will not meet the overall demand for employment.

Having the local community protect nature by generating revenue from tourism sounds like an ideal solution. Still, it speaks for itself that not all areas in the world are suitable for such activities.

Also, guarantees need to be put in place so foreign operators, the tourist industry or (central) authorities do not take the lion’s share of the revenue.

R.E.: Carl Michiels, BTC, Hoogstraat 147, 1000 Brussels

There is evidence that tourism managed by local communities may constitute an important source of revenue for the local population. That way, the Honeyguide Foundation, with the financial support of the Trade for Development Centre, will protect the natural resources in the north of Tanzania. And who knows, in a few years you might be having an unforgettable experience in the Enduimet WMA!

Plantage in Papoea, Indonesië © CIFOR

The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of BTC or of the Belgian Development Cooperation.

SOURCES : http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/eco-tourism-peru-amazon-engaging-communities http://www.perunature.com Enduimet WMA: www.enduimet.org Honeyguide Foundation: www.honeyguide.org Maliasili Initiatives: http://www.maliasili.org/long-needed-reform-for-wildlife-management-areas-in-tanzania/ Tanzanian Wildlife Management Areas: http://www.twma.co.tz/ Virunga Alliance: www.virunga.org World Bank: http://databank.worldbank.org/

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