Does community-based ecotourism really benefit rural people in Tanzania?

Ecotourism can transform rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. These ventures generate income and encourage conservation of wildlife and natural resources. However, local governance issues and the control of natural resources determine the extent to which local communities or outside agencies benefit from tourism revenues.

Tourists are attracted to rural areas by natural resources such as deserts, wildlife and forests. This is often referred to as ‘ecotourism’. Ecotourism offers a new source of income. This enables poor rural people to diversify their livelihoods and creates economic incentives to protect natural resources. However, the extent to which local people benefit economically depends on the extent to which they control tourism ventures. If outside organisations control tourism businesses, local people benefit very little, and may even suffer from the increasing numbers of people in the region.

Research from the Sand County Foundation Community Based Conservation Network Tanzania Program argues that ecotourism presents both potentials and challenges for rural people in Tanzania. Several findings emerge from the research:

• Ecotourism is diversifying beyond National Parks and Protected Areas to meet increasing tourist demands to see wildlife, wilderness, and culture in northern Tanzania. Increasing numbers of rural communities are signing commercial agreements with private companies to develop ecotourism pursuits on community land. The extent to which local people benefit from these ventures varies considerably.
• Ecotourism ventures are being established in community lands where local communities provide a ‘cultural’ element to the tourist experience.
• Communities vary in their ability to manage tourism ventures and incomes. Communities with a strong sense of land ownership and responsibility for natural resources benefit more from ecotourism, as they prohibit outside agencies from taking control of these resources.
• Strong local institutions are important for providing effective structures for developing successful community-based tourism.
• Ecotourism revenues can provide socio-economic benefits, but they can also lead to jealousy and conflict and they can threaten community cohesion.

Sustainable community-based ecotourism that benefits local communities depends on local people maintaining control over natural resources. Power struggles and conflicts over resource management often exclude local people from the economic benefits of ecotourism. Policymakers can help local people benefit by developing their awareness of local political processes. This enables them to maintain control over their own resources. As communities benefit from tourism revenues, their capacity to manage resources effectively is increased.

Key policy lessons include:

• Strong governance at local, regional and national levels is central to achieving conservation and rural development through community-based ecotourism
• Policymakers and local communities must work together to prevent outside organisations from taking over local resources and ecotourism revenues.
• Policymakers can help local people to realise and maintain their rights to control and manage natural resources.
• Policymakers can deliver information and provide resources for rural people to develop their own ecotourism ventures. Many local people lose out because they are unaware of their rights, and not informed about how they can become involved in ecotourism.
• Policymakers must ensure local people are aware of the dangers of pursuing short-term economic gains at the expense of longer-term social and ecological sustainability.

Source(s):
‘The evolution and impacts of community-based ecotourism in northern Tanzania’, International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) Drylands Programme, Issue Paper 131, by Fred Nelson, 2004 Full document.

Funded by: Sand County Foundation Community Based Conservation Network; Published by IIED

id21 Research Highlight: 27 April 2005

Further Information:
Fred Nelson
Sand County Foundation Community Based Conservation Network
P.O. Box 8372
Arusha
Tanzania

Tel: +255 74437 5601
Contact the contributor: fnelson@habari.co.tz

Sand County Foundation

International Institute for Environment and Development, UK

Other related links:
'Tourists, wildlife and the Maasai: is co-existence possible?'

'Choosing a middleman - the role of intermediaries in community tourism'

'Making tourism help the poor and the environment'

'Making tourism sustainable in the Caribbean'

The International Ecotourism Society

Eldis Guide to Tourism

Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT)