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 ruralareas by natural resources such as deserts, wildlife and forests. This is oftenreferred to as ‘ecotourism’. Ecotourism offers a new source of income. Thisenables poor rural people to diversify their livelihoods and creates economicincentives to protect natural resources. However, the extent to which localpeople benefit economically depends on the extent to which they control tourismventures. If outside organisations control tourism businesses, local peoplebenefit very little, and may even suffer from the increasing numbers of peoplein the region.

Research from the Sand CountyFoundation Community Based Conservation Network Tanzania Program argues thatecotourism presents both potentials and challenges for rural people inTanzania. Several findings emerge from the research:

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

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

Key policy lessons include:

• Strong governance at local, regional andnational levels is central to achieving conservation and rural developmentthrough community-based ecotourism
• Policymakers and local communities must worktogether to prevent outside organisations from taking over local resources and ecotourismrevenues.
• Policymakers can help local people to realiseand maintain their rights to control and manage natural resources.
• Policymakers can deliver information and provideresources for rural people to develop their own ecotourism ventures. Many localpeople lose out because they are unaware of their rights, and not informedabout how they can become involved in ecotourism.
• Policymakers must ensure local people are awareof the dangers of pursuing short-term economic gains at the expense oflonger-term social and ecological sustainability.