Effects of Ecotourism on Livelihoods of Local Community and the Environment: The Case of Wonchi
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Date
2009-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Evidences show that ecotourism has fallen in many places short of its
espoused benefits. It induced at destinations little or no livelihood gains,
imposed environment damages than helped it conservation, and
exacerbated income variability than realized the objective of assisting the
impoverished and disadvantaged sections of local communities. Some even
label ecotourism as mass tourism under new disguise. This study sought to
examine the positive as well as negative effects ecotourism has both on
community and environment at around Wonchi Crater Lake located in
Wonchi wereda, in South West Shoo Zone of Oromia Region, where
ecotourism has been taken as instrumental of creating altemative livelihood
basis for local community and help oreserve the pristine environment which is
under increasing population pressure. Given the exploratory nature of the
study qualitative design with basic quantitative analysis was applied.
Structured interview, Focus Group Discussion, Key informant interviews, and
observation were the main instruments of inquiry employed in the study. The
study analysis was conducted using primary data obtained from 122 sample
households selected through systematic random sampling from Haro Wonchi
kebele. Descriptive statistics and statistical analysis (Measures of central
Tendency, Correlation, Regression and Chi-Square) were used to describe
and test statistical significance of variables that influence sample households'
direct benefit from ecotourism. The research result has shown ecotourism
though positively affecting the lives of 20% of local community in terms of
income and livelihood diversification the intended effects are too small to
ecotourism serve as an alternative occupation. Direct benefits obtained as a
result of participation in ecotourism related activites are not fairly distributed
among residents. Environmentally ecotourism proved to have contributed
nothing as of yet. No mechanism of soil or forest conservation is introduced,
settlement is expanding in the previously preserved areas, the existing forest
cover is under destruction for new farmland and commercial and domestic
consumption of fire woods, and lake water is retreating as result of siltation
from steep slope farming. Underpinning this all is the absence of strong formal
institution that ensures both justifiable benefits distribution and the protection
of natural resources. The implication of this to policy makers is that
ecotourism should be founded on responsible strong institution which will
refrain from pursuing the interest of few community members to be viable
business. Moreover, it implicates that there should be mechanism by which a
close supervision over such sites by government bodies is conducted. The
case considered here has evidenced well that if not regulated common
resources could be exploited beyond limit by few elites at the expense of the
impoverished majority.
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Keywords
Ecotourism on Livelihoods