Assessments of Practice and Challenges of Stakeholders Involvement on the On-Going Ecotoursm Project: The Case of Wenchi Crater Lakes, Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2023-07-20
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Stakeholder involvement can take place in different parts of a project cycle, at different levels of society, and can take many different forms. As a result, the purpose of this study was to investigate the practices and challenges of stakeholder involvement in the on-going ecotourism project at Wenchi Creator Lake. Both secondary and primary data were obtained through field observation, a semi-structured in-depth interview, focus group discussions, and document analysis. Key informants were purposively selected from government offices, the local community, and tourism service providers. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with thirteen key informants, as well as two focus groups with local residents and experts. The study uncovered that stakeholder involvement is practised informally and lacks accountability, transparency, principles, and common goals in Wenchi Creator Lake. Moreover, the study revealed that management inconsistency, conflict of interest among stakeholders, a lack of budget, a lack of government commitment, absence of evaluation and monitoring activities, and institutional ambiguity were factors that hinder stakeholder involvement in the study area. The stakeholder involvement in the on-going ecotourism projects are also revealed in this study. According to the study's findings, the level of stakeholder involvement in the on-going the ecotourism project is currently low. In order to manage the project sustainably, it is advised that the project administration strike a balance between the main management objectives and other stakeholders. This is because, as the study found, the site primarily focuses on biodiversity conservation and environmental protection, with a secondary focus on boosting the local community's economy via tourism, while the social aspect is largely ignored. Therefore, in order to pass the site on to the next generation, it is advised that the project administration balance all of the site's environmental, social, and economic aspects. Therefore, all stakeholders are suggested to work in collaboration to manage the on-going ecotourism projects
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Keywords
Practice, Stakeholders, Involvement, Ecotourism project, and Wench Crater Lakes