Local
communities living around protected areas stand high chance of benefiting from
economic development and livelihood improvement through ecotourism if well planned.
The objective of this study was to contribute to the understanding of
stakeholders’ opinions on the valorization of ecotourism in order to propose alternative
sustainable strategies. The study used a research method based on purposive
sampling. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 125 household
heads and 10 stakeholders were also interviewed with a question guide. The
results were inputted into a student statistical package (SPSS) version 16. The
results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square was used to compare
means. The results revealed that the test of dependence (Chi2)
between the variables showed a significant difference at (p < 0.05). 51.9% of the respondent in ZIC 5 said that ecotourism
has increased employment while respondents in the other sectors (ZIC 1, 4 and
9) who make up 76% of the respondents said ecotourism-related jobs in the park
are seasonal and not frequent. Regarding the dependence of local communities on
the park’s resources, 25% of ZIC 5 is highly dependent on the park, whereas, in
the other sectors, only 18% are dependent on the park for their household
income. This result is explained by the inaccessibility of local communities to
the parks. The results of the impacts of ecotourism on the livelihoods of
communities in localities reflect a general feeling of dissatisfaction with
88.8% of respondents manifesting their dissatisfaction with park authorities.
Thus, 87.2% of respondents think that ecotourism does not bring significant
economic benefits to the host communities. If ecotourism was planned, the
benefits that accrue from activity could boost the economy of the area and
support the conservation of the park, which so far remains insignificant.
However, the strategy for enhancing ecotourism should be a participatory
approach.
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