Impacts of Wildlife Tourism on Rural Livelihoods in Southern Africa - Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development - page 136

Table 7.1 Nature tourism arrivals and income in southern Africa

Country Nature-tourism arrivals (000s) Income from nature tourism

(Domestic and International) (million US$)

Botswana 472.9 131.3

Namibia 360.0 247.6

South Africa 4634.5 2298.8

Zambia 459.2 72.8

Zimbabwe 1494.4 143.5

Source: Adapted from Scholes and Biggs (2004).Tourism figures from the period 2000-2001

• non-financial livelihood impacts such as improved or decreased access to

infrastructure, communications, water supplies, health, education, security
services; and

• empowerment impacts, including opportunities for institutional development

and participation in local economic decision making.

Within rural areas, wildlife tourism can provide a mechanism to realize tangible
benefits from conservation and wildlife for local communities (Roe et al, 1997),
particularly those whose land and interests are affected by wildlife (Barnes et al,
1992). In part, employment and other direct financial benefits can be generated
by wildlife tourism and associated activities, which can also promote conservation
and prescribe value to wildlife in developing countries (Roe et al, 1997).
This chapter presents and reviews research across southern Africa on the
livelihood impacts of wildlife tourism, considering data from Botswana, Namibia,
South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The financial analyses incorporate both
direct, overhead and capital costs and can be used to address questions relating to
the optimal allocation of resources from a landowner's perspective (Jansen et al,
1992). Data from 2000 onwards have been used wherever possible with informa-
tion drawn from consultancy reports, institutional publications and journal
papers. For each country, and depending on the level of information available,
details are provided of the involvement of local community members in wildlife
tourism: as employees and as beneficiaries of community dividends or resources.

Sustainable livelihoods and local benefits
from wildlife tourism

Botswana
Policy
Botswana's government supports a policy of 'low volume-high value' wildlife
tourism, with high entry fees to protected areas (of BWP150 per person, per day
[US$ 25] 1 ) and a limitation on the number of visitors to any lodge in a national
park or game reserve. Photographic wildlife tourism and hunting emerged on