Contribution of Ecotourism to Forest Conservation and Improvement of Community Livelihood in Dakatcha Woodland, Kilifi County, Kenya
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Date
2015-10
Authors
Akinyi, Leila
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Globally, ecotourism emerged from the environmental movement of the late 1970s as a
reaction to the environmental and social damage caused by mass tourism. In Africa,
developing countries were particularly caught up in a dilemma; balancing the economic
benefits of tourism vis-a-vis its harmful effects on culture and environment. Kenya is
one of the pioneers and most popular ecotourism destinations in the world; it was
Africa's first country to experiment with ecotourism in national parks and reserves and
several ecotourism projects have since been initiated for both conservation and
development goals. Dakatcha woodland in Magarini Sub-County, Kilifi County of
Kenya has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) and Key Biodiversity Area
(KBA) due to its rich biodiversity and cultural attractions which make it suitable for
ecotourism. Magarini Sub-county has high poverty levels, this coupled with the lack of
formal protection status of Dakatcha woodland has led local communities to engage in
environmentally degrading activities. The overall objective of the study was therefore to
investigate the contribution of ecotourism to forest conservation and community
livelihood improvement in Dakatcha woodland. The specific objectives were to
determine the relationship between community participation in ecotourism and forest
conservation, assess the contribution of ecotourism to poverty reduction and to identify
the opportunities and challenges to community participation in ecotourism. To achieve
the objectives of the study, both primary and secondary data was collected through
descriptive and correlational design. Focus group discussion, questionnaires, direct
observations, interviews, photography as well as critical and systematic review of both
published and unpublished materials were used to collect data. Quantitative data
obtained from household questionnaires was analysed using both SPSS version 17.0 and
Excel computer software programs, while qualitative data obtained from Focus group
discussion and key informant interviews was analysed using descriptive statistics
involving computation of sums, means and percentages. Summaries of representative
practices were produced and the results presented using graphs and tables. Regression
analysis (p<0.05) was performed to determine the effect of community participation in
ecotourism on conservation status, household income and education levels. Results of
the study revealed that community participation in ecotourism has contributed to;
conservation of Dakatcha woodland (r =0.1515, p=0.041), increased household income
(r2=0.6124, p=0.002), and improved education levels (r2=0.6273, p=0.0034). The
findings also showed that ecotourism presents several opportunities for local
communities including long-term protection of the environment, community
development, cultural exchange and preservation of cultural heritage. Ecotourism is
thus an effective conservation and development tool for communities living in Dakatcha
woodland. However communities face various challenges such as seasonal nature of
tourism, language barrier and poor infrastructure. It is recommended that community
capacity building, infrastructure development and adequate marketing of the woodland
should be undertaken while stakeholder collaboration needs to be strengthened to
enhance both conservation and livelihood benefits.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of master of environmental studies (community development) in the school of environmental studies of Kenyatta University, October, 2015