IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/endesu/v23y2021i3d10.1007_s10668-020-00772-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Towards sustainable community conservation in tropical savanna ecosystems: a management framework for ecotourism ventures in a changing environment

Author

Listed:
  • Boycen Kumira Mudzengi

    (Great Zimbabwe University)

  • Edson Gandiwa

    (Chinhoyi University of Technology)

  • Never Muboko

    (Chinhoyi University of Technology)

  • Chiedza Ngonidzashe Mutanga

    (Chinhoyi University of Technology)

Abstract

The sustainability of ecotourism ventures under the Community Based Natural Resources Management in Zimbabwe is under stress due to environmental changes emanating from effects associated with socioeconomic factors, climate change and epidemic diseases. Using an in-depth analysis of the Mahenye ecotourism venture from the year 1982 to 2020 as a case study, this study sought to propose a management framework for ecotourism ventures in a changing environment by examining the sustainability of community conservation initiatives in Zimbabwe. Research methods included expert opinion from two natural resources governance academics, desktop research and authors’ experiences about Mahenye ecotourism venture. Results indicated that the Mahenye ecotourism venture has faced significant challenges but has been resilient to withstand the shocks such as population increase, exclusion of youths and women, climate change, hyperinflation, donor fatigue, reduced international ecotourist visitation and international hunting bans emanating from socioeconomic and political environmental changes. These shocks have a negative effect on the main elements of an ecotourism venture such as the wildlife resources, amenities, attraction, accessibility, management system, marketing, beneficiaries and linkages. The management framework highlights the interventions that can be made to enable ecotourism ventures in changing environments to remain sustainable. The interventions are promoting strong community cohesion, developing sustainable self-funding mechanisms, promoting multiple sources of income, carrying targeted environmental education programs, capacity building in managing ecotourism in periods of hyperinflation, improved marketing and offering a unique experience, promoting climate smart ecotourism, promoting domestic ecotourism visits, implementing effective feedback systems among stakeholders to decrease uncertainties and lobbying to have hunting bans removed.

Suggested Citation

  • Boycen Kumira Mudzengi & Edson Gandiwa & Never Muboko & Chiedza Ngonidzashe Mutanga, 2021. "Towards sustainable community conservation in tropical savanna ecosystems: a management framework for ecotourism ventures in a changing environment," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 3028-3047, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:23:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s10668-020-00772-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-00772-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-020-00772-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10668-020-00772-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karol Boudreaux & Fred Nelson, 2011. "Community Conservation In Namibia: Empowering The Poor With Property Rights," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 17-24, June.
    2. Mehmet Cetin & Hakan Sevik, 2016. "Assessing Potential Areas of Ecotourism through a Case Study in Ilgaz Mountain National Park," Chapters, in: Leszek Butowski (ed.), Tourism - From Empirical Research Towards Practical Application, IntechOpen.
    3. Jarkko Saarinen & Monkgogi Lenao, 2014. "Integrating tourism to rural development and planning in the developing world," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(3), pages 363-372, May.
    4. Mehmet Cetin & Fatih Adiguzel & Omer Kaya & Ahmet Sahap, 2018. "Mapping of bioclimatic comfort for potential planning using GIS in Aydin," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 361-375, February.
    5. Chiedza Ngonidzashe Mutanga & Never Muboko & Edson Gandiwa, 2017. "Protected area staff and local community viewpoints: A qualitative assessment of conservation relationships in Zimbabwe," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(5), pages 1-21, May.
    6. Marisela Pilquimán-Vera & Gustavo Cabrera-Campos & Patricio Tenorio-Pangui, 2020. "Experiences of Resilience and Mapuche Community Based Tourism in the Pre-Cordilleran Territories of Panguipulli, Southern Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, January.
    7. Kate E. Jones & Nikkita G. Patel & Marc A. Levy & Adam Storeygard & Deborah Balk & John L. Gittleman & Peter Daszak, 2008. "Global trends in emerging infectious diseases," Nature, Nature, vol. 451(7181), pages 990-993, February.
    8. Joseph Chaumbra & Ian Scones & William Wolmer, 2003. "New politics, new livelihoods: agrarian change in Zimbabwe," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(98), pages 585-608, December.
    9. Blaikie, Piers, 2006. "Is Small Really Beautiful? Community-based Natural Resource Management in Malawi and Botswana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 1942-1957, November.
    10. Hultman, Magnus & Kazeminia, Azadeh & Ghasemi, Vahid, 2015. "Intention to visit and willingness to pay premium for ecotourism: The impact of attitude, materialism, and motivation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1854-1861.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nilgen, Marco & Rode, Julian & Vorlaufer, Tobias & Vollan, Björn, 2024. "Measuring non-use values to proxy conservation preferences and policy impacts," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    2. Harsimran Kaur & Pushplata Garg, 2022. "Case-based assessment of planned hill town using existing urban sustainability assessment tools," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 4413-4433, March.
    3. Julia Brown, 2014. "Evaluating Participatory Initiatives in South Africa," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(2), pages 21582440145, April.
    4. Nikolett Orosz & Tünde Tóthné Tóth & Gyöngyi Vargáné Gyuró & Zsoltné Tibor Nábrádi & Klára Hegedűsné Sorosi & Zsuzsa Nagy & Éva Rigó & Ádám Kaposi & Gabriella Gömöri & Cornelia Melinda Adi Santoso & A, 2022. "Comparison of Length of Hospital Stay for Community-Acquired Infections Due to Enteric Pathogens, Influenza Viruses and Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hungary," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-16, November.
    5. Schusser, Carsten, 2013. "Who determines biodiversity? An analysis of actors' power and interests in community forestry in Namibia," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 42-51.
    6. Ceddia, M.G. & Bardsley, N.O. & Goodwin, R. & Holloway, G.J. & Nocella, G. & Stasi, A., 2013. "A complex system perspective on the emergence and spread of infectious diseases: Integrating economic and ecological aspects," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 124-131.
    7. Livia Marchetti & Valentina Cattivelli & Claudia Cocozza & Fabio Salbitano & Marco Marchetti, 2020. "Beyond Sustainability in Food Systems: Perspectives from Agroecology and Social Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    8. Zhan, Shaohua, 2015. "From Privatization to Deindustrialization: Implications of Chinese Rural Industry and the Ownership Debate Revisited," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 108-122.
    9. Maxwell B Joseph & William E Stutz & Pieter T J Johnson, 2016. "Multilevel Models for the Distribution of Hosts and Symbionts," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(11), pages 1-15, November.
    10. Laure Bonnaud & Nicolas Fortané, 2017. "Serge Morand and Muriel Figuié (eds), 2016, Emergence de maladies infectieuses. Risques et enjeux de société (The emergence of infectious diseases. Societal risks and stakes)," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 98(3), pages 225-228, December.
    11. Chen, Xiaowei & Chong, Wing Fung & Feng, Runhuan & Zhang, Linfeng, 2021. "Pandemic risk management: Resources contingency planning and allocation," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(PB), pages 359-383.
    12. Salla Eilola & Lalisa Duguma & Niina Käyhkö & Peter A. Minang, 2021. "Coalitions for Landscape Resilience: Institutional Dynamics behind Community-Based Rangeland Management System in North-Western Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-23, October.
    13. Lin Zhang & Jason Rohr & Ruina Cui & Yusi Xin & Lixia Han & Xiaona Yang & Shimin Gu & Yuanbao Du & Jing Liang & Xuyu Wang & Zhengjun Wu & Qin Hao & Xuan Liu, 2022. "Biological invasions facilitate zoonotic disease emergences," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    14. Ricardo Aguas & Neil M Ferguson, 2013. "Feature Selection Methods for Identifying Genetic Determinants of Host Species in RNA Viruses," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(10), pages 1-10, October.
    15. Katarzyna Kubiak & Hanna Szymańska & Małgorzata Dmitryjuk & Ewa Dzika, 2022. "Abundance of Ixodes ricinus Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and the Diversity of Borrelia Species in Northeastern Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-18, June.
    16. Song, Andrew, 2018. "Reconstructing Governability: How Fisheries Are Made Governable," MarXiv zavwc, Center for Open Science.
    17. Sukuryadi & Nuddin Harahab & Mimit Primyastanto & Bambang Semedi, 2021. "Collaborative-based mangrove ecosystem management model for the development of marine ecotourism in Lembar Bay, Lombok, Indonesia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 6838-6868, May.
    18. Luiza M Karpavicius & Ariaster Chimeli, 2023. "Forest Protection and Human Health: The Case of Malaria in the Brazilian Amazon," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2023_08, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP), revised 26 Jul 2023.
    19. Kranz, Johann & Zeiss, Roman & Beck, Roman & Gholami, Roya & Sarker, Saonee & Watson, Richard T. & Whitley, Edgar A., 2022. "Practicing what we preach? Reflections on more sustainable and responsible IS research and teaching practices," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 116677, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    20. Mengina Gilli & Muriel Côte & Gretchen Walters, 2020. "Gatekeeping Access: Shea Land Formalization and the Distribution of Market-Based Conservation Benefits in Ghana’s CREMA," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-15, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:23:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s10668-020-00772-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.