Browsing by Author "Snyman, Susan"

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    Assessment of the main factors impacting community members' attitudes towards tourism and protected areas in six southern African countries
    (AOSIS, 2014) Snyman, Susan
    In southern Africa, many early conservation efforts from the late 1800s and early 1900s either displaced local communities or restricted their access to natural resources. This naturally affected community attitudes towards protected areas and efforts were later made to rectify growing tensions. In the last few decades of the 20th century, these efforts led to conservation and ecotourism models that increasingly included communities in the decision-making and benefit-sharing process in order to garner their support. Although the results of these policies were mixed, it is clear that the future success of conservation and, consequently, ecotourism in many areas will depend on the attitudes and behaviour of communities living in or adjacent to protected areas. Managing and understanding community expectations and attitudes under varying socio-economic circumstances will lead to more efficient, equitable and sustainable community-based conservation and ecotourism models. This study was based on 1400 community interview schedules conducted in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, allowing for an accurate comparison of attitudes across countries, protected areas and communities. The results highlighted important demographic and socio-economic factors to consider in terms of understanding the attitudes of those living in and around protected areas. Suggestions were put forward for managing community relationships and garnering long-term support for protected areas and ecotourism. CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS: It was observed that, in general, community members living in or adjacent to conservation areas in southern Africa have an understanding and appreciation of the importance of conservation. Formal education was found to positively impact attitudes and human-wildlife conflict negatively impacted attitudes, highlighting important policy focus areas.
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    High-end ecotourism and rural communities in southern Africa : a socio-economic analysis.
    (2013) Snyman, Susan; Leiman, Anthony
    This thesis argues that at high end ecotourism sites in southern Africa good relationships with local communities are not merely a normative ‘good thing’, but are a likely prerequisite for the long-term viability of both natural resources and the economic ventures that depend on them. Communities are thus active participants in both conservation and tourism. As rising populations increase pressure on conserved land, both conservation and ecotourism will need community support and goodwill. Such rural communities adjacent to protected areas have traditionally enjoyed consumptive use of local resources. Formally set-aside protected areas may help conserve biodiversity, but often impose costs on rural communities, increasing human-wildife conflict and reducing the land available for agriculture and consumptive use. Sustained community support for these areas therefore requires visible benefits. One source of these is ecotourism. Using primary data from over 1800 community interview schedules, collected across six southern African countries (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe), the thesis seeks to establish the incentives that matter most to rural communities in conservation areas, how ecotourism affects household incomes, and the determinants of community attitudes towards conservation and ecotourism.
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    Social optimality in land use: a comparative study of conservation and agriculture in the Sundays River Valley, Eastern Cape, South Africa
    (2009) Snyman, Susan; Leiman, Anthony
    This dissertation explores the direct and indirect costs of expanding the land area set aside for conservation in the Sunday’s River Valley of the Eastern Cape. While many parks have been located in zones of low commercial value, either deliberately, to cut opportunity cost conservation, or through historic accident, the Greater Addo Elephant National Park (GAENP) is looking to expand in an area with high agricultural potential. It is also an area with high levels of unemployment, extensive land degradation, and unique biological diversity. These factors make achieving a socially optimal use of land particularly pertinent. Data was collected from the Greater Addo Elephant National Park (GAENP), citrus farms and restoration projects in the area. The thesis tests the hypothesis that a combination of carbon farming (restoration) and eco-tourism provides an ecologically superior land use option, and estimates its opportunity costs in terms of the income, employment and multiplier effects of agriculture foregone.