The contribution of ecotourism to local economic development

Abstract

Ecotourism and Local Economic Development are increasingly confronted with arguments about their sustainability and compatibility with environmental protection and community economic development. Madikwe Game Reserve is a threelegged equal Partnership model with an aim of developing the socio-economic standard of the communities living on its fringes. All three are equally responsible and accountable in sustaining the project in accordance with integrated conservation and development principles. The purpose of this exploratory study was to make a review of socio-economic development process contributed by MGR to the local three villages. One of the key major findings was that the Madikwe communities are independent and competitive of each other. It was also established that MGR has not yet impacted economically on the lives of these communities as it has promised during the project’s initiation. The research study concludes that ecotourism and Local Economic Development face many barriers in developing the socio-economic livelihoods of those who have been previously marginalised.