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Developing
rural tourism as an alternative strategy for poverty
alleviation in protected areas: Example of Oku, Cameroon
Ndenecho Emmanuel Neba
Department of Geography, University of Yaounde IE. N. S.
Annex Bambili Bamenda, North West Region, Cameroon. E-mail: ndenechon@yahoo.com.
Tel: (237) 77 38 66 20.
Accepted 28 April, 2008 |
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In recent years the concept of rural or ecotourism has been
gathering impetus in the countryside of developing
countries. Areas which were previously based on agriculture
are now urgently seeking new forms of income generation.
This has resulted in the emergence of rural tourism which
offers a solution to diverse needs. The paper uses a
combination of primary and secondary data to appraise the
rural tourism potential of Oku villages and identifies the
various ecotourism types feasible for integration in the
livelihood systems of the local people and in protected area
management. It further identifies the scope and framework
for the development of rural tourism as an economically
non-consumptive form of “land use” management based on an
analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats (SWOT analysis). Finally, the paper concludes that
an application of the concept of rural tourism can enable
rural people to sell local produce and souvenirs without
having to change their lifestyles or move to town. The
planning of protected areas for rural tourism must use
participatory approaches by liaising with the existing
forest management institutions, government agencies,
municipal and local authorities and entrepreneurs. This
should be complemented by the setting up of a legal and
scientific framework necessary to balance the protection and
use of the forest reserve by local people in order to
achieve sustainable management and poverty alleviation. Such
plans increase the potential use of protected areas and also
contribute to the local economy.
Key words:
Rural tourism, protected area, income generation,
sustainable management, evaluation, alternative strategy |
