Decentralization of Tourism Benefit Sharing: Toward Community-based Conservation in Africa

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26340123
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental policy and social systems
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: IWAI YUKINO 早稲田大学, 平山郁夫記念ボランティアセンター, 准教授 (80507096)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 住民主体の自然保護 / コミュニティ・ツーリズム / ワイルドライフ・マネジメントエリア / アフリカゾウ / セレンゲティ / タンザニア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Since 2000s, Tanzania has implemented wildlife management areas (WMAs), new wildlife policy, following the principles of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) as a means of reducing poverty in rural communities through　delegation of authority and tourism benefit sharing. WMA is an area of communal land set aside exclusively as habitat for wildlife by member villages.
This paper examines what kind of impact has been brought about by WMA on member villages for 10 years since establishment. The research was conducted in IKONA WMA, which is considered as the best practice because of it’s extra big income, US$500,000, among WMAs. Despite the continuous annual increase of the income, 4 challenges are pointed out in IKONA; 1) lengthy and costly establishment process, 2) reduction of tourism benefit, 3) vulnerable governance, and 4) hardship of changing the land use plan. Ultimately, I argue that a WMA works as a tool of land grabbing.

Free Research Field

環境社会学、アフリカ地域研究