the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

eap net benefits, tourism can be classified as 'pro-poor' (even if richer people
benefit more that poorer people)" (PPT, 2003, p. 7). The British Department for
International Development (DFID) was the first agency to promote the concept of
PPT in 1999, focusing on strategies that enhance benefits and unlock opportunities
for the poor, rather than expanding the overall size of the sector (Ashley et aI, 2001).
Tourism's potential for being 'pro-poor' lies with four key factors:
• Tourism is a diverse industry, which increases the scope for wide
participation, including the participation of the informal sector;
• The customer comes to the product, which provides considerable
opportunities for linkages (e.g., souvenir selling);
• Tourism is highly dependent upon natural capital (e.g., wildlife, culture),
which are assets that the poor may have access to, even in the absence of
financial resources; and
• Tourism can be more labour intensive than such industries as
manufacturing. In comparison to other modern sectors, a higher proportion
of tourism benefits (e.g., jobs, informal trade opportunities) go to women
(Ashley et aI, 2001).
Strategies for pro-poor tourism can be divided into those that generate three
different types of local benefits. These are economic benefits, other livelihood
benefits (such as physical, social or cultural improvements), and less tangible
benefits of participation and involvement.
2.13.2 Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)
Coupled with the growing global recognition for the need for local participation and
empowerment in order to address issues of poverty and bring about sustainable
forms of development, has been a paradigm shift in conservation and natural
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