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

7.3.6 The Socio-Economic Benefits From CBNRM in the Okavango Delta
Most Community-Based Organisations in the Okavango Delta have, to varying
degrees, generated economic benefits for local inhabitants, such as employment
opportunities and cash generation. However, much of the revenue that Community­
Based Organisations in this region have so far been able to generate has mostly
come from land rentals or through the sub-leasing of their Controlled Hunting Areas
to safari operators and through the sale of their wildlife quotas. The employment
opportunities that have been generated for local inhabitants are generally provided
by the safari operators that lease the community land (CHAs) where the majority of
jobs are as labourers. In fact, most of the participating communities in community­
based tourism are not directly involved in the tourism business, nor do individuals
receive any tangible benefits from the tourism industry. They can therefore be
described as passive participants in tourism development in the Okavango Delta.
(Mbaiwa, 2002). Table 7.10 shows some of the major, and more successful
Community-Based Organisations operating in the Okavango Delta, as well as the
type of tourism activities in which they are engaged, and the amount of revenue that
each community project has managed to generate on an annual basis from the first
year of operation.
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