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

CHAPTER NINE
Evaluation, Recommendations and Conclusions
9.1 Introduction
The Okavango Delta is faced with many developmental challenges. The creation of
employment for the local population, the sustainable use of the Delta and its
resources, the development of the local agricultural industry, the continued growth of
the tourism industry, and striking a balance between the conservation/preservation
of the Okavango and meeting the water requirement needs of Angola, Namibia and
Botswana's growing populations are amongst the key concerns present in the area.
In this chapter, an overall assessment of the research findings is presented in order
to understand the role that tourism plays in utilisation and management of natural
resources in the Okavango Delta. This is done with reference to the conceptual
framework presented in chapter four, and the theoretical framework, focusing on the
concepts contained within the theories of globalisation and development theory, in
chapter three. The challenges facing the Delta and its resources are explored, and
recommendations for the sustainable management of the Okavango system are
presented.
9.2 Approaches to Tourism Impacts
In adopting an interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of tourism impacts
and the structures regulating natural resource management, the study did not label
from the vantage point of methodological preferences within a discipline. In this
respect, although the study utilised quantitative empirical data, the approach was
equally qualitative in nature. As Allan and Skinner (1991) highlight, of all
methodological distinctions, it is the quantitative/qualitative one which has proved
most durable. The two main criticisms of qualitative research are that they are
impressionistic and non-verifiable (Allan and Skinner, 1991). With reference to the
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