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

of 1986 and the Tourism Policy of 1990 provide for the re-introduction of community
involvement in wildlife conservation and tourism through the implementation of
Community Based Natural Resource Management projects (CBNRM). The
establishment of the Moremi Game Reserve in 1963 was also an important step in
the promotion of the conservation of the Okavango Delta and the development of the
areas tourism industry.
With regard to natural resource management in the Okavango Delta, Mbaiwa (1999)
states that the management of the country's resources and the development and
implementation of policies from a centralised body has prevented the local
population from playing any significant role in the management of resources in the
region. As such, many of the government's policies have little support from the local
population and are not considered as being legitimate. Hence they are not as
effective, which has also resulted in the development of negative attitudes by local
populations towards wildlife management and conservation, as well as the wildlife­
based tourism industry.
The ministries also tend to formulate sectorial policies that often conflict with each
other during implementation. Moreover, the natural resource use institutions such as
the Department of Wildlife and National Parks are placed under ministries which lack
the political support to influence the effective management of the country's natural
resources (Mbaiwa, 1999). This implies that such ministries lack the relevant
administration capacity, infrastructure and knowledge to manage protected areas
and wildlife species and to enforce environmental laws and regulations.
Government policies regarding land and resource utilization and management in the
Okavango Delta and the country as a whole, are largely formulated and adopted
without the full involvement and participation of some of the major stakeholders,
notably the local communities. This has effectively resulted in the local population in
the Okavango Delta receiving few to no real benefits from the major land use
activities in the region, namely tourism and wildlife management. As a result, local
communities have developed negative attitudes towards wildlife management and
tourism, and do not support the government policies, such as the Tourism Policy of
1990, which dictate the nature of these industries. This situation makes the current
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