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

is not only a consumer, but also a protector, of the natural environment, which has
served to enhance the economic value of some aspects of nature which are of no
particular value for other activities.
The view that tourism and environmental conservation are not necessarily
incompatible is growing and being increasingly expressed for a wide variety of
environments (Hunter and Green, 1995). Furthermore, there are increasing calls for
conservationists and the tourism industry to begin to work more closely together;
calls based upon the mutual interest ofsectors which should be natural allies. Once
the environment is recognized as an asset to the tourism industry, a growing need
for its preservation becomes apparent. Tourism development is thus dependent on
the environment, and necessary measures should be taken in order to maintain, and
even improve, the quality of a destination's natural resources. Hence, "the
conservation and preservation of natural areas, archaeological sites and historic
monuments have emerged as important spillover benefits of tourism. In turn, the
protection of these prime resources enhances and perpetuates tourism by
maintaining its very foundation" (Mathieson and Wall, 1982, p. 97).
This fact is well illustrated in the Okavango Delta, through the government's
commitment to preserving the Delta and its resources, as a result of the economic
gains received from the tourism industry, which has developed largely as a result of
the area's pristine and natural environment.
Specifically, the positive impacts of tourism on natural resources in the Okavango
include: the formation of conservation areas and wildlife reserves and parks; the
development and implementation of national and regional policies and Acts
promoting tourism through the protection and conservation of natural resources and
habitats; the establishment of government departments and institutions tasked with
ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and the environment; the
formation and encouragement of community based natural resource management
projects; the education of local communities on the preservation and sustainable
utilisation of natural resources; increased profitability of resource preservation;
development of supportive infrastructure and providing local inhabitants with
increased or supplementary incomes through the sustainable utilisation and
management of natural resources.
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