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

9.14 Summary and Conclusion
This study presented the opportunity to investigate the impact of tourism
development on the utilisation and management of natural resources in the
Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.
Enhancing the positive linkages between tourism, economic benefits and natural
resource utilisation in the Okavango Delta region represents an important means to
stimulate increased natural resource and environmental protection and improve the
distribution of tourism benefits to rural communities. The conversion of local
subsistence agricultural communities into economic stakeholders and beneficiaries
of the tourism industry and the natural resources upon which it is based, will go a
long way in promoting environmental and resource sustainability, reduce conflict,
and help ensure the long-term protection and conservation of the Okavango Delta
and its resources. As such, there is an urgent need for recognition that, the only way
to secure a future for the Okavango Delta in its present form is to ensure that the
economic benefits derived from the preservation and conservation of the area
outweigh the benefits gained from the use of its resources for consumptive
purposes.
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