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Title Can biodiversity conservation benefit local people? Costs and benefits at a strict protected Area in Uganda
Full text http://hdl.handle.net/10570/6166
Date 2015
Author(s) Tumusiime, David Mwesigye; Vedeld, Paul
Abstract This article examines the livelihoods and experiences of local people after two decades of living close to a strict protected area (PA). A total of 290 local PA neighbors and 60 key informants were interviewed. Findings reveal a limited access to assets and low incomes. An average PA neighbor earns US$0.5 per adult equivalent unit (AEU)/day. PA proximity is associated with lower incomes, mainly because of wildlife damages that cost an average household (HH) up to 10% of its annual income. Other recurrent PA costs include the 'invisible' costs incurred to cope with crop raiding, and restricted access to PA resources, that jointly amount to 16% of an average HH's annual income. PA benefits include the sharing of tourism revenues, integrated conservation and development projects, and park-related employment. In total, benefits constitute 3.5% of the total annual income of an average HH, a figure higher than the contribution of other PAs in Uganda. However, overall, an average HH accrues a net annual loss of 12.5% of its total income or a total loss of US$1.54 million for the 1,1875 HHs, yet the park sends up to US$7 million to the central treasury. This highlights the need for policy revisions of the political economy of PA management. - 10.1080/10549811.2015.1038395
Subject(s) Biodiversity conservation; Bwindi; Crop raiding; Tourism revenue; Protected areas
Language English
Publisher Taylor & Francis
Type of publication Journal Type
Identifier Tumusiime, D.M., Vedeld, P. (2015). Can biodiversity conservation benefit local people? Costs and benefits at a strict protected Area in Uganda. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 34:761'786; 1540-756X
Repository Kampala - Makerere University
Added to C-A: 2018-05-30;08:47:47