Community-based ecotourism project in communities adjacent to the Addo Elephant National Park: Will households pay for it?

Abstract

South Africa’s approach to the conservation of nature was a colonialist method, which was built on the idea that households living in communities adjacent to the protected areas (PAs) should be excluded to ensure optimum protection of plants, animals and the environment (Paterson 2007). However, this exclusionary approach to conservation is gradually giving way to a more inclusive approach to conservation, whereby communities surrounding PAs actively participate in both conservation and the sustainable use of the resources in Pas, which is a hallmark of the modern conservation model (Algotsson 2006; Balint 2007; Fabricius, Koch & Magome 2001; Pelser, Redelinghuys & Velelo 2013). The inclusion of local communities in conservation is important when viewed from the perspective of the effective environmental governance (EG), whereas, their exclusion often makes enforcement of conservation policies extremely difficult (Aswani & Weiant 2004).