Community-based Ecotourism as a Sustainable Development Option

This book discusses the development of community ecotourism in south-eastern Kenya. The indigenous mountain rain forests of the Taita Hills are rich in biodiversity, but severely degraded. Alternative livelihoods are needed among the Taita people and community ecotourism offers one potential source of income while reviving the fading cultural traditions and indigenous knowledge about forest use. This case study combines anthropocentric and bio centric premises to examine existing and potential resources and their hindrances. The arguments are couched around factors that are essential to the viability of the local ecosystems and communities. The nexus of these factors are then discussed within the context of the external political, social and economic forces impacting upon the sustainable development of the area. Using an ecotourism potentiality analysis, the case study focuses upon three forest areas and one village. The book will be especially useful to professionals in nature conservation and tourism fields as well as for development agencies, NGOs, academic institutions and local and regional site developers.