Perceptions around climate change impacts on natural resources and tourism sustainability in protected areas: A case study of Maasai Mara national reserve, Kenya

Abstract

Kenya' tourism industry is predominantly based on nature and founded on protected areas (PAs) model. However, climatic changes through unstable temperature as well as rainfall patterns have the potential to cause declines in wildlife populations in these PAs. Climate change poses exceptional social, cultural as well as environmental challenges. In Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR), a combined number of factors including climate change, human population pressure on wildlife dispersal areas including human wildlife conflict has resulted in catastrophic declines in wildlife populations. The study investigated MMNR host community perceptions oaround climate change impacts of on natural resources and sustainability of tourism. This is because regional knowledge gaps exist in research on climate change impacts on tourism. Exploratory research design was adopted. This research used quantitative data and hence exploratory approach was considered suitable. Simple random sampling was adopted to sample 399 heads of households who filled the questionnaires. Using SPSS V.23, descriptive as well as inferential statistics was adopted to analyze quantitative data. The relationship between the variables was determined using linear regression. The study findings indicate a positive as well as significant relationship on the two variables of natural resources and tourism sustainability as evidenced by the values (b=0.393 and p=0.000). Also, the coefficient of determination (R squared) shows 39.5% variation in sustainability of tourism can be attributed to climate change as indicated in Table 3. The study findings raises the need for strategic initiatives and considerations for developing alternative wildlife based tourism products in the advent of declines in wildlife populations as a result of erratic rainfall and temperature patterns.