The potential of ecotourism opportunities to generate support for mountain gorilla conservation among local communities neighboring Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mountain gorilla tourism has played an important role in the conservation of mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Significant revenue from mountain gorilla tourism has motivated the government of Rwanda to protect wildlife using strict protectionism measures to conservation. This approach however, amidst high human–wildlife conflicts among local residents’ neighboring parks, has not led to reduced wildlife threats such as poaching. The purpose of this study finds out whether mountain gorilla tourism has benefited communities around the park and generated the support needed for conservation. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with both open-ended and closed-ended questions. Research findings revealed that mountain gorilla tourism through the tourism revenue sharing scheme has not directly benefited local communities and therefore has not addressed human-induced conservation threats. The limitations of mountain gorilla tourism opportunities at Volcanoes National Park to reduce wildlife threats and generate support for conservation were attributed to limited access to tourism benefits including the revenue sharing, high costs of living adjacent to the park, lack of community involvement and participation in the park management and decision-making process.