eprintid: 15848
rev_number: 25
eprint_status: archive
userid: 602
dir: disk0/00/01/58/48
datestamp: 2009-06-02 15:51:22
lastmod: 2015-07-19 02:34:05
status_changed: 2009-06-02 15:51:22
type: thesis
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Hodgkinson, C.
title: Tourists, gorillas and guns: integrating conservation and development in the Central African Republic
ispublished: unpub
subjects: 11400
divisions: F22
abstract: Integrated conservation and development programs (ICDPs) are aimed at addressing both
conservation and development issues through the involvement of local communities in the process
of wildlife management. Typically this involves providing park-adjacent communities with
conservation-related benefits to induce pro-conservation behaviour. The Dzanga-Sangha ICDP
Project (DSP), southwest Central African Republic, has coordinated the management of a protected
area complex since 1990. Its activities include traditional conservation measures such as anti-poaching
patrols, a developing gorilla tourism programme, and focused development activities. This
study adopts an interdisciplinary approach to evaluate its efficacy at meeting both local
development and conservation goals, with a strong focus on how these two areas interact.
Evaluation of the DSPs impact on poverty alleviation in the reserve community suggests that the
considerable opportunity costs caused by park formation largely fail to be compensated by the
benefits provided. This effect is augmented by the high level of in-migration into the reserve.
Examination of discrepancies between cost/benefit provision and recognition show that community-level
benefits are particularly undervalued by local residents. Attitudinal surveys suggest benefit
recognition to be strongly linked to pro-conservation attitudes. However, results from a 12-month
market survey, a concurrent household consumption survey, participant observation and key
informant interviews showed that conservation-related behaviour, in terms of both wild-food
extraction and consumption, is largely unrelated to either benefit receipt or attitudes. Furthermore,
evaluation of conservation efficacy suggested the main prey species are being hunted at
unsustainable rates.
This empirical study takes its place in a growing literature addressing not only the direct social and
environmental implications of ICDPs but, crucially, the interactions between the two. It provides
both applied management recommendations in addition to further contributing to our theoretical
understanding of the dual development-conservation approach.
date: 2009-03
vfaculties: VSHS
oa_status: green
thesis_class: doctoral_open
language: eng
thesis_view: UCL_Thesis
dart: DART-Europe
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
full_text_status: public
pages: 325
institution: UCL (University College London)
department: Department of Anthropology
thesis_type: Doctoral
citation:        Hodgkinson, C.;      (2009)    Tourists, gorillas and guns: integrating conservation and development in the Central African Republic.                   Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).     Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/15848/1/15848.pdf