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Research article2010Peer reviewed

Socio-economic benefits of protected areas as perceived by local people around Cross River National Park, Nigeria

Ezebilo, Eugene Ejike; Mattsson, Leif

Abstract

The main objectives of a national park are environmental and biodiversity conservation. However, in most developing nations local people who reside at the vicinity of the park expect that it should also contribute to the social and economic well-being of the people. This paper examines the contribution of the Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park, Nigeria, to the provision of various types of infrastructure and income from tourism. Personal interviews were conducted in 150 households in three villages around the park. The study showed that the park has contributed to the provision of infrastructure. Some of the projects, undertaken by the park management, appear to be capital intensive both in the short and long term, thus, risking to make them unsustainable. The results revealed that only one of the villages in the study area benefits from the income from tourism. We suggest that simple, non-capital intensive and sustainable developmental projects should be undertaken. The tourism sector of the local economy should be developed to make income from tourism attractive for more of the local people. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Benefits; Sustainable management; Protected areas; Local perceptions; Nigeria

Published in

Forest Policy and Economics
2010, Volume: 12, number: 3, pages: 189-193
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

      SLU Authors

      • Sustainable Development Goals

      Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
      Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
      Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
      Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Landscape Architecture
      Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
      Forest Science

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2009.09.019

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/60465