INVESTING IN COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM CBT

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• INVESTING IN COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM (CBT)
• GRANTS Vs. LOANS
• By Joseph Ruhiu
• Programme Manager
• Community Environment Facility

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SCOPE OF PRESENTATION

• Introduction
• Funding community based tourism in Kenya
• Funding operations and performance
• Limitations to the turn-key funding
• The future of community based tourism

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INTRODUCTIONWHY CBT

• Recognition of the important role that the
  community can play in biodiversity conservation
• Approach to reduce human-wildlife conflict and
  enhance co-existence
• Supporting communities exploit resources within
  their (communal) lands in sustainable manner
• Localizing biodiversity management policies
• Empowering the communities through governance,
  rights and economically

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The Scope of CBT

• Enormous potential in spite of challenges
• A strategy to enhance biodiversity conservation
• Advocating responsible tourism income to the
  local poor and the marginalized
• Notable efforts to CBT to recognize the important
  contributions of the community through
  ownership, rights and control over natural
  resources
• Enhance livelihoods support of the communities
  through active participation in tourism and
  biodiversity conservation
• Operating on commercial orientation and
  implemented through community private sector
  partnerships

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Conti

• Beliefs, community empowerment, improved
  governance, equity and income sharing
• Practical and successful examples in Kenya
  Kimana, Shompole, Il Ngwesi, Eselenkei, Koija,
  Koyaki, Lumo, Tana Delta Camp, Kijabe, Kalama,
  Namunyak, Ol Kiramatian, Ol Gulului, Elerai, Ol
  Gaboli
• Other examples in Southern Africa CAMPIRE in
  Zimbabwe and LIRDP and ADMADE in Zambia

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Funding Community Based Tourism in Kenya

• Overview
• Global value of Kenyas wildlife protected areas
  US250 million annually
• Tourism is the 3rd foreign exchange earner
  contributing 10 to the GDP (up to US27 million
  annually)
• CBT support in Kenya dates to early 1970s
  initial efforts through by WCMD, latter KWS
  through COBRA (USAID, World Bank and other
  donors), succeeded by CORE
• Supportive and facilitative role KWS
  established Community Wildlife Service to
  increase community benefits from conservation and
  sustainable management of natural resources
  outside protected areas.

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Conti.

• CBT is almost 100 donor dependent and this
  scenario is not likely to change soon
• Role of government provision of security,
  infrastructure, development, marketing coordinator

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Early CBT Initiative and Supporting Donors Some
Examples

• Kimana Community Wildlife Sanctuary an electric
  fence with EC support of 8,000 10,000 while
  KWS aided infrastructure development with
  Kshs.4.2million through WDF
• Mwaluganje through Eden Wildlife Trust
• Sera Conservancy established through Northern
  Rangeland Trust with support from USAID
• Kalacha Bandas in Marsabit and rehabilitation of
  Il Ngwesi Bandas through Community Wildlife
  initiative (CWI) of CDTF through EC
• 16 community based conservation through BCP of EC

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Donor Involvement in CBT in Kenya

• USAID through the COBRA and CORE programmes
  (US 43million ) through KWS, Pact Kenya inc.,
  AWF etc. (all concluded) (USAID teamed up with
  World Bank and other Donors)
• USAID/World Bank PAWS (US through KWS
• Wildlife for Development Fund (US ) through
  KWS (concluded)
• USAID FORREMS through LWF, KEFRI (US329,000
  and US290,000) respectively
• USAID through CORE committed some US715,809 to
  support community based tourism of which
  US434,194 was disbursed in 2005 to 13 on going
  initiatives
• USAID through the LEWA Northern Rangeland Trust
  programme provided US400,000 to set up Sera
  Conservancy

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Conti

• EC Community Wildlife Initiative (CWI) (Euro
  507,143) through CDTF (Concluded)
• EC Biodiversity Conservation Programme (Euro
  5.5 million) through CDTF covering 16 CBT
  projects among others (Concluded)
• EC Community Environment Facility (Euros 8
  million) through CDTF (On going and expected to
  grant funds to some CBTs)
• EC Tourism Trust fund (Euros I billion) on
  going and granting CBTs ending in the year 2008

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Other Players

• Conservation based NGOs WWF, ACC, AWF, EAWS,
  Pact Kenya, Nature Kenya, Lewa Downs
• International bodies UNDP (GEF and COMPACT)
• National agencies KWS, KEFRI, National Museum
  of Kenya
• Trust, Foundations and Endowments
• Private Sector Operators

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Funding Operations and Performance

• Notable growth since 1970s perhaps one of the
  fastest growing sub-sectors in tourism
• Highest potential to contribute significantly in
  future Vision 2030
• About 100 CBTs established and operational
  compared to one or two in the early 1970s
• Highest source of funding donor community
• Emphasis establishment of conservancies,
  bandas, etc.

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IMPACT OF CBT

• OLGABOLI WOMEN BANDAS
• PRE BCP
• Serious environmental degradation High poverty
  and illiteracy levelNon-economic activitiesMale
  dominanceUnexploited natural resource
  Exploitation by tour operators Low leadership
  skills and Low bargaining power
• WITH BCP
• First Maasai women biodiversity conservation
  project where rural illiterate women have
  negotiated for land access rights and are engaged
  in eco-tourism development aimed at introducing a
  new and more productive benefit avenue.
  Objective reverse situation pre BCP Sustainably
  utilize biodiversity for economic gains
  Diversify sources and types of incomeReverse
  male dominance in enterprises Reverse male
  dominance in enterprises Empower women in
  matters of conservation Reverse the
  deteriorating range condition Reduce poverty
  through tourism Provide an alternative source of
  income Fall back position, Provide conducive
  environment for skills building Literacy
• POSITIVE IMPACTS
• Positive impacts-
•           Income increased from Kshs. 400,000
  between 2005 and Kshs. 2million in 2007 BCP
  support attracted financial support for a sixth
  banda from USAID Illiteracy level brought down
  through literacy classes 10 people employed in
  the in the enterprise, mostly young men and
  girls Cattle rustling reduced through radio
  network and vehicle (secondary impacts) Land
  rehabilitated Partnerships build
  community-private sector Rift Valley Adventures,
  Princeton University Project attracted funding
  from USAID and 6th larger banda build Piped
  water availed to local people Value addition to
  local artefacts through training in beadwork
  Community sensitised on HIV and AIDS Donations
  provided
•  Negative impacts-
•           Loss of grazing area to tourism  
  Risk of attack by wild animals Conflict between
  men and women A case of economic empowerment on
  women Leadership problems coups and
  countercoups Vested interest and interference by
  men negative publicity Interference with
  social values Women abandoning core family
  activities to pursue training

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Limitation to the Turn-key Funding

• Absence of a system to ensure equitable sharing
  of benefits and opportunities of tourism with
  local communities
• Inadequate financial outlay to develop
  infrastructure
• Inadequate funding for tourism marketing and
  promotion
• Failure to integrate a business approach with
  communities being keen to sell artifacts
  Business not Welfare
• Weak governance culture, elites, politics
• Over dependency and inability to graduate from
  CBTs an attitude problem
• Traditional communities limited interest and slow
  to change and adopt monetary economy
• Weak/skewed partnerships between communities and
  private sector

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The Future of Community Based Tourism

• What can we do?
• Creative resource mobilization going beyond
  donors
• Standards and regulations for environmental and
  cultural impact assessment, monitoring and
  auditing of existing development
• Explore new funding mechanisms
• Build capacity for local people to negotiate with
  private sector and man CBT as business
• Marketing of the tourist product to be integrated
  in project development
• Harmonize donor conditions while targeting the
  same community
• Explore how local communities can contribute
  more towards infrastructure development

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Funding Options

• Allocate (national and donors) sufficient and
  sustainable financial resources to CBT
• Focus on-
• Improving existing sources
• Exploring on new sources of funding
• Encouraging tourism investment
• Supporting joint and balanced ventures

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Viable Community Based Tourism Fund Raising
Strategies

• Advertisements
• Fun-fairs, walks and runs
• Opportunities in CRS
• Exhibitions and trade fairs
• Donations based on vision and negotiations
• Branding of certain products Maasai culture,
  Dust of Kilimanjaro
• Home stays

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Thank you