Tourism, livelihoods, biodiversity, conservation and the climate change factor in Africa.pdf

Paper Prepared by Murray Simpson, University of Oxford,
School of Geography and the Environment, October 2003
(Pre-Press Draft)


NATO Advanced Research Workshop on 'Climate Change and Tourism: Assessment
and Coping Strategies', Warsaw, Poland, 6 - 8 November 2003.

TOURISM, LIVELIHOODS, BIODIVERSITY, CONSERVATION
AND THE CLIMATE CHANGE FACTOR IN AFRICA


ABSTRACT

The literature suggests that there is a significant lack of research concerning the
interrelations between tourism and climate change and that very limited attention has
been paid to the impacts of climate change on tourism in developing countries. This
paper examines the interdependent links between biodiversity, tourism and
livelihoods in developing countries with particular focus on Africa and how the
climate change factor threatens to severe vital links. The paper studies the importance
of tourism to Africa and other developing countries, the role that biodiversity plays in
tourism, the relationship between tourism munity-based conservation, the
role that tourism can play in poverty alleviation and in the delivery benefits to
livelihoods and discusses the effect of climate change impacts on biodiversity,
tourism and livelihoods.
Keywords: tourism, livelihoods, biodiversity, conservation, climate change, Africa,
developing countries


INTRODUCTION

In 2006 the travel and tourism industry will confirm its position as the world’s largest
employer with over 11% of the globe’s employees and the world’s largest industry
with gross output of over US$7 trillion and GDP of % (World Travel and
Tourism Council 2003). The World anization (WTO) estimates that by
2020 there will be billion international travellers, Africa’s share of the world
tourism market is growing at an average annual growth rate of %, this is in
comparison to a world average rate of %, in the year 2000 Africa’s annual
international tourism receipts reac