Tourism and the Target of the Convention on Biological Diversity: Community Acceptance for Involvement—A Case Study of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania

Abstract

There is a growing demand of Biological diversities uses in the world as a global asset of tremendous value to the present and future generations. This demand has raised threats to species and ecosystems existences. The Convention for the Biodiversity forum for Aichi Biodiversity identified about 5 strategies and 20 targets for the conservation of the biodiversity of the protected areas. The Community Based Diversity is the main goals that promoted by the Aichi targets as to protect biodiversity; to use biodiversity without destroying it; and, to share any benefits from genetic diversity equally. Tourism in Tanzania is basically based on biological diversity for about 69% in protected areas in Mainland and 31% at beaches in Zanzibar. All those biological diversities needs clear programs for the conservation and protection of flora, fauna and the environment to facilitate jobs and wealth creation for the indigenous population who often pay a cost in lost land usage for conservation and tourism. The Ngorongoro Conservation area with its uniqueness has about 87,851 people living within and a growing tourism population of about 647,733 visitors by the year 2013, and highly diversity of wildlife respectively. Community in the Ngorongoro counts tourism as an alternative activity that supports their livelihood. For the purposes of this study a survey of 100 local Maasai and oral interviews of 60 employees of the NCA's and Pastoral Council (PC), examines whether tourism revenue sharing to the Maasai communities within the area has a positive support impact on conservation of biological diversity of the area as stipulated in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). I found that members of the Maasai community within the area of Ngorongoro are benefiting from Tourism and support the conservation strategies of the Authority positively. Nevertheless the benefits to communities within the protected areas like the Ngorongoro should properly structured as may reduce the natural resources existence basing on the nature and its driving forces that accelerate the population increases within and around the protected areas.