Wildlife viewing is a form of recreation that is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world, particularly in African protected areas. In order for protected area managers to cater for this demand effectively, managers need to incorporate wildlife viewing recreation into the planning and development of protected areas. Protected area management has traditionally focused on the management of wildlife populations and habitats to the exclusion of visitor recreational needs. Where visitor needs have been incorporated into the planning and development of protected areas, this has been through the provision of inputs such as facilities and wildlife. The experience-based management (EBM) approach to recreation however proposes that people engage in particular recreation opportunities in order to attain certain desired benefits or outcomes. Madikwe Game reserve provides visitors with the opportunity to view a wide variety of game. The aims of this study were to (1) provide an understanding of what visitors sought from their experience~ regarding wildlife viewing in Madikwe Game Reserve (2) classify the types of experiences desired by visitors to the reserve using the EBM model as a framework and (3) examine management implications of results. A survey of visitors was conducted in the reserve using a Pre-visit and a Postvisit questionnaire. Results from 178 respondents indicated that well-known species as well as rare/endangered specie: were the most popular among visitors. Respondents were generally very satisfied with their wildlife viewing experiences in terms of species abundance and variety, and information received about animals. The results also suggest that additional information about items other than wildlife could enhance the experiences of visitors to Madikwe. Three distinct wildlife viewing experiences desired by visitors were identified, namely a High Involvement Experience, which had the highest interest in almost all recreational opportunities, a Generalist Experience characterised by a moderate interest in recreational opportunities and an Occasionalist Experience that displayed the least interest. While the Occasionalist Experience is presently adequately catered for in Madikwe, lodge and park manager can provide for the High Involvement and Generalist Experiences more efficiently by expanding the wildlife viewing experience that is currently offered in the reserve. This would be done primarily through the expansion of informational items provided, and the development of activities associated with wildlife viewing. The success of such measures would be dependent on the adoption of a cooperative strategy between lodge managers, park managers and other relevant stakeholders. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

In South Africa, conservation and tourism planning that incorporate local communities, has a greater significance today than before given the historical Apartheid legacy, which marginalised the majority of the population from democratic processes and economic opportunities. Community participation in the critical facets of conservation and tourism, that is planning, decision-making and management has been an object of research discourse for a long time. Issues around sustainability, governance, employment opportunity and equity, cost and benefit-sharing, land rights, capacity-building, active participation and conflicts have received great attention from scholars throughout the world. Externally-generated (observer) views on the nature and extent of local community participation in conservation and tourism management, more often than not, fail to depict the perceptions of the local residents. Explanations tend to be more prescriptive and are forced onto the stakeholders, who are directly affected by the circumstances around them. The voice of the local residents clearly articulates their views and attitudes much more than any other external views. The goal of this research study is to investigate the perceptions of local community on their participation in wildlife conservation, ecotourism and social development and the information gathered will be used to develop a new model for enhanced private sector-community collaboration and communication for sustainability. The study interrogates factors constraining collaboration, which include organisational culture, power differentials and communication, from the perspectives of stakeholders, especially the grassroots community. It engages with the community for its views and opinions and as a result, delivers valuable criticisms of and suggestions for the improvement of the process followed. A qualitative approach was adopted. Data collection and analysis methods were identified, explained, justified and implemented. This project is a Case Study, carried out in Umkhanyakhude District of KZN, in which Phinda Game Reserve and the surrounding local communities are located. Makhasa and Mnqobokazi are situated about 30-40 kilometres north-east of Hluhluwe, on the R22 Road that links the town with Sodwana Bay. Semi-structured individual and group interviews allow the study participants to identify and describe concerns or concepts that may not have been expected or considered by the researcher Interviews are of particular importance to ensure honesty and impartiality. Documentary analysis allowed to generate inferences through objective and systematic identification of core elements of a written communication. Observation was used to capture situations of interest not readily volunteered by the participants due to notable different views among members of the particular community. The Adapted Nominal Group Technique workshop was prepared and conducted, to augment the other methods. A multi-method approach ensured the reliability of the findings and the validity of both the approaches and the data collected. The historical background of &Beyond, its philosophy and journey towards sustainable wildlife conservation, tourism and social development was discussed. It was evident that due to the proximity of Makhasa and Mnqobokazi, activities of Phinda directly affected the communities and the same applies to those of the communities in Phinda. There was an apparent need to carefully and properly manage the cultural, socio-economic, political and spatial relationships to build a common understanding about roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in a mutually beneficial manner. The findings of the study illustrates that the perceptions and attitudes of the local residents on their participation in decision-making and management of conservation, tourism and social development are important for sustainability. The understanding of land rights issues was restricted to a few. While there was general appreciation for the activities of Phinda and Africa Foundation, the participants expressed their unfulfilled expectations, concerns and also made suggestions for a way forward to prevent conflict and ensure sustainable conservation and tourism. Skewed power relations, lack of participation in decision-making, poor governance, employment opportunities and equity, lack of transparency and poor communication strategies were among the main issues raised by the participants. Constructive criticism and recommendations, together with the Bending the Curve Model could serve as a valuable community engagement framework for private sector tourism companies and private game reserves to involve and work with surrounding communities to ensure more sustainable private game reserves in the future. The study recommends the model with some concrete, practical measures adapted from ideas of collaborative theory, for sustainable development / School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences / Ph. D. (Environmental Management)