Ecotourism and Bush meat Consumption Dynamics in Botswana

This paper is based on the context of southern African countries, with specific reference Botswana. Through the use of sustainable tourism development theoretical underpinnings and qualitative research methods, the paper... [ view full abstract ]

This paper is based on the context of southern African countries, with specific reference Botswana. Through the use of sustainable tourism development theoretical underpinnings and qualitative research methods, the paper explores the relationships between bush meat consumption and ecotourism development. Since the early 1990s, rural communities in Botswana have adopted ecotourism enterprises through the rubric of Community-Based Natural Resources Management. This development has brought both opportunities and challenges for communities using the approach in an endeavour to participate in sustainable tourism development. In pursuing ecotourism, bush meat consumption became prevalent among communities through consumptive tourism.  With the banning of hunting tourism in 2014, the provision of game hunting licenses was also stopped. This paper presents preliminary results on ecotourism development and bush meat consumption dynamics  from three different yet interconnected perspectives; social, economic and institutional. Results indicate that economically; illegal bush meat dealing in Botswana is large but fundamentally an invisible contributor to the economy of the country; bush meat consumption by low density populations living adjacent to protected areas may be sustainable at present and demand for bush meat by a growing number of urban consumers has created a substantial market that may lead to unsustainable levels of hunting. Socially, ecotourism has contributed to a high infinity of bush meat tastes; bush meat remains one of the primary sources of animal protein for a significant number of communities and bush meat trade contributes to food security in the long term through the loss of a potentially sustainable and greatly elevated supply of meat protein. Institutionally, while bush meat has the potential to contribute to community livelihoods, it is often perceived very differently by different stakeholders as it is seen by many as a threat to wildlife and as a key driver in the extinction of species. Overall, the nutritional role and income contribution of bush meat are siginicant to rural people's livelihoods. The paper concludes by identifying gaps in current knowledge; and proposes future directions for research and interventions on how best rural communities can use ecotourism ventures to benefit from bush meat obtained through sustainable consumptive tourism.