Links between nature-based tourism, protected areas, poverty alleviation and crises—The example of Wasini Island (Kenya)

Nature-based tourism in protected areas of low-income countries can contribute to regional economies, reduce poverty, and help to develop rural areas. This study analyses the situation on Wasini Island, a peripheral island neighboring the Kisite Marine National Park on the southern coast of Kenya. An economic impact analysis was undertaken for the two island settlements of Mkwiro and Wasini village. Firstly, the difference in the participation in nature-based tourism is striking. For Wasini village, the results show an increased income from tourism, which has led to population growth and improved standards of living. Secondly, the comparison of two main tourism enterprises operating in Wasini village shows that tourism per se does not necessarily contribute to poverty-reduction; it is the tourist businesses' ties with the local economy that matter. Thirdly, the study finds that tourism has made other livelihoods, such as small-scale fishery and subsistence agriculture, nearly redundant. This paper also considers the impact of crises emanating from outside the island. In such a situation local economies can be more resilient if the local population can revert to earlier subsistence based modes of production.Management implications
• Focus on a close relationship with the local population and participatory development of management options.
• Install fair institutional arrangements.
• Facilitate the opportunities of nature-based tourism with essential training in business skills, guiding and production of local goods and handicraft.
• Encourage community members to avoid a total dependence on nature-based tourism by maintaining a subsistence economy for times of crises.
• Communicate that locally embedded tourism development takes time and is unlikely to improve local economy immediately.