Presentation made at the Sustainable Tourism in Small Island Developing States conference, 23-24 November 2017, Seychelles. A partnership of the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation, IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group, University of Seychelles, Paris Tourism Sorbonne (IREST), and Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

1. The reality of providing communities with socio-economic
benefits in a coastal protected area in South Africa
• Felicite Fairer-Wessels (PhD)
• Associate Professor
Tourism Management
• University of Pretoria
• South Africa

2. iSimangaliso Wetland Park
• Inscribed 1999 as
St Lucia WHS
• 2003 name
change

3. The Wetland Park must be the only place on the
globe where the world’s oldest land mammal
(the rhinoceros) and the world’s biggest
terrestrial mammal (the elephant) share an
ecosystem with the world’s oldest fish (the
coelacanth) and the world’s biggest marine
mammal (the whale).”
(Pres Nelson Mandela 2002)

4. iSimangaliso Wetland Park

5. Traditional fish traps

6. • Challenge: Rural communities are non active stakeholders in tourism development –
640,000 people living around iSimangalilso
• Community participation in tourism is necessary to obtain socio-economic benefits in a
coastal protected area such as the iSimangaliso Wetland Park
• The aim is to determine the level of community awareness and involvement through
focus group discussions
• 2 pilot case studies were undertaken: Lake Sibaya and Kosi Bay - areas adjacent to the
protected wetlands to determine critical issues: ownership, protection of the natural
resource base, job opportunities resulting in socio-economic benefits
• To determine the importance of relevant information for rural communities to mobilize
themselves socio-economically ito survival
• Over 80% below the poverty line; only 15% economically active
Burning Issue

7. Qualitative study: non-probability convenience sampling of individuals from the
Lake Sibaya and Kosi Bay communities
Instruments: Focus group discussion schedule to direct discussions
Lake Sibaya: Data collected through focus group discussions with a group of
adults each from Mabaso (8) and Mbila (7) communities with a mother-tongue
fieldworker present
Kosi Bay: Data collected through 2 focus group discussions with women mussel
harvesters from Kosi Bay community; 6 with no formal education and 8 with
primary level education. A mother-tongue fieldworker was present
Population: adults from area adjacent to iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Limitations: Lake Sibaya: Tembe community was not involved the fieldwork
Kosi Bay: men were not involved

8. Mabaso & Mbila Communities

9. • The data were translated, transcribed and content analysis of the
data were done
• The Mabaso-Mbila Case:
* On the border of the 2 communities, two tourism developments were done:
* Boathouse on Lake Sibaya
* Baya Camp on Lake Sibaya
• Findings indicate that the income was too small to support both communities
which has resulted in conflict, namely
* sinking of the house boat
* Baya Camp being deserted
* Need for a ‘champion’ from the community to negotiate conflict
• Once staff have been trained they leave for urban areas for jobs and
opportunities
• The communities do not experience tangible economic benefits that reach the
lower levels of the community
Findings: Lake Sibaya

10. Mabaso-Mbila Tribal conflicts
Sunken Houseboat Lake Sibaya & Baya Camp, deserted

11. • Data were translated, transcribed and the content analysed
• The number of harvested mussels had decreased due to the increase of women harvesting, and
due to uninformed harvesters young mussel beds were being exploited
• More than half of the women harvested mussels for household consumption, while the rest
harvested solely for business purposes
• Women harvesters obtained no information from the Dept of Forestry & Fisheries/other
government agency - only through face-to-face information sharing amongst themselves, or those
women whose husbands informed them
• Also by listening on a cell phone or community radio to mother tongue speakers.
• They were keen to obtain relevant information but wanted personal visits and information
communicated verbally by the relevant government officials
• According to the women, the men and Indunas from the community obtained relevant
information through the DAFF and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife regarding agricultural practices; both
face-to-face and thru pamphlets (although illiteracy hampers use of printed material)
• Women are thus excluded from the information dissemination process and no information is
being made available to them to improve their livelihoods and socio-economic status
Findings: Kosi Bay

12. • The need for transparent collaboration between communities, authorities and all
stakeholders for tourism development
• The role of Indunas (senior men) must be redefined as community information providers
to verbally disseminate information, to “walk the talk”
• Identifying a ‘champion’ within a community to drive ideas
• Communities must realise that tourist developments are usually small in scale and can
only partly contribute to the local socio-economic situation and not replace them
• Skills training & information is needed for the community ito responsible/sustainable
tourism ito the natural & cultural resource base (e.g. licenses to control overfishing)
• Support to all adult community members from the DAFF & Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in the
dissemination of relevant information to them to benefit socio-economically through
sustainable tourism practices
Practical contributions for socio-
economic benefits

13. • The way forward:
• iSimangaliso’s Rural Enterprise Accelerator Programme (REAP)’s partnership initiative
with Raizcorp, World Bank and Global Environmental Facility supports 187 entrepreneurs
with 80 grants to value of R77.8m awarded tp business
• Development of ancestral lands of impoverished communities (i.e. Eastern Shores State
forest, Cape Vidal State Forest and Sodwana State Forest) ito responsible and sustainable
tourism development to encourage socio-economic benefits in the long run. 13 land
claims have been successful.
• Developing of partnerships and networks with stakeholders for future development of
infrastructure and hospitality facilities to encourage socio-economic benefits
• Dissemination of relevant information, skills development and Sustainable Development
Education (SDE) for all communities to encourage socio-economic benefits in this
protected and its adjacent areas (concessions training 2017) of 32 protected area
managers

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