The Ultimate Question of How to Cut the Pie? Revenue Sharing of Gorilla Tourism in Rwanda

The Ultimate Question of How to Cut the Pie? Revenue Sharing of Gorilla Tourism in Rwanda Miko Watanabe PhD Candidate, University of Tokyo UNDP staff member [email_address] June 30, 2010 CAPRi Workshop, Siem Reap Annette Lanjouw, Director of the Great Apes Program, Arcus Foundation Eugène Rutagarama, Director, International Gorilla Conservation Program

Theme:
Why mountain gorillas survived the conflict?
The role of mountain gorilla tourism and conservation in post-conflict recovery and peace-building

Why Tourism:
3.2 % of GDP
Number of travelers increasing (Ecotourism to 7%)
5% of CO 2 emissions
Tourism could be effective vehicle for poverty alleviation if managed properly.
1. Human capital
2. Social capital
3. Natural capital
4. Financial capital
5. Material capital

Virunga-Bwindi in the Central Albertine Rift :

Recurrent Conflict in the Region : Rwanda: 1994 Over 800,000 lives were lost in the genocide 2003 Presidential and Legislative elections were held, and the new Constitution was issued. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): 1996 Mobutu Sese Seko's regime collapsed. A decade long civil war followed, depriving over 4 million lives. 1999 The Lusaka Peace Agreement 2006 The first democratic elections Uganda: 1986 The National Resistance Movement seized the power. 1996 First direct presidential election 2008 Truce by Government and Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group in the north. A final peace agreement has not yet been signed. Uganda and DRC: in "active armed conflict” having “at least 25 battle-related deaths in one calendar year” by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) of Uppsala University. (2007)

Geographic Focal Areas: PNV, PNVi, MGNP and BINP

Mountain gorillas ( Gorilla beringei beringei ) :
Considered threatened to extinction (IUCN)
Approximately 700 in 2 forests
Virunga forest: 380 (in 2003)
Bwindi Impenetrable forest: 320 (in 2006)
Rarest of the gorilla subspecies!
Humans share 97.7% of DNA with Mountain gorilla

Mountain gorilla population dynamics:
Mountain gorilla population increased even during the conflict period.
From 1971 to 2000, 324 to 359, (or 395) 1.0-1.3% growth rate
(Source: Kalpers 2003)

Factors contributing to Virunga gorillas’ survival:
Cultural reasons (do not eat gorillas);
Casualties, accidental rather than deliberate;
The size of the Virunga massif relatively small for access & control (i.e. 7% of Kahuzi- Biega);
Gorillas: an important economic resource (through tourism). (e.g. Arusha Peace Agreement).
Long-term conservation strategies (e.g. Extensive education programmes pre-war, the commitment of park staff, NGOs continued to support the park authorities during the war time.)
(Source: Kalpers 2003)

Post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding:
Generating wealth: tourism and conservation
Building institutional capacity and generating peace: Capacity building of PAs, Transboundary Collabartion.
Human Development Index (HDI) for Rwanda: 0.460, 167 th out of 182 countries. (2007) GDP growth: 1995-1999 15.6% 2000-2004 6.6% 2005-2008 8.4% GDP per capita: US$ 142 in 1994 to US$ 313 in 2008 Stable growth and improved security. Vision 2020 (2000)

Socio-economic dimension:
1979 Gorilla-based Ecotourism started in Rwanda (Tourism as a tool for conservation)
Informing processes among, research, conservation and tourism sectors, and Government’s vision
3rd largest foreign revenue in 1980s, now the largest foreign exchange earner followed by coffee and tea.
Employment (Park employs 180 people, 800 community members benefit also e.g. by RS, the issue of social cohesion..)
Mountain gorilla: unique flagship for a national image and national pride (Naming ceremony “ Kwita Izina ”, Gorilla branding, etc.)
Mountain gorilla tourism in Rwanda

Booming Eco-tourism in Rwanda: (Source: Nielsen et al based on ORTPN data 2010) National park visits, 1974-2008

Increase in tourism revenue in Rwanda: (Source: Nielsen et al based on IMF and WDI, 2010)

Gorillas to pay their own way? :
End 1980s, ORTPN became self-financed for three parks. The revenue dropped during conflict years, but recovered and made surplus in recent years.
In the Congo Basin, only 30% recurrent costs in PA network is covered by the Government and donor investment.
Wildlife to “pay its own way”? A rare success in a global context. (The permit is USD 500 since 2007).
Competition over gorilla revenue among, the local community, national park authority, the national government and international actors.

Economic value of the Virungas:

Revenue-sharing in Rwanda
Since 2005, 5% of the tourism revenue (park fees) are injected into communities by ORTPN (now RDB)
10 schools (Apr 3,640 pupils), 32 water tanks (At least 40,000), 10 community associations for income generating activities, Sabyinyo Community Lodge.
Around US$428,248 for community fund, since 2005  US$ 1.45/person to date and US$ 0.36/person
People’s attitudes towards the park? Perception?(From the Ministry of Local Government to RDB)

Community livelihoods initiatives
Labor intensive quick impact projects by NGOs (Buffalo walls from 1993, cleaning up of forests, joint-community buffer zones, 10,000 people receive water in Uganda, etc.)
Benefits lost and compensation: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
1964 Inside park activities became illegal
1992 MOU; 272 Households resulting in 4000 people were restricted from use of park resources
The compensation was considered not sufficient
The issue of equity: the Btwa community, usually worse off, and they feel they benefit less from the Park.
No study carried out to assess the impact of these schemes on the livelihoods of people living near VNP.

Governance dimension:
Arusha Peace Agreement (”take due consideration of the protection of endangered animal species, especially the mountain gorilla” . )
Institutional building supported by NGOs
In the emergency period, some relief organizations were engaged in activities bringing serious damages to the environment by delivering ‘provisions of relief’. Coordination was of critical importance.

Governance dimension:
Transboundary collaboration (TB) by PAs and field-based park staff (Facilitated by IGCP)
Regional meetings and Wardens coordination meetings
Joint patrols, Gorilla census
Cross visits
2004 Memorandum of Understanding amongst protected area authorities of DRC, Rwanda and Uganda;
2005 two Ministerial Declarations
Transboundary Strategic Plan and Memorandum of Understanding on “Collaborative Monitoring of and Sharing Revenues from Transfrontier Tourism Gorilla Groups”.
Track Two diplomacy (non-official mediation between civil society actors) promoting dialogue for Track One diplomacy (official negotiations between political and military elites, in other words, top-down efforts) for regional collaboration (e.g. energy issues..).
Transboundary collaboration

Security dimension:
Military escort up to 2004
Para-military training and conservation training
Security is a prerequisite for tourism development.
(eg. The killings of international tourists in Uganda.)
Sense of security brought to the community by the military presence and returning of international tourists. Significant impact.
Important military base for regional security.
Military support to the National Park

Lessons and Way Forward:
The status of natural resource base during the conflict will be the foundation for post conflict recovery. NR management during the conflict, critical.
In emergency situations, Coordination between the organizations for 1. humanitarian and emergency relief, 2. long-term development, and 3. natural resource management is of critical importance.
Peace keeping missions, fact-finding missions by UN/donors should have NR experts involved from the outset. (PCNRM project.)
Institutional capacity of park authorities is essential. Even during the height of insecurity, continuous internal/external support is vital. (Technical, moral and financial support)

Lessons and Way Forward:
During the conflict, in the absence of legitimate government, NR NGOs could be effective partners for external donors.
Quick impact projects, which involve labor-intensive activities, are effective in providing economic opportunities for the local communities.
In resuming conservation and tourism activities, the support from the military was indispensable. Tourism and security go hand in hand.
Transboundary co-operation worked well from bottom-up rather than top-down. The top-down approach could create a vacuum at the local level.
Holistic approach necessary for tourism development. Branding is critical.

THANK YOU! Photo by International Gorilla Conservation Programme

The Ultimate Question of How to Cut the Pie? Revenue Sharing of Gorilla Tourism in Rwanda

by CAPRi on Aug 04, 2010

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The Ultimate Question of How to Cut the Pie? Revenue Sharing of Gorilla Tourism in Rwanda — Presentation Transcript