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KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF STAKEHOLDERS ON ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN AND AROUND OLD OYO NATIONAL PARK, NIGERIA BY AJAYI OLUSINA TUNDE B.SC FISHERIES MANAGEMENT (IBADAN) M.SC FISHERIES MANAGEMENT (IBADAN) MATRIC NUMBER: 78908 A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND ECOTOURISM MANAGEMENT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN JANUARY, 2017 UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY i DEDICATION This work is dedicated to Almighty God, Who is my strength, my rock, my fortress, my shield and high tower. Likewise, it is dedicated to my late father, Pa. I. E. Ajayi. How I wish you are still around to witness this. UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY ii ABSTRACT Ecotourism development (ED) is one of the factors promoting sustainable utilisation of natural resources. Stakeholders‘ attitude towards natural resources in Old Oyo National Park (OONP) can undermine or enhance conservation goals of the park. Information on stakeholders‘ knowledge and perception that can be used for ED in OONP is limited. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge and perception of stakeholders on ED in OONP, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 220 residents in 27 out of 59 settlements within 20 km radius of the park. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 95 park staff (PS) and purposive sampling technique to select 354 tourists and 125 ecotourism-related entrepreneurs; giving a total of 794 respondents. Four sets of structured questionnaire were used for the study. Information on socio-demographic characteristics (age, education, ethnicity, occupation, income, cadre, number of visit, service provided), knowledge and perception of stakeholders on ED, factors limiting ED and effectiveness of park management strategies were assessed. Indices of knowledge about ED (1-26; poor 1-12, good 13-26) and perception on ED (1-76; negative 1-75, positive 76-152) were generated. Data collection was done during on- and off-seasons of ecotourism activities in 2014 and 2015. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, ANOVA and logistic regression at α0.05. Respondents‘ ages were 34.8±6.3, 32.4±6.1, 26.9±7.4 and 35.7±3.8 years for residents, park staff, tourists and entrepreneurs, respectively. Residents (8.0%) and tourists (96.6%) had tertiary education. PS cadres were senior (57.9%) and junior (42.1%). Tourists (95.2%) had visited the park, twice. Entrepreneurs provided the following services: accommodation (8.0%), food (37.6%), communication-related (14.4%), souvenir (7.2%) and transportation (32.8%). Most respondents: residents (65.0%), PS (87.0%), tourists (66.0%) and entrepreneursUNIVERSITY (74.0%) had good knowledge OF ofIBADAN ED. Fifty-five percent LIBRARY of residents and PS (65.0%) had negative perception of ED while most tourists (84.0%) and entrepreneurs (61.0%) had positive perception of ED. Inadequate funding was considered as a serious constraint to ED by residents (52.3%), PS (45.3%), tourists (64.7%) and entrepreneurs (56.8%). Management strategy on environmental education was rated as poor by residents iii (67.7%), PS (45.3%), tourists (61.3%) and entrepreneurs (63.2%). There was significant relationship between ethnicity and knowledge of residents on ED (χ2 =26.73) as well as between occupation and perception of tourists on ED (χ2 =14.83). There was significant difference between residents and PS on knowledge of ED (0.22±0.06) as well as between residents and tourists on perception of ED (0.39±0.04).Igbo residents were more likely to have good knowledge of ED than their Yoruba counterparts (OR: 2.20; CI: 1.18-4.11). Tourists with monthly income of N50,000–N99,999 were more likely to have positive perception of ED than those with monthly income of less than N50,000 (OR: 4.26; CI: 1.12- 8.24). Majority of stakeholders had good knowledge of ecotourism development while only tourists and entrepreneurs had positive perception of ecotourism development. Ethnicity and monthly income affected knowledge and perception of stakeholders on ecotourism development. Under-funding hindered ecotourism development in Old Oyo National Park. Keywords: Ecotourism development perception, Ecotourism stakeholders, Natural resources utilisation, Old Oyo National Park, Park management strategies Word count: 487 UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I give all the glory to Almighty God whose grace has been more than enough for me throughout this study. I wish to express my undeniable gratitude to the Creator of wisdom for the grace and wisdom as well as the gift of men He has given me to successfully complete this work. May His name be praised forever. I would like to begin by thanking the Department of Wildlife and Ecotourism Management for affording me the opportunity to pursue the research I was passionate about. I am deeply indebted to my supervisors and mentors, Prof. Ibukun A. Ayodele and Dr Samson O. Ojo, whose suggestions and encouragement helped me during the research and writing of this thesis. They did not leave a stone unturned in order to ensure the progress and successful completion of this work. I appreciate all their suggestions, criticisms and advice; I pray that God will open more doors of breakthrough for them in all spheres of their lives. I wish to show my appreciation to the Head of Department, Prof. G. A. Lameed, for his advice and encouragement, especially, during the abstract writing. I am indebted to the Departmental PG Coordinator, DrOluwafunmilola Ajani, for her scholarly observations and contributions to the quality of work at the abstract stage. My gratitude goes to Dr O. T. Yekinni, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan and Prof. Stephen Holland, Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management, University of Florida, U.S.A for their invaluable contributions during the development of the data instrument and proof-reading of thesis. I appreciate the contributions of Dr B. R. Olajide, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, on the abstract and methodology of this work. I gratefully acknowledge the observations, suggestions and contributions of Drs A. A. Alarape, Abosede O. Omonona, other members of academic staff in the Department of WildlifeUNIVERSITY and Ecotourism Management, OF during IBADAN the departmental LIBRARY seminars. Likewise, I appreciate the administrative staff who were always willing to go beyond their job requirements in assisting me. I also appreciate Mrs. Abdul-Azeez A. in Old Oyo National Park, Oyo town, for her moral support and care during data collection; without her friendly v cooperation, it would have been impossible for me to collect the data within the stipulated time. I express my thanks to the rangers in the park, who assisted me with logistics and provisions during visits to the ranges. My special thanks go to wife, Mrs. Yewande P. Ajayi, for the moral and spiritual supports she gave throughout the course of this study; my prayer is that God will preserve and continue to elevate her in all her endeavours. Without her continuous support, I would not have been able to complete the degree. I also acknowledge my wonderful children, Samuel, Salome and Salem, for their understanding throughout the course of this research. I express my profound gratitude to my parents, Mrs. Deborah O. Ajayi, my siblings, family and friends, for their immense supports during this study. I cannot but appreciate my colleagues, especially, O. O. Abraham, A. H. Ojo-Daniel, Dr. W. A. Jimoh, K. D Olawepo, O.T. Banjo, Oluwatoyin. A. Adesemoye, I. Akinsola and others, for the care and love. Furthermore, my appreciation goes to my fathers in the Lord, Revd. Dr Gideon O. Bolaji, Revd. David Adedokun and to Pastor O. Soola, Dn. Dr E. A. Awotunde, Dn. O. S. Keshinro, Drs E. A. Oshin, Grace Alonge, TayoAdeyemo, GboyeAdelabu, RonkeAdelabu and a host of others I cannot mention. I am also grateful to all the research participants, survey respondents and interviewees, who voluntarily opened their hearts to me during the data collection; may God constantly support them.Finally, I would like to thank everybody who was important to the successful realisation of this research. OlusinaTunde AJAYI UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY vi CERTIFICATION I certify that this work was carried out by OlusinaTunde AJAYI under my supervision in the Department of Wildlife and Ecotourism Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERVISOR Prof. I. A. Ayodele BSc, MSc, PhD (Ibadan) Department of Wildlife and Ecotourism Management Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERVISOR Dr S.O. Ojo UNIVERSITYBSc, OF MSc, PhDIBADAN (Ibadan) LIBRARY Department of Wildlife and Ecotourism Management Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title i Dedication ii Abstract iii Acknowledgement v Certification vii Table of content viii List of Tables xiv List of Figures xvii List of Plates xviii List of Abbreviations xix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 The concept of ecotourism 1 1.1.1 Stakeholders‘ participation in ecotourism development 2 1.1.2 Importance of knowledge and perception in ecotourism development 3 1.1.3 Ecotourism resources in