UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM MANAGEMENT Ecotourism Potentials and Its Role for Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement: The Case of Bahir Dar Nile River Millennium Park: West Gojam, Ethiopia. By Negussie Tiruneh Bogale A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Tourism Management for Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree (MA) in Tourism and Heritage Management. Advisor: Dr. Endalkachew Teshome (PhD, Assoc.Prof.) Co-advisor: Eyobe Mesfine (MA) Date: June, 2015 Gondar, Ethiopia UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM MANAGEMENT Ecotourism Potentials and Its Role for Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement: The Case of Bahir Dar Nile River Millennium Park: West Gojam, Ethiopia. A final Draft Thesis Submitted to the Department of Tourism Management for Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree (MA) in Tourism and Heritage Management. M.A Thesis By Negussie Tiruneh Advisor Dr. Endalkachew Teshome (Assoc. Proff.) June, 2015 Gondar Ethiopia i Declaration This is to certify that this thesis entitled “Ecotourism Potentials and Its Role for Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement: The Case of Bahir Dar Nile River Millennium Park: West Gojjam, Ethiopia” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of MA., in College of Business and Economics, University of Gondar, through the Department of Tourism and Heritage Management, done by Mr. Negussie Tiruneh Bogale is an authentic work carried out by him under my guidance. The matter embodied in this project work has not been submitted earlier for award of any degree or diploma to the best of my knowledge and belief. Name of the Advisors Dr. Endalkachew Teshome (PhD, Assoc.Prof.) Signature: __________Date: __________ Co-advisor: Eyobe Mesfin (MA) Signature: _______________ Date: ________________ Signed by the examining committee: External Examiner: ____________________ Signature: _____________ Date: ____________ Internal Examiner: ____________________ Signature: _____________ Date: ____________ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There has been a number of people and parties who made this thesis done therefore I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Almighty God for helping me to reach this stage. Secondly, special thanks go to my advisor Dr. Endalkachew Teshome (PhD, Assoc.Prof.) who tirelessly provided me with close supervision and excellent guidance throughout, from developing the proposal to compiling the final report. My special gratitude and sincere appreciation also goes to my co- advisor Eyobe Mesfin (MA) for his willingness and tireless cooperation in correcting and giving constructive comments and suggestions starting from topic selection up to compilation of this thesis. Thirdly, I am grateful for Arba Minch University that offered me the chance of attending post graduate program without which my studies would not have been possible. Fourthly, Bahir Dar City Administration mayor‟s office and Bahir Dar Nile River Millennium Park management office should be acknowledged because of the permission they offered me to undertake my research work in the park. Fifthly, Amhara Region Culture, Tourism and Parks Development Buearu, Bahir Dar Zurya Wereda, Culture and Tourism Office and Bahir Dar Nile River Millennium Park staff and the local communities should be cordially acknowledged for their collaboration and facilitation during data collection. Special thanks go to my friends Bizuneh Girma and Aytnew Temesgen who were with me during field observation in different sections of the park. Finally, special thanks also go to my parents, family and friends for their moral and material support. iii Table of Contents Contents Page ACKNOWLEDGMENT------------------------------------------------------------------------------------II TABLE OF CONTENTS-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------III LIST OF TABLES------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------VI LIST OF FIGURES---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------VIII LIST OF MAPS---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------IX ACRONYMS-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------X ABSTRACT--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------XI CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background of the Study ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Objectives of the Study ......................................................................................................... 4 1.3.1 General Objective ........................................................................................................... 4 1.3.2 Specific Objectives ......................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................... 5 1.6 The Scope of the Study ......................................................................................................... 5 1.7 Limitation of the study .......................................................................................................... 6 1.8 Definition of Terms and Concepts ........................................................................................ 6 1.9 Report Presentation Structure................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES ..................................................................... 8 2.1 Concepts, Definitions and Principles of Ecotourism ............................................................ 8 iv 2.2 Overview of Ecotourism Development ............................................................................... 10 2.3 Why Ecotourism? ................................................................................................................ 11 2.4 Ecotourism Development in Protected Areas ..................................................................... 13 2.5 Threats to Biodiversity ........................................................................................................ 14 2.6 Ecotourism Development and Biodiversity Conservation .................................................. 15 2.7 Ecotourism Development and Livelihood Diversification.................................................. 17 2.8 Necessary Conditions for the Development of Ecotourism ................................................ 19 2.9 Ecotourism Development Potentials in Ethiopia ................................................................ 21 2.10 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER THREE DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...........24 3.1 Description of the Study Area ............................................................................................. 24 3.1.1 Geographic Position and Location ............................................................................... 24 3.1.2 Topography and Climate .............................................................................................. 25 3.1.3 Fauna ............................................................................................................................ 26 3.1.4 Flora .............................................................................................................................. 27 3.1.5 Population and Socio-Economic Condition of the Area .............................................. 27 3.2 Research Methodology ........................................................................................................ 28 3.3 Target Population ................................................................................................................ 28 3.4 Sample Size Determination ................................................................................................. 28 3.5 Data Sources and Data Collection Instruments ................................................................... 29 3.5.1 Primary Data Sources ................................................................................................... 29 3.5.2 Secondary Data Sources ............................................................................................... 30 3.6 Data Processing, Analysis and Validity Procedures ........................................................... 30 3.7 Ethical Considerations ..................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ....................................................................................32