Participatory Rural Appraisal of the Impacts of Tourism on Local Indigenous Communities and National Parks: the Case of the Pemón Kamaracoto Domingo A. Medina Iokiñe Rodriguez Abstract—Participatory Rural Appraisal was used to assess the Areas to reduce pressure on natural resources, and to Kamaracoto’s perceptions of the impacts of tourism in the Valley of achieve local support for the conservation goals for which Kamarata located within Canaima National Park in Venezuela. these areas were originally established (West and Brechin Participatory Rural Appraisal proved to be effective in identifying 1991). social, cultural, and subsistence values attributed to environmental One of the activities strongly linked to Protected Area elements (shifting cultivation, tepuyes, animals, waterfalls, savan- protection is nature-based tourism (ecotourism). In the last nas, minerals) and economic activities (such as farming, tourism, decade many international and national environmental and mining). Similarly, sources of important environmental organizations, development agencies, governments, schol- changes that the community has experienced were determined (for ars, and tour operators have been pushing ecotourism agen- example, decrease of animal species diversity and population, das as national, regional, and local strategies to capitalize decrease in forest resources for building traditional houses and on Protected Areas’ natural resources without destroying dugout boats, increase in tourist visitation, and increase in young- them. Part of the revenue is expected to be earmarked for sters favoring work in tourism over shifting cultivation). The causes conservation efforts and to provide local economic benefits, of such change and how they affect or will affect the community’s including economic incentives for communities at the pe- sustainability were also determined. The process proved to be riphery or within Protected Areas to replace income loss valuable for the community in terms of planning community action from restrictions on allowable uses. The increase in the and proposing regulations seeking to mitigate impacts of non- number of ecotourism operators, activities, and travel pack- traditional uses of the Park’s resources, such as tourism. In addi- ages to Protected Areas and the increase in tourist visitation tion, the process was effective in identifying community partnership have made pristine, remote, natural, and cultural sites more needs with outside groups (such as, nongovernment organizations accessible, integrating these destinations with the global and universities) to solve local environmental problems and issues economy and subjecting them in the process to the political related to tourism and the park. economy of tourism (Medina 1996). A “Participatory Rural Appraisal” methodology was ap- plied to assess the impacts of tourism on indigenous commu- nities and on the National Park of Canaima (Venezuela). It is well known that the creation, and many times Participatory Rural Appraisal was selected as the most imposition, of protected areas on local indigenous people effective means to deal with the increasing park and indig- have been a source of conflict and undesirable impacts enous communities conflicts and the need for management (Hough 1988; West and Brechin 1991). Although globally strategies that minimize these conflicts and the negative many National Parks and other protected areas have clearly impacts on Park resources. The long-term goal is to create recognized indigenous peoples’ settlements and their rights an atmosphere favorable for establishing a partnership to access resources for subsistence (Stevens 1997), still, in that can benefit both the indigenous people and the Park. many Latin American countries, there are no clear policies In this paper we (1) argue the need for adopting and institu- or management strategies to deal with human settlements tionalizing participatory approaches for the conservation of within or at the boundaries of National Parks. As a result, Protected Areas, (2) discuss Participatory Rural Appraisal the need has emerged to integrate local populations into in relationship to the case presented here, and (3) present establishment, management, and monitoring of Protected our study which analyzes the impacts of tourism develop- ment on the indigenous communities that live within Canaima National Park. In: Watson, Alan E.; Aplet, Greg H.; Hendee, John C., comps. 1998. Personal, societal, and ecological values of wilderness: Sixth World Wil- Protected Areas, Participation, and derness Congress proceedings on research, management, and allocation, volume I; 1997 October; Bangalore, India. Proc. RMRS-P-4. Ogden, UT: U.S. Conservation ___________________ Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Participatory approaches for development are being Domingo A. Medina is Professor, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48827 U.S.A. adopted by multilateral funding agencies such as the World E-mail: [email protected]. Iokiñe Rodriguez, ECONATURA (a Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (Schwartz Venezuelan Environmental nongovernment organization), Caracas, 1067-A, Venezuela. E-mail: [email protected]. and Deruyttere 1996) to assure that development projects USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-4. 1998 19 succeed not only in their design, but also in their implemen- and extension, poverty and social programs, health and food tation, evaluation, sustainability, and most importantly in security, and natural resource management (Chambers delivering benefits to end users. This realization came only 1994a,b). To a lesser extent Participatory Rural Appraisal after years of unsuccessful “top-down authority,” “non- has been used in park conflict resolution (Hoyle 1995; Mason developmental,” and “outsider” approaches to “planned and Danso 1995; Rodriguez and Sharpe 1996) and tourism change.” Conservation has to be a widely participatory impacts (Tomintoul Community 1994). The approach has process to bring about and harmonize environmental pro- proved to be a powerful one, in many cases generating valid tection with social and material advancement. This concep- and reliable data (Chambers 1994b). tion stresses the capacity of people to control their situation Empowerment is reached in the planning process because and manage their environment. It is concerned with equal- information in Participatory Rural Appraisal is internally ity and equity; it emphasizes citizen participation; it focuses produced, analyzed, owned and shared by local people in- on enhancing local self-reliance; and it involves integrating stead of just gathered and analyzed with the biases of traditional local knowledge with scientific knowledge. Un- outsiders (Chambers 1994b). The role of the outsiders in this der this view of conservation, participation is needed for approach is more as a convenor, catalyst or facilitator of the conflict management in issues related to protected area- means for people to undertake and share their own investi- people interactions. In addition, participation has been gations and analyses (Chambers 1994a). identified as key in (a) mitigating negative social and eco- Empowerment also comes from transferring leadership to nomic impacts of environmental policies and development locals, valuing their knowledge and generating opportuni- projects—by legitimizing them; (b) improving management ties and environments, so they can extend their knowledge efforts; and (c) building support, partnership, and co-man- and acquire new skills and abilities such as: systematic agement arrangements with local stakeholders. analysis of problems, designing plans, establishing priori- An exclusionary and centralized concept of National Parks ties, formulating strategies, implementing activities in an has been maintained widely in Latin American policy and organized manner, evaluating them, and distributing their practice, neglecting the historical, political, and social con- benefits (Valarezo 1993). In conservation, only by generat- text of these countries. In this way, government agencies ing empowerment can local communities assist in the pro- tend to be strong in top-down authority and hierarchy, as tection of the Park. In this view, empowerment creates the evidenced by the scale, bureaucracy, and level of enforce- environment such that the solutions to local issues can come ment of their decisions and operations. Also, very little from initiatives from within the communities—with or with- experience has been gathered to value participation and its out outsider partnerships. New proposals, projects, or pro- potential; managers are not trained in participation pro- grams for conservation can and should come from local cesses, and there is no budget allocation for implementing communities, but from communities that are organized and participation programs and mechanisms. Participation, that have the capacity to formulate and negotiate them. whether in development or in conservation, is a long-term This case study centers on the impacts of tourism develop- process and a political one (Peters 1996). Although cost- ment on the Pemón-Kamarakoto community in Canaima effective in the long run (Schwartz and Deruyttere 1996), it National Park. From previous studies, it was known that the requires special interpersonal and managerial skills, and Pemón-Kamaracoto communities have manifested an inter- other conditions to be