Biodiversity Threats and their Impacts on Eco-tourism in Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The study on biodiversity threats and their impacts on eco-tourism in Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary were conducted from July, 2013 to September, 2014. Five core wildlife areas were randomly selected to investigate the existing biodiversity threats. A total of 100 villagers, 20 from each core wildlife area were participated in ranking the severity of the biodiversity threats. In addition, 15 protection staff of the sanctuary filled a questionnaire prepared for sowing some management gaps that they encounter. Secondary data like the number of tourist flow and revenue collected was obtained from the head quarter office. Threat indexes were used to analysis the quantitative data and qualitative date were narrated. About nine major biodiversity threats were identified in the sanctuary. The sanctuary is faced by threat factors operating at relatively higher mean relative threat factors severity index (RTFSI) of 0.55 ± 0.01. In addition, insufficient funding and undefined demarcation of the sanctuary are the major management problems affecting conservation of biodiversity. Implications of these on ecotourism activities of the sanctuary are low level of tourist inflow and revenue generated by the sanctuary as well as low benefit accruable to the local economy and the economy of the country as a whole. It was proposed that to reduce the spate of biodiversity threats, conservation awareness aimed at changing local people’s attitude, the provision of essential infrastructural facilities and improvement in peoples’ living conditions should be embarked upon by the management of the sanctuary and government.