Sustainable Tourism In The Selous Game Reserve

W inning the battle for          local communities rather than      sustainable Tourism in        against them has helped the        the Selous Game Reserve       reserve to flourish.               are a small staff of about 350                                           game scouts and technical staff;      As a direct result of              that is one scout per 140 square      international pressures hunting    kilometers. The headquarters for      was banned in the 1980's and an    the Selous Game Reserve staff are     immediate consequence was a        in the Northern section of the        devastating decline on animal      Selous at Matambwe. The battle        populations; especially the        for sustainable tourism in this       elephant populations. Hunting has  vast game reserve has not been        been reintroduced, well away from  easy and hard lessons have been       the photographic safari areas.     learnt and now the battle for         The money charged from these       sustainable tourism is beginning      hunting safaris generates the      to be realized.                       main source of income to maintain                                        the reserve. It is though that as  Half the income from the Selous       a direct result of reintroducing   is returned to the reserve to         hunting that poaching is no        help keep this park in existence.     longer a threat and animal         A second scheme is involving the      numbers had increased noticeably   communities around the park; by       over the past decade. Sustainable  allowing controlled hunting by        hunting safaris are strictly       the local communities and thereby     controlled and they are allowed    providing direct tangible             in the reserve between the months  benefits for the local people.        of July and November. Without      Without local support from            this income the reserve in its     surrounding villages poaching         present sate would not exist.      would be impossible to maintain.                                         Working with and through the          The reserve has set out restricts  for tourism in the Selous to keep                                        the human impact as low as            The tourism areas are all in the   possible. Tourist numbers are         north of the Selous game reserve   kept low and lodges and camps         and south of the Rufiji River is   strictly controlled. Over the         a true wilderness. However, there  past two years there have been        are plans to develop this area     several new camps. The lakes in       for the photographic safaris to    the west of Tanzania and              reduce the pressure on the lake    especially the Serengeti and the      area's and the northern National   Ngorongoro crater in the north of     Parks. Tanzania is keen to         Tanzania have be overwhelmed by a     maintain its parks and keep        tourism explosion over the past       tourism under control and human    few years. Park fees have been        impact to a minimum. For further   increased dramatically from           information on sustainable         January 1, 2006 to direct             tourism or for information on how  tourists from these areas and         to find your way around the        into the lesser know areas such       Selous Game Reserve contact us     as the Selous.                        through website below.             About the Author: For further information on sustainable tourism or for information on how to find your way around the Selous Game Reserve contact http://www.betheladventure.co.uk or http://www.aardvark-expeditions.com Using responsible tourism to change lives. Source: www.isnare.com