Private AreaMatchmaking Tools
› (24-P-07) Supporting conservation in Lama Reserve Forest through Ecotourism development in the surrounding communities (Koto and Zalimey)
- Thematic Area: Sustainable Tourism
- Partner country: Benin
- Leading Agency: Benin Ecotourism Concern (ECO-BENIN NGO)
- Implementing Agencies:
- Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries are villages’ communities; they are riverside populations of the target sites (Koto and Zalimey) and constituted privileged agent of local community development. Particularly, women and youth are considered in the project as first beneficiaries of tourism project for poverty alleviation.
› Problem Definition:
Biodiversity is facing widespread competition with humanity for space and resources. As a result, many species are increasingly coming into conflict with people, and this is particularly true of large mammals. The challenge facing us is to identify strategies to mitigate conflict between wildlife and people, be they resident communities or visiting tourists, so that mutually sustainable benefits can be derived for both sides.
› Project Description:
Use ecotourism as a tool of development in the peripheral zones of tropical forest both in Benin and Costa Rica by setting a tourism centre animated by local communities. With the sustainable development approach, by its economical role, ecotourism is supposed to help reduce threats to biological diversity, which explains the domain of chosen intervention.
› Overall Objective:
To use ecotourism as a tool of development in the peripheral zones of tropical forest both in Benin and Costa Rica by setting a tourism centre animated by local communities.
› Implementing Strategy:
The first phase of the project length is spread out over eight months in Benin, and then the final evaluation for the continuation of the process in both Costa Rica and Benin will take place and ensures the real appropriation by the communities and the two governments.
Thus, according to Community Based Ecotourism activities, the strengthening of the planning, management, and monitoring capacities of communities will enable them to fully involve in these activities after PSC support has terminated.
The alternative strategy will be implemented through three integrated objectives involving direct beneficiary participation, each insufficient alone to achieve the project purpose, but whose synergy can help to remove barriers to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in the target area Project activities will be planned in two phases.
· In Phase I (eight months), the project will focus efforts in the communities of Koto and Zalimey in Benin.
· In Phase II, the experience will be achieved in Costa Rica and Benin, based on the Costa Rican strong experience in ecotourism.
