RESIDENTS` PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN IGBO OLODUMARE SACRED GROVE, OKE-IGBO, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Community-based Ecotourism Development (CbED) approach, which emphasizes residents’ participation, is crucial to actualising full ecotourism potential in any society. Efforts to develop the tourism potential of Igbo Olodumare Sacred Grove (IOSG) in Ondo State has been on for half a century without limited success. Previous studies of ecotourism focused on residents` well-being, livelihoods, and project impacts with little emphasis on residents` participation. This study, therefore examined residents’ participation in CbED in IOSG with a view to evaluating their knowledge of ecotourism potential and willingness to participate as well as inhibiting factors to participation. Richard Tarnas` Participation Theory and Community Readiness Model served as the framework, while the mixed methods (Quant + Qual) design was adopted. Four communities within 10km radius of IOSG were purposively selected, while 361 adult residents were also purposively selected across the communities (Kajola-114; Ajejigi-73; Igbo Olodumare-53; Oke Alafia-121). The instruments used were; the Knowledge of Ecotourism Potential (r=0.84) and the Willingness to Participate in CbED (r=0.73) scales. Key Informant Interviews were conducted with four community heads, two members of the Oke-Igbo Tourism Committee, one policy maker each from the Ondo State Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments. A Focus Group Discussion session was held with members of each community council. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive statistics and Multiple Regression at 0.05 level of significance, while the qualitative data were analysed using narrative approach. Most adult residents (35.5%), had tertiary education, married (67%), predominantly Christians (92.5%), and farmers (60.1%). However, very few residents’ (0.6%) had prior involvement in planning the IOSG project. The residents had high knowledge of ecotourism potentials of IOSG (x̅ =3.3 ± 1.86), their level of willingness to participate in CbED was moderate (x̅ = 21.08 ± 6.75) and their length of stay was high (x̅ = 29.08 ± 21.45). Residents level of education (ß = -0.15), length of stay (ß = 0.42) and religion (ß = 0.15) influenced willingness to participate, while knowledge of ecotourism potential did not. The inhibiting factors to residents’ participation in CbED included poor state of infrastructures, low level of relevant tourism and hospitality skills, poor destination branding and marketing, top-heavy management approach, community residents’ exclusion from decision-making processes, community residents prohibition from accessing IOSG, and absence of benefit-sharing mechanism acceptable to community residents. Residents’ participation in Community-based Ecotourism Development in Igbo Olodumare Sacred Grove is poor, however their willingness to participate is high. Level of education, religion, and length of stay largely influenced willingness to participate in Community-based Ecotourism Development. Capacity building initiatives with emphasis on involvement in planning, implementation, and evaluation, should be introduced by the stakeholders, particularly at the community level, for improvement in residents’ participation.