ABSTRACT
Ecotourism development (ED) is one of the factors promoting sustainable utilisation of
natural resources. Stakeholders‘ attitude towards natural resources in Old Oyo National Park
(OONP) can undermine or enhance conservation goals of the park. Information on
stakeholders‘ knowledge and perception that can be used for ED in OONP is limited.
Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge and perception of stakeholders on ED in OONP,
Nigeria.
Simple random sampling technique was used to select 220 residents in 27 out of 59
settlements within 20 km radius of the park. Stratified random sampling technique was used
to select 95 park staff (PS) and purposive sampling technique to select 354 tourists and 125
ecotourism-related entrepreneurs; giving a total of 794 respondents. Four sets of structured
questionnaire were used for the study. Information on socio-demographic characteristics (age,
education, ethnicity, occupation, income, cadre, number of visit, service provided),
knowledge and perception of stakeholders on ED, factors limiting ED and effectiveness of
park management strategies were assessed. Indices of knowledge about ED (1-26; poor 1-12,
good 13-26) and perception on ED (1-76; negative 1-75, positive 76-152) were generated.
Data collection was done during on- and off-seasons of ecotourism activities in 2014 and
2015. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, ANOVA and logistic
regression at α0.05.
Respondents‘ ages were 34.8±6.3, 32.4±6.1, 26.9±7.4 and 35.7±3.8 years for residents, park
staff, tourists and entrepreneurs, respectively. Residents (8.0%) and tourists (96.6%) had
tertiary education. PS cadres were senior (57.9%) and junior (42.1%). Tourists (95.2%) had
visited the park, twice. Entrepreneurs provided the following services: accommodation
(8.0%), food (37.6%), communication-related (14.4%), souvenir (7.2%) and transportation
(32.8%). Most respondents: residents (65.0%), PS (87.0%), tourists (66.0%) and
entrepreneurs (74.0%) had good knowledge of ED. Fifty-five percent of residents and PS
(65.0%) had negative perception of ED while most tourists (84.0%) and entrepreneurs
(61.0%) had positive perception of ED. Inadequate funding was considered as a serious
constraint to ED by residents (52.3%), PS (45.3%), tourists (64.7%) and entrepreneurs
(56.8%). Management strategy on environmental education was rated as poor by residents
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
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(67.7%), PS (45.3%), tourists (61.3%) and entrepreneurs (63.2%). There was significant
relationship between ethnicity and knowledge of residents on ED (χ2 =26.73) as well as
between occupation and perception of tourists on ED (χ2 =14.83). There was significant
difference between residents and PS on knowledge of ED (0.22±0.06) as well as between
residents and tourists on perception of ED (0.39±0.04).Igbo residents were more likely to
have good knowledge of ED than their Yoruba counterparts (OR: 2.20; CI: 1.18-4.11).
Tourists with monthly income of N50,000–N99,999 were more likely to have positive
perception of ED than those with monthly income of less than N50,000 (OR: 4.26; CI: 1.12-
8.24).
Majority of stakeholders had good knowledge of ecotourism development while only tourists
and entrepreneurs had positive perception of ecotourism development. Ethnicity and monthly
income affected knowledge and perception of stakeholders on ecotourism development.
Under-funding hindered ecotourism development in Old Oyo National Park.
Keywords: Ecotourism development perception, Ecotourism stakeholders, Natural resources
utilisation, Old Oyo National Park, Park management strategies
TUNDE, A (2021). Knowledge And Perception Of Stakeholders On Ecotourism Development In And Around Old Oyo National Park, Nigeria. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/knowledge-and-perception-of-stakeholders-on-ecotourism-development-in-and-around-old-oyo-national-park-nigeria-2
TUNDE, AJAYI "Knowledge And Perception Of Stakeholders On Ecotourism Development In And Around Old Oyo National Park, Nigeria" Afribary. Afribary, 11 Apr. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/knowledge-and-perception-of-stakeholders-on-ecotourism-development-in-and-around-old-oyo-national-park-nigeria-2. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
TUNDE, AJAYI . "Knowledge And Perception Of Stakeholders On Ecotourism Development In And Around Old Oyo National Park, Nigeria". Afribary, Afribary, 11 Apr. 2021. Web. 16 Oct. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/knowledge-and-perception-of-stakeholders-on-ecotourism-development-in-and-around-old-oyo-national-park-nigeria-2 >.
TUNDE, AJAYI . "Knowledge And Perception Of Stakeholders On Ecotourism Development In And Around Old Oyo National Park, Nigeria" Afribary (2021). Accessed October 16, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/knowledge-and-perception-of-stakeholders-on-ecotourism-development-in-and-around-old-oyo-national-park-nigeria-2