The Ts 'ehlanyane National Park in Lesotho as a sustainable resource: community perspectives, participation and perceptions
This study is about community perceptions, perspectives, management and benefits relating to sustaining Ts'ehlanyane National Park as a natural resource facility in Leribe; Lesotho. The study seeks to examine the extent to which the community benefits from the natural resource. In this regard, Mowforth et aJ (2008) suggest that people whose present quality of life is not of an acceptable standard, the resources that they have if sustained, could be available for them and their children to potentially achieve a better quality of life in the future. Achieving sustainability is now the underlying principle for all types of human activities, including tourism. Following this research approach, it is realistic to map out the objectives listed below, so as estimate what the study seeks to achieve in the final analysis. The objectives are as follows: a) To establish the extent to which Ts'ehlanyane National Park stakeholders understand the meaning of sustainable tourism, b) To identify the participation of the local community in managing the Ts'ehlanyane National Park. c) To reveal the management practices and strategies used in sustaining the Ts'ehlanyane National Park as a tourism resource. d) To examine the community's viewpoints pertaining to the sustainability of the development on Ts'ehlanyane National Park. e) To investigate tourism-related community benefits acquired through sustainable development of Ts'ehlanyane National Park. f) To propose a strategic management model that can be used as a scheme towards improving the sustainable management of Ts'ehlanyane National Park. These objectives were formulated in order to find out about the communities' perceptions, perspectives and participation on sustaining Ts'ehlanyane National Park as a resource facility. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires, which had open ended, closed ended and Likert type of questions. Data was therefore collected and analysed through the use of a computer programme called Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). This research inquiry fundamentally came up with the following findings: (a) The local stakeholders (tourists, service providers, park officials and the community) at the Ts'ehlanyane National Park (TNP) have a good understanding of the meaning of sustainable tourism, (b) The participation of the community in managing the TNP was found to be adequate and worthwhile, (c) The management practices and strategies used in sustaining the TNP as a tourism resource were found to be sufficient and well attuned to establish sustainability. (d) The tourism-related community benefits acquired through sustainable development of the TNP were sufficiently developed. Finally, the study was able to propose a general strategic management model, which could be used as a scheme towards improving the sustainability of the TNP. The scheme was based on the literary sources used, the empirical findings and the interpretation of the data used in the study.
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