ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AT YANKARI GAME RESERVE

(A CASE STUDY OF BAUCHI - NIGERIA)

By

Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
Development of tourism Infrastructure at the Yankari Game Reserve,Bauchi, which is essentially a natural environment, raises obvious questions about its future in terms of the sustainability of wildlife conservation and biodiversity objectives and the provision of tourism and recreation. The research set out to answer the question, Has tourism infrastructure already passed some critical environmental thresholds? Will tourism infrastructure endanger the ecological well-being of Yankari Game Reserve? These are questions about how much change in terms of infrastructure provision is acceptable for sustainability of the Game Reserve. This thesis tries to address these questions at the Game Reserve Basecamp using the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) framework. Limits to change are examined by first surveying the status of the existing Infrastructure at the Basecamp, then the proposed development to be put in place and then the attitudes of tourism stakeholders and tourists toward present and future ecological conditions. Whereas tourists and non-tourists generally view present conditions as unacceptable in the study area, increased development raises red flags in the minds of both those who know the Game Reserve and tourists, especially at the Basecamp of the study area. Both tourists and non-tourists believed that more infrastructure development will lead to “change for the worse” in a wide range of environmental impact variables. On the other hand, all respondents agreed strongly that development and pristine environment pulls apart and that more infrastructure development in the Game Reserve would conflict with Game Reserve objectives. They however agreed that siting such facility in neighboring village such as Dindima and Mai- Namaji will bring more benefit to the community.