This study assesses community participation in a community-based tourism enterprise
in Botswana, the Khama Rhino Sanctuary Trust, founded in 1992. Data were collected
using structured and semi-structured questionnaires, interviews with key stakeholders
and community focus group discussions. Results indicate that although CommunityBased
Natural Resource Management is popular in many southern African nations,
communities still face challenges and constraints which hinder their participation in
community-based enterprises. While some other studies in Botswana indicate the value
of community-based tourism, 95% of adult residents in the Khama Rhino Sanctuary
Trust area did not know who owned the Trust, and 98% had never been to the Trust’s
lands. There was community disappointment about loss of cattle grazing and other
land-related benefits, lack of communication with the community, lack of benefits, the
low numbers employed and the slow progress of the project which did not record a
profit until 2008. But the Trust now has over 25% of the rhinos in Botswana and has
seen visitor numbers rise from 1820 in 1996 to over 21,000 in 2008. Suggestions for
the future include appointment of a community liaison officer, training for local people
in tourism and management and use of single-community rather than multi-community
trusts.