Bale Mountains National Park - Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt

The primary role of BMNP in tourism management is to develop policy, guidelines, monitoring and
enforcement of tourism activities, while the tourism services will be provided by the private sector
or community groups, under agreement with BMNP management. Prototype concession
agreements and leasing procedures will be developed and implemented so that private investors
can be partners in tourism provision, where benefits accrue equitably to both the park and parkassociated
communities. BMNP’s capacity to manage and deliver an enriching tourism experience
will be strengthened and tourism management systems will be devised. These will include
strategies have been devised to enable communities to participate and share benefits from BMNP
tourism, whilst becoming central partners in BMNP tourism provision and management. This
involves implementing activities that will improve the level of understanding of tourists and the
tourism industry in communities prioritised for community tourism development so that they have
the ability to participate in an informed and proactive manner. Enabling communities to put in place
governance, tourism management and benefit-sharing structures is another initiative to be
undertaken as part of this GMP. This will be done in target communities by forming and building
capacity within Community Tourism Development Committees (CTDC). These CTDCs will be able
to adopt and implement realistic community tourism developments and attempt to obtain funding
for their construction. BMNP will work with other actors in the ecosystem who have the technical
knowledge to assist with such capacity building and developments.
Park Operations
The Park Operations Programme lays out a vision for a secure and efficiently run National Park,
using an adaptive management system that is a working model for protected area management
throughout Africa and elsewhere. Resource protection is a key feature of this programme and this
requires a number of initiatives. Park and zone boundaries will be agreed with local communities
and demarcated on the ground, after which procedures for park gazettement can be implemented.
Infrastructure development and the purchase of sufficient equipment is required for effective
management, particularly as staff numbers increase. An efficient patrolling and scout deployment
system will be designed and implemented, which will be in line with infrastructure development and
staff number increases, to expand the sphere of management influence beyond its current sphere
in the northern corner of BMNP.
As a priority BMNP will put in place administration and human resource management systems that
are efficient and effective and that will lead to a motivated, appropriately trained and professional
staff team. Park administration and financial systems will be modernised and streamlined, with
actions designed to implement an adaptive planning system that will monitor GMP implementation
and the changing context and thus will adapt accordingly. Finally, inadequate financing is a key
obstacle for BMNP management and actions have been drawn up that will improve understanding
of the economic and financial flows in the ecosystem and investigate innovative internal and
external funding mechanisms so that a comprehensive business plan for BMNP can be formulated.
Outreach Programme
The Outreach Programme is built on a strategy of effective partnerships that enhance dialogue and
participatory management, strengthen the global image of BMNP and facilitate livelihood
development. The programme is designed to increase dialogue and the mutual flow of information
between the park and relevant stakeholders by creating structures for dialogue at differing levels.
These include the formation of a Management Board, to oversee policy and BMNP management,
(including GMP implementation) and a Regional Steering Committee, which will include community
representatives, to have input regionally and coordinate with other governmental and nongovernmental
actors in the area. These groups will create a sense of involvement and ownership in
BMNP operations. Beyond this, the Outreach Programme will use other opportunities to engage
local, national and international stakeholders. These will include listing BMNP as a World Heritage
Site, using diverse media to increase awareness as well as strengthening and coordinating current
environmental education programmes.
Executive Summary xi