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Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

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<strong>the</strong> agreements would form instituti<strong>on</strong>al bodies with community and park authority representati<strong>on</strong><br />

for l<strong>on</strong>g-term m<strong>on</strong>itoring and evaluati<strong>on</strong> of resource use. The process would also include local legal<br />

instituti<strong>on</strong>s to facilitate by-law establishment and ensure that <strong>the</strong> basis of <strong>the</strong>se is understood for<br />

effective enforcement. Thus <strong>the</strong> SNRM programme was designed to streng<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> local instituti<strong>on</strong>al<br />

and legal framework to support this approach.<br />

Since <strong>the</strong> ratificati<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong> GMP, new federal regulati<strong>on</strong>s have been published that prohibit<br />

ei<strong>the</strong>r settlement or natural resource use in <strong>the</strong> BMNP and o<strong>the</strong>r Nati<strong>on</strong>al Parks in Ethiopia, rendering<br />

many of <strong>the</strong> acti<strong>on</strong>s in <strong>the</strong> SNRM programme unworkable. New strategies will need to be devised<br />

to deal with <strong>the</strong> threats to <strong>the</strong> park posed by settlement, agriculture and unsustainable resource use<br />

(Tadesse et al. this editi<strong>on</strong>).<br />

Tourism Provisi<strong>on</strong> and Management Programme<br />

This programme aims to develop and manage tourism in <strong>the</strong> BMNP in a culturally and envir<strong>on</strong>mentally<br />

friendly manner so that revenue generated through tourism c<strong>on</strong>tributes both to l<strong>on</strong>g-term c<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong><br />

management and to diversifying <strong>the</strong> livelihood opportunities of park-associated communities<br />

(see also Admasu et al. this editi<strong>on</strong>). Tourism is a growth area internati<strong>on</strong>ally and nati<strong>on</strong>ally and<br />

under this programme BMNP management would work with local communities and private sector<br />

tourism partners to provide a diverse visitor experience that takes advantage of <strong>the</strong> uniqueness of <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong>. Tourism provisi<strong>on</strong> requires detailed and comprehensive planning, with technical<br />

expertise that is outwith <strong>the</strong> scope of this GMP. Thus, for instance, improved marketing would be<br />

carried out in collaborati<strong>on</strong> with o<strong>the</strong>r actors with similar goals. A tourist friendly envir<strong>on</strong>ment will<br />

be created through training and discussi<strong>on</strong> with park staff, tourism partners and local communities.<br />

In additi<strong>on</strong>, high quality interpretative centres were planned.<br />

The primary role of <strong>the</strong> BMNP in tourism management is to develop, m<strong>on</strong>itor and enforce<br />

policies and guidelines. Tourism services will be provided by <strong>the</strong> private sector or community<br />

groups, under agreement with park management. Prototype c<strong>on</strong>cessi<strong>on</strong> agreements and leasing<br />

procedures were being developed so that private investors could become <strong>the</strong> implementing partners<br />

in tourism provisi<strong>on</strong>, and to ensure that benefits accrue equitably to both <strong>the</strong> park and park-associated<br />

communities.<br />

The GMP outlined strategies to enable communities to participate and share benefits from<br />

BMNP tourism. This included acti<strong>on</strong>s to improve understanding of tourists and <strong>the</strong> tourism industry<br />

in communities prioritised for community tourism development so that <strong>the</strong>y would have <strong>the</strong> ability<br />

to participate in an informed and proactive manner. Community Tourism Development Committees<br />

(CTDC) were to be established in target communities and capacity built to establish governance,<br />

tourism management and benefit-sharing structures. It was hoped that <strong>the</strong> CTDCs would be able<br />

to adopt and implement realistic community tourism developments and attempt to obtain funding<br />

for <strong>the</strong>ir c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong>. The BMNP would work with o<strong>the</strong>r actors in <strong>the</strong> ecosystem, nati<strong>on</strong>ally and<br />

internati<strong>on</strong>ally who have <strong>the</strong> technical knowledge to assist with community tourism.<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>Walia</str<strong>on</strong>g>-<str<strong>on</strong>g>Special</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Editi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> 252

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