The Unfenced Desert Towards a strategy for eco ... - Nwrc.gov.sa

Chapter five presents the results of questionnaires designed to assess public patterns
recreation and domestic leisure tourism, and public attitudes to wildlife and protected
areas. Circulation of questionnaires was deemed an appropriate approach given the lack
of published studies or recent information on public attitudes and patterns of domestic
tourism. The aim was on one hand to determine if there existed a potential market for
tourism development in wildlife protected areas and the forms this could or should take,
and on the other to provide a basis and direction for environmental education
programmes in conjunction with protected area visits. This section was felt to be
especially important for future planning, particularly in order to avoid the trap whereby
expatriate consultants do not adequately take into account regional and cultural factors.
Two targets were chosen for the questionnaires: students - the tourists and wildlife
protectors of the future, and adult males, including single men and heads of families.
Interviews with preliminary focus groups were used to construct trial questionnaires that
were circulated amongst a sample from the two target groups. Feedback from these
initial responses suggested modifications. Final drafts of the two questionnaires were
translated into Arabic, and crossed translated back into English by a third party to check
accuracy and lack of ambiguity. The student questionnaire was distributed to groups
visiting the National Wildlife Research Center in Taif, throughout 1999. The tourist
questionnaire was distributed to most of the main urban areas throughout Saudi Arabia
by staff of the NCWCD. Questionnaire responses were compiled into an Excel database
for analyses.
Chapter six comprises a review of the NCWCD’s protected area estate and the
establishment of a method to assess the suitability of individual sites for tourism
development and to rank these in order of priority. More than any other section, the
output from this review will provide in one location the information needed to proceed
with planning. A large amount of data was generated in the review of 12 sites; this has
been placed in an appendix in order that this report may function in the longer term as a
resource document. A wide range of source material was consulted, including
publications, unpublished reports, protected area management plans and NCWCD policy
documents. In addition, visits were made to nine of the 12 sites assessed, and discussion
held with both rangers and co-ordinators of protected areas. The review of protected
areas was presented for discussion to NCWCD staff during a general meeting, and
checked in detail for accuracy by staff of the NCWCD’s departments of protected areas
and planning.
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