Community Benefits and Challenges of Wildlife Tourism in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa

Using the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park as a case study, the chapter explores the benefits and challenges of wildlife tourism for the Askham community in South Africa. The chapter adopted a qualitative approach and data were collected from key stakeholders in wildlife tourism in the Kalahari region, including park managers, representatives of tourism departments, community-based organisations, tourism businesses and community leaders. In total, 21 interviews were conducted. Findings indicated that the KTP has fostered the development of an emerging wildlife tourism sector in Askham that has provided some livelihood activities to the community. Wildlife tourism establishments were found to play a role in supporting community initiatives. However, the findings illustrate the lack of diverse livelihood options which has resulted in dependence on wildlife tourism for job creation and economic development. Finally, the study found that the management and governance of the KTP can adversely affect tourism development and subsequently community benefits from wildlife tourism. This chapter makes theoretical contributions to wildlife tourism literature.