Firstly, this study uses community asset mapping guided by the Community
Capitals Framework (CCF) to explore the linkages between Protected Areas (PAs),
tourism and community livelihoods. Secondly, it assesses changes in community needs
facilitated by community participation in wildlife-based tourism in a protected area
setting. Thirdly and finally, the study assesses whether the introduction of community
wildlife-based tourism in a protected area as a sustainable management tool has led to the
spiraling up or down of community capitals. The study adopted qualitative research
method approach and made use of data collected through community asset mapping
supplemented by data from focus group discussions, households, key informants, and
secondary data materials that were analyzed and interpreted in light of community capital
framework. The Chobe National Park (CNP) and Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust
(CECT); a community living adjacent to CNP in Botswana provides the context on which
this study’s discussion focuses. Results indicate that the accession of Botswana from
colonialism through post colonialism era intertwined considerable institutional
arrangement changes in the field of protected area governance that reflects evolutionary
management styles. Protected areas, tourism and community livelihoods linkages are
based on many inter-dependents of community capitals relationships which are dependent
on community socio-economic activities. In assessing changes in community needs, the
results indicate that participation in wildlife-based tourism has brought both positive and
negative changes that have implications on both the status quo for community livelihoods
and protected areas, namely; the influence of changes in community capitals dynamics,
mechanization and commercialization of agriculture, government funded infrastructural
ii
development, income generation, and the commodification of some of the community
capitals. Finally, the increased livelihoods options and diversification dynamics, fragile
wildlife-livestock co-existence, heightened human-wildlife conflicts, environmental
education and awareness are the emerging themes that explain how the introduction of
tourism in a protected area setting affect the spiraling up and down of the community
capitals dynamics.