Support Zone Communities' Perspectives on the Potential Benefits of Ecotourism in Old Oyo National Park, Nigeria

Ecotourism benefits to local communities are germane to support for conservation. This study determined the perspectives of the residents of support zone communitieson of Old Oyo National Park on the potential benefits of ecotourism. It was a questionnaire survey involving 150 residents of the support zone communities (rural and urban communities) of the Park. Data obtained were subjected to descriptive, independent t-test, chi square, and Pearson’s correlation analysis. Results indicated that 60.9% and 69.5% of respondents in rural and urban communities respectively were male, the mean age for rural communities’ residents was 42.1 while it was 38.4 for urban communities, In addition, 42.9%% and 40.7% had non-formal and primary education respectively in rural communities while 35.6% and 33.9% had primary and secondary education in urban communities. Economic development, social development, community capacity building, and environmental potential benefits of ecotourism were perceived very high by the respondents while cultural benefits were perceived high. In all, environmental protection benefits of ecotourism were rated highest while the least were cultural benefits. For the environmental benefits of the park to be sustainable, support for conservation of cultural, historical and biodiversity resources of the park by rural communities, who are the custodians of these resources, social development of the rural areas through continuous and sustained interventions should be improved upon.