Effect of Wildebeest Migration Pattern on Sustainability of Tourism Development at Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem: A Transboundary Resource Management Perspective

- Sustainable tourism development in the Serengeti-Mara region seemingly depends largely on the wildebeest migration phenomenon. This is particularly due to its appeal to the tourist and its classification as one of the new wonders of the world by UNESCO. The phenomenon has over the years been used as a flagship/marketing tool to project the ecosystem as a leading tourism destination. This has resulted in proportionate flow of tourist to the region to witness this unique occurrence. Development of facilities to meet demands of tourists has also grown in tandem. However, continuity/persistence of the phenomenon has not been interrogated. Environmental management, resource use practices & other human activities on either side of the Kenya-Tanzania boundary have begun to alter the spectacular nature of the migration. Eventually, this trend may truncate the phenomenon altogether. This questions sustainability of tourism development. The main objective of this study was to assess the role of the wildebeest migration phenomenon in sustainable tourism development in the MSE. This was done by interrogating continuity of the phenomenon from a transboundary resource use and management perspective. Abstract- Sustainable tourism development in the Serengeti-Mara region seemingly depends largely on the wildebeest migration phenomenon. This is particularly due to its appeal to the tourist and its classification as one of the new wonders of the world by UNESCO. The phenomenon has over the years been used as a flagship/marketing tool to project the ecosystem as a leading tourism destination. This has resulted in proportionate flow of tourist to the region to witness this unique occurrence. Development of facilities to meet demands of tourists has also grown in tandem. However, continuity/persistence of the phenomenon has not been interrogated. Environmental management, resource use practices & other human activities on either side of the Kenya-Tanzania boundary have begun to alter the spectacular nature of the migration. Eventually, this trend may truncate the phenomenon altogether. This questions sustainability of tourism development. The main objective of this study was to assess the role of the wildebeest migration phenomenon in sustainable tourism development in the MSE. This was done by interrogating continuity of the phenomenon from a transboundary resource use and management perspective. Thematically, the migration phenomenon was looked at from its spectacular features namely; the migration route, population/numbers, migration pattern/season & timing and composition of the migrating community. The intention was to assess the relationship between these features and tourism development in the region. The study was guided by Rational Choice Theory and Tragedy of Commons Theory. Among the concepts explored included Political Ecology, Transboundary Natural Resource Management, Integrated Natural Resource Management and the concept of sustainability. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the field. A pilot survey at Lake Nakuru National Park was used to test reliability of the research instrument. The research instrument was also subjected to scrutiny by subject matter experts to determine content validity. The target population for the study was 14983 individuals drawn from conservation agencies employees, business community and local community members. A strata sample size of 221 was obtained using coefficient of variation from Nassiuma’s formula. The sample size was adjusted upwards based on response rate from the pilot survey to cater for nonresponse during the main study. Based on this, an adjusted sample size of 339 was adopted for the study. A combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques was explored when collecting and analyzing data in the practical field study. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and presented using tables, scatter plots & bar graphs. Knowledge so produced is expected supplement existing literature and contribute towards informing and guiding on management of transboundary resources to ensure sustainable development.