Perceptions of the impacts of nature conservation and ecotourism management : a case study in the Kakum conservation area of Ghana In recognition of the livelihood needs of local people that undermine non use conservation objectives protected areas are now said to have assumed a mandate to go beyond just biodiversity conservation to improving the welfare of local people through the provision of economic benefits across multiple scales. But in order to achieve the new mandate of protected areas there is a paradigm shift that seeks to promote a model of biodiversity conservation where livelihood activities are not just seen as compatible with biodiversity conservation but that it actually drives and facilitates conserv...