UJ Graduation Programme 13 May 2020 17h00

Harilal, Vyasha (PhD)

Vyasha Harilal holds a BA, a Honours and a Master ’ s in Social Sciences from the University of KwaZulu Natal. She lectures at the School of Tourism and Hospitality, UJ College of Business and Economics, specialising in ecotourism and the environment. Her thesis examined the socio-economic and environmental impacts of ecotourism, focussing on stakeholder and community perceptions in Cameroon. Grounded within the political ecology, social capital and stakeholder theories, the study employed a mixed-method research approach, incorporating two case study areas in Cameroon, selected based on post-colonial geopolitics. The key findings revealed significant differences in the community and stakeholder perceptions of ecotourism, examined from a geopolitical divide. Current ecotourism practices were found to be not entirely beneficial to local communities, owing to a high rate of exclusion in activities and decision-making processes. An uneven distribution of benefits accrued from the ecotourism activities lead to a strong sense of discontent and lack of trust between the communities and government authorities. Policy implications of these findings are proposed to inform future interventions in the development of the sector in Cameroon.

Supervisor: Prof TM Tichaawa Co-Supervisor: Prof J Saarinen

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