Social safeguard for protected area tourism : safeguard measures for the protection of indigenous and local populations in sub-Saharan Africa

Tourism projects may have both positive and negative consequences for communities that live in and around protected areas. Protected area managers, project proponents and community members should be made aware of these possibilities during the design phase, risks should be identified, and then actions should be taken to reduce the chance of their taking place. The objectives of this social safeguard for protected area tourism include to: - Guide the systematic social assessment of tourism project proposals in protected areas and their buffer zones. - Contribute to integrating social considerations into the decision-making process. - Help assess the possible social risks and the impacts (positive or negative) associated with a tourism development intervention. - Help define measures and processes to effectively manage risks and enhance positive impacts. - Guide stakeholder engagement to enhancing the quality of project proposals and increase local ownership. The focus of this document is to describe social safeguards for protected area tourism, and to provide links to resources elaborating social standards.