Tourism revenue sharing (TRS) has become a popular strategy for integrated wildlife conservation and rural development in Africa. In Rwanda, 5% of tourism revenue is invested annually in communities adjacent to protected areas. However, the conservation impact of the TRS strategy has been challenged. Previous studies have revealed structural constraints of TRS, which partially explain TRS shortfalls. The TRS application is complex and needs deeper understanding of both conceptual and structural constraints. In this paper, we examine local perceptions of TRS, and use the Sustainable Livelihoods framework to conceptually understand the livelihood capability, equity and sustainability constraints of TRS at Volcanoes National Park (VNP). Results suggest that TRS has had minimal conservation impact due to acute food insecurity and limited livelihood capabilities among the poorest residents in proximity to VNP. This is exacerbated by several TRS structural constraints, such as the association membership fee requirement for TRS benefits, political influence, poor conservation linkages, and limited participation of the most socially and economically disadvantaged residents in proximity to VNP. This paper recommends restructuring of the TRS decision-making process to ensure consideration of both short-term and long-term conservation goals, wildlife conservation linkages and participation of the most economically disadvantaged residents in proximity to the park boundary.

Research models applying social exchange theory to examine factors predicting residents’ support for tourism have been challenged for their inability to explain support fully. Recent studies drawing from other theories indicated factors that arguably play a role in the social exchange relationship between perceptions of tourism impacts and support. One factor of interest is the cognitive appraisal process eliciting emotional solidarity with tourists (ES), which arguably predicts support. According to cognitive appraisal theory (CAT), residents' emotional feelings toward tourists result from a mental evaluation of how tourism is perceived to impact one's wellbeing. Although tourism studies applying CAT are emerging, knowledge is limited about the cognitive appraisal process that elicits ES. This article examines the nature of a cognitive appraisal process eliciting ES. Data were obtained from a random sample of 1477 residents of Oregon, United States. Results from a structural equation model, show that perceived positive tourism impacts strongly predict ES. Additionally, perceived positive tourism impacts indirectly impact ES through the expected change of wellbeing. This study also reveals that perceived negative community tourism impacts have a negative relationship with ES. Moreover, ES strongly predicts support. The article closes with a discussion of research and management implications.

Residents’ support for tourism is essential for the tourism governance. Currently, knowledge of factors influencing tourism support is inconclusive. Studies applying social exchange theory reveal that tourism support is a function of perceived tourism impacts. However, studies suggest that social exchange theory applications insufficiently explain determinants of tourism support. Using the Value-Attitude-Behavior approach, and quality of life concept, we examine factors likely to predict support for tourism. Our results suggest that residents’ perceived tourism impacts are strong determinants of their support for tourism. Additionally, our results suggest that quality of life does not mediate the influence of attitudes concerning tourism impacts on tourism support. Results also suggest that positive and negative tourism impact attitudes fully mediate the influence of commodity value orientations on tourism support. However, such attitudes were not found to mediate the influence of ecocentric value orientations on support for tourism. We discuss the implications of these findings.

This paper explores the perceived forms, and drivers of forest dependence at Volcanoes National Park. Using focus group interviews, we explored the perceptions of forest adjacent residents with direct access to conservation incentives, residents with no direct access to conservation incentives, and senior park managers. The paper reveals dominant forms of forest dependence, including, hunting for bushmeat, extraction of bamboo, bean-stakes, grass for cattle feed, and water for domestic use. The paper also reveals the primary drivers of forest dependence, including, food security constraints, and increase in the market demand of forest products. In addition, animal crop raiding was observed to be the main driver of food security constraints at the park. There were several notable variations in the perceptions. While residents attribute forest dependence to food security constraints, park managers attribute it to the increasing demand of forest products, resentment, stubbornness, and lack of jobs. It is argued that varied perceptions between park managers and residents could negatively affect conservation policies. Therefore, active participation of residents in all forms of wildlife conservation is strongly suggested. Several questions for future research are suggested. Notably, could conservation incentives influence increased demand of forest products, forest dependence, and biodiversity loss?

Although a positive relationship between tourism and quality of life is the premise of using tourism to support biodiversity conservation, tourism scholars rarely assess the relationship between tourism and community livelihoods with rigorous empirical methods, even less so in African contexts. Focusing on communities in the Greater Virunga Landscape in Rwanda and Uganda, we conducted a household survey to acquire empirical data to test novel hypotheses about tourism’s influence on capital assets, household resiliency, and subjective wellbeing. Using inferential statistical analyses (e.g., analysis of variance, chi-square difference test, and independent sample t-tests), we compared the responses from 346 residents who have direct access to tourism livelihoods with responses collected from 224 residents not engaged in tourism. Contrary to expectations, our findings suggest that tourism may not lead to dramatic differences in access to capital assets. However, we did discover moderate influences on household resiliency and subjective wellbeing. These intangible and subjective wellbeing outcomes of tourism-based livelihood programs are challenging to assess empirically. Yet, they may be among some of the most important from a human development standpoint. As a first effort to integrate three theoretical frameworks that have, to date, seen limited application in tourism research, this study has opened the door to further work at the intersections of capital assets, family resilience, and wellbeing theories. In conclusion, we argue that incentivizing the protection of local environments through tourism must be extended to other forms of capital, while also considering more nuanced manifestations of intangible wellbeing outcomes. As such, this paper makes a significant empirical contribution to the ongoing theoretical and practical debates about the tourism-conservation relationship.

Research on residents’ attitudes toward tourism suggests an exchange relationship between perceived tourism impact and support among residents. However, there is limited knowledge about the cognitive processes through which such a relationship occurs. This study demonstrates the potential utility of integrating cognitive appraisal and social exchange theories to explain the cognitive process linking perceived tourism impact, quality of life, and residents’ support for tourism. We used a survey of residents of Klamath and Linn Counties in the state of Oregon, United States, to obtain data from a random sample of 782 respondents. Using a structural equation modeling approach, we tested three competing theoretical models: the social exchange baseline model, the cognitive appraisal model, and a model integrating both theories. Results suggest that conceptual integration of social exchange and cognitive appraisal theories potentially improves the prediction of residents’ support for tourism. Results also suggest that positive tourism attributes and positive affective emotions can play vital roles in the cognitive processes determining residents’ support for tourism. We discuss the implications of these findings for future tourism research.