Get reliable rangeland science

The diminishing wilderness areas remaining in southern Africa offer opportunities to establish and market ecotourism destinations. It would thus be useful to gain insight into what conditions make certain ventures viable. With the aid of a model and using data from Ongoye Forest in South Africa, the long-term financial viability of three operational ecotourism scenarios is assessed: upmarket lodges, middle-of-the-range chalets, and campsites. The resulting "preferred" scenario depends on a specific weighted interest in favor of the community, the environment, or the investor. The economic realities of southern Africa suggest that without government support, it may be risky to invest extensive initial capital into the larger scale ecotourism projects proposed.