Evaluation of the Role of Tourism in Supporting the Niger Delta Marine Protected Areas

Abstract

The Niger Delta marine protected areas (MPAs) play a significant role in conserving and preserving the region’s rich marine biodiversity, ecosystem, and promoting sustainable sources of livelihoods for local communities. Tourism has been identified as a key strategy for supporting the marine protected areas, but its effectiveness in achieving conservation, preservation, and livelihood goals is ambiguous. A few studies on tourism have been carried out in the region, but none have a comprehensive approach that studied the protection of the MPAs, tourism, and livelihoods. The study aims to evaluate the role of tourism in supporting the Niger Delta MPAs, focusing on the economic, social, and environmental impacts of tourism on the marine protected areas. Some of the objectives are: to identify the various locations of the MPAs in the Niger Delta, to examine the current state of the MPAs and to ascertain the economic and social benefits of these MPAs. The study used a mixed methods approach, combining surveys, interviews, and observational data to assess the tourism industry. Yamane’s formula was used to determine a sample size of 400. A structured questionnaire was distributed to a cross-section of stakeholders by purposeful selection, including artisanal fishers, tourism operators, conservation NGO staff, and community representatives. The results show that economically, tourism reaches 78.5% of households as a supplementary income source, though for most it represents less than one-quarter of total earnings. Socially, the data reveal that 72.6% of respondents agree tourism creates jobs for the youth and 72.5% see it preserving cultural heritage, yet only 57.6% acknowledge improvements in community facilities. Environmentally, 64.5% of respondents believe tourism encourages marine and coastal protection, but 63.9% reported increased waste, and 54.3% noted that wildlife disturbance occurs in visited areas. The study also highlights the need for recommendations to improve tourism management and regulation to minimize environmental impacts and ensure that benefits are equally distributed among stakeholders. The study findings have implications for the development of sustainable tourism strategies that support marine protected areas conservation and community livelihoods in the Niger Delta region.