Tourism, protected areas, and the well-being of local residents near Bwindi, Uganda

Abstract

Background: Protected areas (PAs) increasingly aim to balance biodiversity conservation with community well-being. Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, a sanctuary for mountain gorillas, exemplifies this tension, having displaced indigenous Batwa communities while promoting tourism-driven growth.
Aim: This study examines how tourism influences residents’ well-being and identifies systemic barriers to equitable benefit-sharing in BINP peripheral areas.
Setting: Focused on Mukono – one of the 27 parishes bordering BINP – the research highlights a region marked by subsistence farming, tourism-driven infrastructure and soaring land prices, disproportionately affecting marginalised groups like the Batwa.
Methods: The qualitative case study integrated semi-structured interviews (n = 70) and Likert-scale surveys with long-term residents, complemented by gender-responsive follow-ups. Thematic analysis applied biocultural, capabilities and multidimensional well-being frameworks.
Results: Tourism bolstered livelihoods through jobs, infrastructure and global visibility but intensified inequalities via land displacement, rising costs and exclusion from high-skilled jobs. Residents prioritised well-being as basic needs, economic stability, social respect and spiritual health, yet structural barriers – limited education, landlessness and gender categorisation – constrained access to opportunities.
Conclusion: While tourism fosters growth, equitable outcomes require policies to address systemic inequities.
Contribution: The study advances inclusive tourism and conservation scholarship by centring local voices, advocating for gender-responsive programmes, land rights reform and participatory governance to align tourism with community values and justice.