Creative innovation based on wildlife biodiversity for participatory ecotourism management in Prachuap Khiri Khan province

บทคัดย่อ

As the demand for housing and agricultural land increases, conflicts
between humans and wildlife have become more pervasive, resulting in
the unfortunate loss of wild elephants and gaurs in Prachuap Khiri Khan
Province (PKN). Meanwhile numerous wildlife species still hold potential
for tourism promotion. The necessary knowledge related to wildlife in PKN
was explored and synthesized to design and develop a wildlife tourism (WT)
innovation that involves local participation to address conflicts and promote
WT in the area. This innovation consists of four routes, a guidebook and
four video clips. Subsequently, use of WT innovation was evaluated with
tourists who participated in the program. After the trips, they reported high
satisfaction (84.33%) with the overall WT innovation. Feedback from users,
academics, and stakeholders revealed positive perceptions (+8.40) of the WT
innovation, acknowledging its benefits for wildlife ecotourism and expressed
low confidence (+2.39) in its ability to fully resolve human-wildlife conflicts
and generate substantial income for the local community. Finally, the 3A7M
wildlife ecotourism management model (3A7M model) was constructed based
on lesson learned from WT management in Kui Buri National Park (NP). This
model has been accepted by stakeholders who are relevant WT in PKN and can
serve as guideline for initiating WT management or enhancing WT potential in
any wildlife protected areas.