Sustainability of the community-based ecotourism development in the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve, Kazakhstan: An evaluation through local residents' perception

Akbar, Imanaly et al. Article Sustainability of the community-based ecotourism development in the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve, Kazakhstan: An evaluation through local residents' perception REGION Provided in Cooperation with: European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Suggested Citation: Akbar, Imanaly et al. (2022) : Sustainability of the community-based ecotourism development in the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve, Kazakhstan: An evaluation through local residents' perception, REGION, ISSN 2409-5370, European Regional Science Association (ERSA), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Vol. 9, Iss. 1, pp. 69-82, https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v9i1.335 This Version is available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/312627 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. 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If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Volume 9, Number 1, 2022, 69–82 journal homepage: region.ersa.org DOI: 10.18335/region.v9i1.335 ISSN: 2409-5370 Sustainability of the community-based ecotourism development in the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve, Kazakhstan: An evaluation through local residents’ perception Imanaly Akbar1, Sergeyeva Aigul Maksatovna2, Myrzaliyeva Zabira Kazbekkyzy 3 , Tazhekova Akmaral Zhaksybekkyzy 3 , Saulembaev Altynbai Tagabayevich3, Mominov Serik Abdukarimovich1 1Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan 2K. Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University, Aktobe, Kazakhstan 3South Kazakhstan State Pedagogical University, Shymkent, Kazakhstan Received: 28 September 2020/Accepted: 1 February 2022 Abstract. The development of community-based ecotourism (CBE) has the potential to preserve biodiversity and protect the environment, as well as play an important role in the socio-cultural, economic and politically sustainable development of the community. This paper assesses the implementation of CBE development and compares the sustainability of ecotourism development between the Zhabagly community and the Abaiyl community. The data is obtained mainly through the household questionnaire survey, field observations, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. 222 representative families were surveyed with 5-point Likert scale questions in this paper including 166 Zhabagly and 56 Abaiyl participants. The study used 18 indicators based on 4 dimensions: environmental, sociocultural, economic and political. Results from this analysis indicate that the sustainability of CBE development in two communities is slightly different in all 4 dimensions. Zhabagly community is more successful in achieving sustainable CBE development than the Abaiyl community. The results reveal that the overall evaluation of the two communities on sustainability is moderate. However, both communities demonstrate that, potentially, they are politically unsustainable. As a result, we initially assert that the sustainability of CBE development in the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve (NR) is far from perfect. In particular, the positive economic and political impact of tourism development is not obvious. To address this shortcoming, tourism development organizations need to jointly develop a design policy for the sustainable development of CBE. Key words: Community, Ecotourism, Sustainable development, Nature reserve, Aksu- Zhabagly, Kazakhstan 1 Introduction The Global Ecovillage Network developed local and community-based planning initiative guidelines to improve sustainability and develop community sustainability assessments (Sch¨afer et al. 2018). These guidelines act as a tool to compare the status quo of existing environmental, social, cultural and spiritual sustainability goals for existing villagers and rural communities. Indicators have been identified as ideal tools and/or metrics for 69 70 I. Akbar et al. assessing and monitoring progress in sustainable development (Tsaur et al. 2006). The has been promoting the use of sustainable tourism indicators to measure sustainable tourism management as an important tool for decision-making (Mearns 2011). In order to improve the sustainability of the community-based ecotourism (CBE) sites, it is determined to use sustainable tourism indicators to test the effectiveness of tourism implementation (Tanguay et al. 2013). CBE has tools for biodiversity and natural environmental protection, including the protection of cultural heritage, economic development and favorable government policies that empower the local community involvement in sustainable management to build sustainable community development. Environmental sustainability can also get help from sustainable ecotourism, which effectively manages the implementation practice and longterm maintenance of natural resource planning for future generations to use (Theingthae 2017). Ecotourism development will provide an opportunity to local people to support the sustainable use of culture and heritage sites. At the same time, revenues generated from culture and heritage sites will be used for conservation and maintenance (Theingthae 2017). Attracting a large number of tourists to ecotourism destinations while focusing on long-term maintenance of an area’s unique environment can create economic benefits for the community development and contribute income to the local people (Gilmore et al. 2007). To achieve long-term success in community ecotourism development, the government must ensure local people’s involvement in tourism development’s decisionmaking and planning process. At the same time, the government should also pursue a policy of poverty reduction based on the sharing of benefits from community tourism management (Keovilay 2012). This paper aims to assess the execution of CBE development in Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve (NR) by comparing the sustainability of ecotourism development in the neighboring two communities (Zhabagly and Abaiyl settlements). The reason is that sustainable ecotourism development based on the aforementioned four dimensions of sustainable management will help to make it more profitable for the local community of Aksu-Zhabalgy NR. 2 Literature review 2.1 Community-based ecotourism development It is universally recognized that community-based tourism initiatives reduce poverty by increasing incomes and providing rural communities with tools and education for long-term critical thinking and decision-making. CBE is a type of ecotourism that focuses on the development of local communities and allows local people to significantly control its development, management and participation, at the same time, part of the profit should be allocated to community development (Denman 2001,Wood 2002). CBE essentially helps protect biodiversity and wildlife and supports the idea that people living in natural areas should participate in decision-making about conservation strategies (Reimer, Walter 2013). CBE authorizes the host community to participate in the decision-making of ecotourism planning while considering the positive and negative impacts on the environment, social culture and economy (Kaplan 2015). CBE destinations bring potential benefits to individuals, communities and the entire country in terms of creating employment opportunities, foreign exchange earnings and improving the well-being of local residents (Mbaiwa 2003). Moreover, from a social point of view, nature-based ecotourism employs the local population and promotes the development of the regional economy, as well as assures the quality of life among the local population, preserves environmental values and provides quality services to tourists (Williams, Fennell 2002). Development organizations see CBE as a potential source of economic development and poverty eradication, especially in rural areas with limited agricultural potential. For example, in the past decade, CBE in East Africa and Southern Africa has seen the strongest growth in the global market because of its positive economic impact on the people of the region, making it an essential industry (UNWTO 2001). CBE has increased local income and built the regional economy by protecting the local ecosystem and culture. However, only when the community sees the benefits of ecotourism development, and when the REGION : Volume 9, Number 1, 2022 I. Akbar et al. 71 development of ecotourism does not harm their environment and affect their main source of livelihood, will ecotourism get support among the local community (Alexander 2000, Walpole, Goodwin 2001,Salafsky et al. 2001). CBE and responsible tourism should be part of a sustainable development strategy. Environmental sustainability includes present generations’ preservation of natural heritage and biodiversity, and the preservation of important environmental processes for future generations (T¨orn 2007). However, the CBE project has become a double-edged sword for realizing natural resource protection and improving the livelihoods of host communities (Spenceley, Snyman 2012). For example, for rural communities that use forests and other natural resources as their main source of livelihood, these natural resources are at risk of overexploitation (Mensah 2017). 2.2 Sustainability of community-based ecotourism development Sustainable ecotourism is embodied by an approach to explore natural resources and unique cultures and traditions without harming natural and cultural resources. Ecotourism is considered as a tool for nature protection and sustainable development, so how to maintain the sustainable development of ecotourism has become an important issue. Ecotourism is a form of sustainable tourism based on natural resources and it mainly focuses on experiencing and learning about nature, landscape, flora, fauna and their habitats, as well as local cultural handicrafts (Dowling, Fennell 2003). Ecotourism is concentrated on activities such as restoration and conservation, community and sustainable tourism visits (Fennell, Weaver 2005). Sustainable ecotourism requires minimizing the consumption of natural resources and cultural heritage as tourist attractions, and it should aim to bring socio-economic benefits to the community, protect the environment and protect cultural traditions (Ok et al. 2011). The goal of ecotourism is to understand culture and history, not to change or destroy biodiversity and ecosystems (Cheia 2013). When promoting ecotourism to a community that solely depends on the extraction of natural resources, awareness raising and a practical implementation of sustainability is essential to gain community support (Ekwale 2014). In order to protect the environment and preserve biodiversity, it is necessary to involve all stakeholders in the implementation of ecotourism policy based on sustainable development (Kumara 2016). Sustainable community-based ecotourism development aims to understand residents’ views on actual implementation based on sustainable practices (Theingthae 2017). In ensuring the sustainability of ecotourism products, it is necessary to pay attention to the safety of visitors, the quality and authenticity of service, while respecting cultural sensitivity and environmental protection (Pomering et al. 2009). 3 Case study description 3.1 Study area overview Aksu-Zhabagly Reserve is Kazakhstan’s second natural world heritage site, and it offers amazing and diverse landscapes from semi-deserts to snow-capped peaks. The Aksu- Zhabagly State Nature Reserve was established in 1926 and it is located in the north-west of Talas Alatau and the south of Karatau in the Western Tien-Shan. Aksu-Zhabagly was listed by UNESCO as a natural world heritage site in accordance with the criteria of (vii–To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance) and (x–To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity) on July 17, 2016 (whc.unesco.org, 2016). It is a unique wilderness experience where marmots, wild goats, lynxes, wolves, bears, argali and deer live. The wild tulips, the unique natural apples, and the snow leopards (which roam the high mountains of this area) in the Aksu-Zhabagly reserve spread its name all over the world (Akbar et al. 2021). It is home to 48% of regional bird species, 72.5% of vertebrates, 221 out of 254 fungi species, 63 out of 80 moss species, 15 out of 64 vegetation types, and 114 out of 180 plant formations found in the Western Tien-Shan. Approximately 2500 insect species have been recorded in the reserve (Akbar, Yang 2021). Aksu-Zhabagly State Nature Reserve consists of three zones, it lies in Tulkibas district of Turkistan region and Jualy district of REGION : Volume 9, Number 1, 2022 72 I. Akbar et al. Figure 1: Aksu-Zhabagly NR of Kazakhstan in the Western Tian-Shan. Jambyl region of the Republic of Qazaqstan. The main part of the nature reserve (N42 16 34, E70 40 27) has a 131,704 ha property zone and a 25,800 ha buffer zone. The other two zones are Karabastau Sustainability 2020, 12, 143 5 of 18 paleontological areas (N42 56 24, E69 54 54) and Aulie paleontological area (N42 54 18, E70 00 00) with only property zones, 100 ha and 130 ha, respectively (Akbar et al. 2020). The Aksu-Zhabagly Biosphere Reserve is located in four districts of two oblasts in the most densely populated region of Kazakhstan with a total population of about three million people. Approximately 150,000 people live in the transition area of the Aksu-Zhabagly Biosphere Reserve. The main economic activities of neighboring settlements are agriculture, plant growing, and cattle breeding. In the last 10 years, ecological tourism has become highly popular in the reserve, mainly due to ornithological and botanical foreign tourism, and local recreational tourism (Akbar, Yang 2021). Aksu-Zhabagly NR has many tourist attractions, such as gorges, various landscapes and caves. For the development of ecotourism, 10 tourist routes have been developed which were funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project. Along with natural sites, cultural heritage is also of interest for tourism. Medieval cities (Sharafkent and Isfidzhab), ancient mounds (50-60 km from Zhabagly), the sacred place – Baibarak spring and rock paintings – petroglyphs are part of the history of the region. All the aforementioned facts underscore the diversity of the flora and fauna across the terrain of Western Tien-Shan. This region contains unique sites of upper Jurassic flora and fauna, which, undoubtedly, improves the value of biological and landscape diversification and strengthens the case for nature conservation. 3.2 Case study background In our study, two neighboring communities (Zhabagly and Abaiyl) are selected that are considered to be the most affected by the development of ecotourism in Aksu-Zhabagly NR. As these two selected settlements are the closest to the reserve area, and the main roads leading to the reserve territory pass through these areas. Zhabagly and Abaiy settlements are electrified and they have good telephone and internet systems. The roads are mostly asphalted, but need repair. Zhabagly community Zhabagly village is an administrative unit of Tulkibas district. It includes the settlement of Zhabagly, Abaiyl, and Russian Railway 117. The total population of the Zhabagly village is 3,048 people, including 2,401 people of Zhabagly settlement, 545 people of REGION : Volume 9, Number 1, 2022 I. Akbar et al. 73 Figure 2: Zhabagly and Abaiyl community location. Abaiyl settlement, and 102 people of settlement Russian Railway 117 (National Bureau of Statisttics 2019). Zhabagly settlement is 17 km South East of the town Turar Ryskulov (formerly Vannovka), the administrative center of Tulkibas district. Zhabagly settlement has a public transportation connection to the town of Turar Ryskulov and the city of Shymkent. Lying adjacent to the Western Tien-Shan Mountains, Zhabagly settlement is the gateway to Aksu-Zhabagly State Natural Reserve (Figure 2). Most people from Zhabagly settlement are herders and farmers. The population size is larger compared with the two other nearby settlements, with a total of 2,401 people, of which the economically active population is 1,571 people; nearly all of them Kazakhs. There are 4 Shops, 14 limited liability companies and 4 industrial complexes in the village center. Zhabagly settlement has 4,612.7 ha of agricultural land, 1,755 ha non-irrigation land, 569 ha of irrigation land, 116.7 ha of meadowland and 2,172 ha of pastureland. There are 1,171 cows, 645 horses, 4,151 sheep and goats, and 5,757 poultry birds in the Zhabagly village center (National Bureau of Statisttics 2019). And there are mainly 4 tour operators’ offices and guest houses in the village center, two of them are located on the gateway of the Aksu-Zhabagly world heritage site. Abaiyl community Abaiyl settlement is located between Zhabagly village center and Akbiik village of the Tulkibas district. Most people from this settlement have a stable job, including many railway workers. The population size is not large, with a total of 545 people, of which 275 are economically active, nearly all of them are Kazakh people. There are no big shops, limited liability companies and industrial complex in this settlement. In total, this settlement has 73 ha of agricultural land, 45 ha of non-irrigation land and 28 ha of irrigation land. The settlement of Abaiyl contains 246 cows, 46 horses, 554 sheep and goats, and 1,122 poultry birds (National Bureau of Statisttics 2019). 4 Data and methodology 4.1 Data collection and methodology In this study a mainly quantitative research method was employed in data collection and analysis. A questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the sustainability of communitybased ecotourism development in the Aksu-Zhabagly NR. The Aksu-Zhabagly NR was REGION : Volume 9, Number 1, 2022 74 I. Akbar et al. selected because it has been identified as a more CBE developed area among nature reserves in Kazakhstan. Our advance study area observation helps to effectively perform questionnaire surveys for the primary data analysis. Field research was conducted in a roughly 3 week-long visit to the Aksu-Zhabagly ecotourism destination from the 2nd of March to 22th of March, 2019, with respondents selected from the settlements of Zhabagly (166 people out of an economically active population of 1,571) and Abaiyl (56 people out of an economically active population of 275). Focus respondents were the key CBET stakeholders (local residents) including eco-tour guides, guesthouse owners, cooks, taxi drivers etc., who are representatives from both Zhabagly and Abaiyl settlements. This study is based on quantitative research, a total 222 respondent participated in this study consisting of 156 local people in Zhabagly community and 56 from Abaiyl community. The questionnaire uses the five points of the Likert scale. The study used 18 indicators to measure progress toward improving the sustainability of CBE development in the case study. This was based on residents’ perceptions of the implementation of sustainable ecotourism development: Environment (4 indicators), Socio-cultural (5 indicators), Economic (5 indicators) and Political (4 indicators). The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the mean score and weighted average values. The weight of the indicator was calculated by: Indicator weight(wij ) = Mean score of each indicator Total indicators mean scores ×100 To determine sustainability, weight score of indicators within three relationship aspects are found by: yij =rij −1 mwij where yij is the weighted scores of the j -th indicator in the i -th aspect, rij is the mean score of the j -th indicator in the i -th aspect, and wij is the weight of j -th indicator in the i-th aspect, mexplains the four intervals of sustainability barometer. yi= k X j=1 yij where yi is the sum of weighted score for the i -th aspect; and k is the number of indicators included in the i-th aspect. The study used the Barometer of Sustainability to determine gradations of sustainability (Ko 2005). And four interval scales of 1-100 were used, in which 1-25% was classified as “unsustainable (bad)”, 26-50% was classified as “potentially unsustainable (poor)”, 51-75% was classified as “potentially sustainable (good)” and 76- 100% was classified as “sustainable (excellent)”. Interval scales denoted the indicator mean score between 1 and 5, where 1.0-2.0 denoted unsustainability, 2.1-3.0 denoted potential unsustainability, 3.1-4.0 denoted potential sustainability and 4.1-5.0 denoted sustainability. To determine the contribution to sustainability from a relationship aspect, the achievement scores were obtained by: Di=yi wi ×100% where wi is the sum of weighted, yi is weighted scores, and Di is the i -th relationship aspect. Theingthae (2017) used this method in his study. His paper assesses the implementation of CBE and compares the sustainability of ecotourism development between the Tha Chat Chai Buddhist (TCCB) community and the Bang Rong Muslim (BRM) community. The results reveal that ecotourism sustainability varied greatly between two communities with empowerment and local community involvement in the implementation of CBE. However, both communities have the poorest possible sustainability rating on the economic dimension. REGION : Volume 9, Number 1, 2022 I. Akbar et al. 75 Table 1: Details of resident sample responses (n = 222) Zhabagly (n=166) Abaiyl (n=56) Characteristics Percentage Percentage Gender: Male 66.3 67.9 Female 33.7 32.1 Age (years): Young (18–34) 36.2 39.3 Middle age (35–54) 53 48.2 Elder (≥55) 10.8 12.5 Ethnicity: Kazakh 91.6 92.8 Russian 4.8 3.6 Other 3.6 3.6 Education: Middle (school or college) 85.5 89.3 High (university or above) 14.5 10.7 4.2 Demographic characteristics of respondents Table 1shows that out of the 222 respondents, 166 were from the Zhabagly settlement and 56 were from the Abaiyl settlement. Since men generally go out to work in remote villages to earn money while women do housework and raise children, the number of men we interviewed is almost twice as large as that of women, with 66.3% (from Zhabagly) and 67.9% (from Abaiyl) respectively. The highest number of respondents was the middle-age group (35–54) with (53.0%) from Zhabagly and (48.2%) from Abaiyl respectively, followed by the young (18–34), with 36.2% (Zhabagly) and 39.3% (Abaiyl). And the lowest number of respondents was the elder group ( ≥ 55), with (10.8%) from Zhabagly and (12.5%) from Abaiyl respectively. Nearly all respondents were Kazakhs: 91.6% from Zhabagly and 92.8% from Abaiyl were interviewed, respectively. At the same time, survey questions were answered by 4.8% people of Russian ethnicity and 3.6% other ethnic groups in Zhabagly and 3.6% Russian and 3.6% other ethnic groups in Abaiyl. Most respondents had the middle level (school or college) of education, with 85.5% of Zhabagly and 89.3% of Abaiyl while only 14.5% (Zhabagly) and 10.7% (Abaiyl) had received higher education (university or above). 5 Results Sustainable tourism enables people to participate and benefit from it. Developing sustainable tourism activities can generate income for local residents and build community facilities. However, it is not only local people who will benefit from sustainable tourism resources, with the private sector also seeing benefits (Polnyotee, Thadaniti 2015). In order to achieve a sustainable development of tourism, tourism development should obtain a higher level of satisfaction or good perception from the local community. To measure the sustainable development of tourism types in a designated area, it is necessary to study how the community as a whole evaluates the area as a tourist destination. Therefore, we consider the following indicators to determine the sustainability of community-based ecotourism development in the Aksu-Jabagy NR. They are the four main components of sustainability principles, including the environmental, socio-cultural, economic and political dimensions. Based on the description and analysis of questionnaires, the results from the total assessment of implementation of sustainable ecotourism management is shown in Table 2. REGION : Volume 9, Number 1, 2022 76 I. Akbar et al. Environmental dimensions In the environmental dimensions of CBE development, it is commendable that Zhabagly community is achieving a higher level of compliance. The residents of Zhabagly community recorded the highest mean score on the “existence of flora and faunal biodiversity management plan” (4.52). Since the territory of Aksu-Zhabagly NR is state-owned land which the government controls and holds a monopoly on, including its natural resources, residents and enterprises can engage in activities permitted by law around natural public areas. The residents of Zhabagly community also recorded the highest mean score on “providing and development knowledge of local people in environment conservation” (4.27), reflecting the fact that the people living in Zhabagly settlement have participated in educational activities highlighting the importance of protected natural areas and environmental protection enforced by relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations. Conversely, the residents of Abaiyl community recorded a medium mean score on the implementation of environmental sustainability dimensions. The lowest mean score recorded from Abaiyl community was on the “trained and development knowledge of local people in ecotourism management” (3.20). This is due to the fact that the majority of the population in this area is railway workers, who are on duty and do not often take part in the tourism development strategies in the reserve. Socio-cultural dimensions Overall, on a comparison of basic descriptive analysis, the Zhabagly community have a higher level of perception on the indicators of tourism’s positive socio-cultural impact. For the residents of Zhabagly settlement, the perceived highest mean score is on “rehabilitation and conservation of local cultural and historical values” (4.18). At the same time, Zhabagly community also perceived relatively higher compliance with “existence and revival program of traditional clothing, music and dance” (3.89) and “recovery & implementation of local traditional rituals and festivals” (3.71) respectively. It can be seen from the Table 2 that the degree of compliance of the Abaiyl community in indicators of a socio-cultural dimension is moderate. The highest perception from the Abaiyl community is on “existence and revival program of traditional clothing, music and dance” (3.59). Conversely, both the residents of Zhabagly and Abaiyl community perceived the lowest compliance with “implementation of quality infrastructure development” (Zhabagly=3.21 and Abaiyl=2.57 respectively), which indicated that the state of infrastructure development in Aksu-Zhabagly tourism destination is still at a lower level. Economic dimensions In relation to the economic dimensions, results showed that both communities are implementing with a moderate level of compliance. Residents of the two communities perceived the highest mean score for “provide locals with employment opportunities” (Zhabagly=3.68 and Abaiyl=3.51 respectively). And the lowest mean score in this dimension is on “promote the development of other economic sectors” (1.96), recorded by the community of Abaiyl. Because of longer distances from the core zone of the tourism destination, residents of the community of Abaiyl do not perceive a high degree of economic benefits from tourism (Figure 2). At the same time, the views of both communities that tourism “increases local residents’ household income” and “generates foreign exchange” are positive, with a mean score of greater than 3. However, they do not agree with the opinion that “tourism increases government tax revenue”, one of the main reasons for this is that most of Kazakhstan’s government budget comes just from the oil and gas sector, and tourism is not one of the priorities of economic development. Political dimensions Overall, the communities of Zhabagly and Abaiyl have a less positive perception relating to the political dimension. Accordingly, the mean score of “promote investment that REGION : Volume 9, Number 1, 2022