Resident attitudes towards conservation and black howler monkeys in Belize: the Community Baboon Sanctuary

The Community Baboon Sanctuary is held by the Belizean government to be a model for participatory ecotourism development. Membership in the Sanctuary is voluntary and involves a commitment to protect riverine resources as habitat for black howler monkeys (Alouatta nigra). While most local residents understand the intrinsic, aesthetic and material values of this important resource and recognize that protection of it can provide opportunities for promoting ecotourism activities in their communities, some members are dissatisfied with the project and threaten to withdraw their membership. This study aimed to define residents’ feelings about resource protection in their communities and their attitudes toward management of the sanctuary. Member and non-member households were surveyed, representing three of the eight villages located within the sanctuary boundaries; 74% of the sample were member households and 26% were non-member. Although the howlers had increased in number since the Sanctuary's establishment, many residents felt that neither their households nor themselves were benefiting. Some Sanctuary members argued that management was not well organized and that benefits to communities and individuals were not evenly distributed. Key issues included the extent and nature of benefits to local residents, perceptions regarding management capabilities, and how management is responding to these issues. While these problems existed, the majority of residents did not want the Sanctuary abolished and strongly supported maintaining Sanctuary status. They might not be reaping benefits directly, but they admitted their lives were no worse off than before and they recognized that some members were benefiting. They had hope that they, too, would be able to eventually take part in some type of tourism business. For long-term local support to be assured, management must orient its work to more directly address those factors that influence residents’ attitudes about the project, namely, the extent of local participation, representative organization, sound management structure, effective management capabilities, fair employment allocation, and education opportunities for community residents regarding the howlers, protection of their habitat, and the value of resource conservation.