Recreational Benefits and Economic Assessment of Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, Balochistan

Abstract

The paper seeks to assess the direct recreational benefits received by visitors at CWP, their financial contribution to local economy and the environmental education based on outcomes since park visits. A structured questionnaire was administered to 322 respondents; their data were processed and analyzed using descriptive statistics analysis of variance (ANOVA) as well as correlation analysis. The results demonstrated that the park is used by a richly diverse group of people, who are generally young adults, men and college educated. A large proportion of visitors had visited before, suggesting a good degree of park satisfaction and use. The main reasons cited as motivations for visiting the water body were natural-aesthetic and wildlife-viewing, educational interest, and experiential or adventure stimulus. Some of the key recreational benefits mentioned were enjoyment for improved mental health, knowledge on protection of wildlife and reduction of stress. The park also has strong local use benefits economically. Average amount spent by most of the visitors was PKR 300–500 at the park and who also patronize to outside businesses with 83% spending at local services not available at the park. ANOVA results revealed that satisfaction differed significantly according to visitors’ motivation and the extent to which they believed contributed with their visit to the local economy; correlation analyses showed a strong positive relationship between spending more and being more satisfied. Alternatively, environmental awareness was relatively high among the visitors and many of them perceive the importance of wildlife conservation and the role of park in ecology maintenance to that specific area. The attitudes had been highly associated with satisfaction and likelihood of recommending the park to others. However overall results of the study point out “Chiltan Wildlife Park” as vital institution with respect to its psychological and recreational impact, causing demand on local economy and in promotion of environmental awareness potential. The contribution of the park as a sustainable ecotourism site could be improved through education materials, facilities and safety.