Sustainable Manangement of Scuba Diving Tourism : A Study of the Marine Reserves of Bongoyo and Mbudya, Tanzania

Abstract: With an increasing understanding for the impacts of scuba dive tourism on the marine environments and local communities world-wide, research has recently expanded to include the perspectives of ecology, socio-culture and economy. However, due to the common lack of a transdisciplinary view, the following research aims at fulfilling the gap by viewing the management of scuba dive tourism at the two marine reserves of Bongoyo and Mbudya, Tanzania, through a sustainable perspective. Thereby, the research examines the ecological state of the marine environment as perceived by the scuba divers, the operation of scuba diving, as well as how scuba dive tourism relates to the major possibilities and challenges of the marine reserves. Supported in nature-based tourism management and the theories of recreation specialization and recreational succession, questionnaires were handed out to divers and interviews were conducted with stakeholders of the marine reserves, including a scuba dive operator, conservation groups and a private interest. The results portrayed degradation of the coral reef, with scuba diving constituting a minor influence, in comparison to the greater challenges of destructive fishing methods and lack of regulations. Thereby, the research illustrates scuba diving as a positive contributor to the marine environment, raising awareness on the need for conservation within both the local and the scuba diving community. Finally, the research concludes with proposals of sustainable management strategies for the operation of scuba diving within the marine reserves.