Proponents of neoliberal conservation approaches continue to paint a rosy
picture of the adopted approaches but what has been achieved in some places is not
as good as promised. Therefore, more investigations into neoliberalisation of nature
are necessary. This paper assesses the contribution of tourism development to
biodiversity conservation and how local communities are involved in protected area
tourism. The views of local people, tourism operators, protected area management
agencies, government departments and non-governmental organizations were
investigated through a qualitative study. Data was collected through in-depth
interviews, focus group discussions and document review, and thematically analyzed.
The findings reveal that Majete Wildlife Reserve, which was a paper park in 2003,
has been rehabilitated and is thriving with wildlife. Tourism infrastructure, which was
non-existent, has been developed providing income for biodiversity conservation and
sustainable community development. Local communities have started sharing in
tourism benefits and functional community participation has been achieved.