Abstract:
This study tried toinvestigate major challenges of natural resources conservation management
in Mekit from local governments, local communities, community project managers, cultureand tourism
office experts. A total of 188 purposively and systematically selected respondents using simple random
and snowball sampling technique to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Both primary and
secondary data were collected through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires,FGDand documents.
Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis with the help of SPSS version 22
to investigate major challenges of natural resources conservation management. Regardless of Mekitis
rich with a variety of natural resources;it has been highly challenged due to agricultural land
expansion, deforestation and population expansion. Mean and standard deviation values of respondents
showed that ecotourism site of Mekit has been still affected by illegal hunting, local communities have
no sense of ownership, free grazing, human wildlife conflict, land ownership problems, involuntary
evacuation of local communities from their site, less government participation, poor collaboration and
coordination among stakeholders. Thus, all relevant stakeholders shall capitalize on natural resources
conservation initiatives whilst strongly working on challenges of natural resources conservation
management to encourage sustainable livelihoods development of Mekitin particular and Ethiopia in
general.
