Assessment of Aesthetic Valeus of Old Oyo National Park

Abstract

The assessment of aesthetic values and a wide range of cultural and natural heritage resources in the Old Oyo National Park were investigated. These resources were classified into four ecotourism features. Their aesthetic values were carried out through objective (Expert 's judgement) and subjective (public preference) methods of landscape assessment. Descriptive inventory was carried out through transects walk wh ile public preference involves administration of questionnaires to the tourists. On the basis of objective method, the four classified features were subdivided into four characters and tabulated against tourist elements. The ecotourism features scored on the tourist elements were analyzed using chi-square test of homogeneity; it was concluded that the ecotourism features do not score equally on the various tourist elements. The result of subjective method revealed that the fauna resources have the highest scenic attractions supporting diverse ecotourism activ ities. Ho wever, the result of the descriptive inventory revealed that the hydrological features consisting of Dam Lake, Rivers and their tributaries and hand dug well scored highest on the seven categories of tourism elements compared with other ecotourism features. This research output will assist the management of Old Oyo Nat ional Park in integrating aesthetic value assessments and imp lementation as part of the planning process.