Ecotourism Landscape Regeneration: A case study of Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort, Ekiti State, Nigeria

4 November 2024

Introduction

Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort and Conference Centre is reputed to be the only confluence of warm and cold springs in the world, with each spring maintaining its thermal properties. However, the case is pathetic, as the springs have been left to degenerate. Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort and Conference Centre is a tourist destination located at Ikogosi, a town in Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State. The warm spring rolls down over a hilly landscape at 70°c, and from another hill rises a cold spring, which joins the warm spring at a confluence at the end, maintaining a temperature of 37°c. The meeting point of the warm and cold springs is a unique attraction to tourists. Together, they form a continuous stream. (Ojo-Lanre, 2012).

The reason for the hot and cold springs is that the farther the water travels underground, the warmer it becomes. If, by chance, the water is pushed through an earth fault, creating a spring, the flow will remain relatively high. The cold water comes from an adjoining hill (Adeyemi, 2011). The whole landscape, with its green vegetation, is fascinating. The immediate surrounding of the spring resort centre is about thirty hectares and is protected from erosion by tall evergreen trees, forming a canopy under which visitors can relax. The warm spring is said to have some therapeutic effects on diseases like rheumatism and guinea worm. The undulating topography enhances the aesthetic beauty of Ikogosi Town.

The traditional legend is that a local hunter discovered the Ikogosi warm spring during his hunting expedition.

Exhausted and parched, the hunter stopped by the water fountain, which he found to have a higher temperature than other similar streams in such a pristine environment. With fear and ecstasy, the hunter hurriedly went to the king’s palace to reveal the fantastic wonder he had just discovered. Straightaway, the king dispatched a retinue of traditional title chiefs to the site to validate the story. At last, it was confirmed to be true. Such a site must be idolised, the people thought to themselves, and one of the chiefs was immediately made the spiritual head of the “Awo” (the traditional name given to the warm spring). Similarly, the adjoining cold spring was named “Awele” The warm spring subsequently became a place of traditional worship and a point of intercession with the gods by the community for a long time, and it remained so until the coming of the Baptist Missionary Church into the town. (Ojo-Lanre, 2012).

The people of Ikogosi, while tendering this natural gift, had an encounter with a Baptist missionary, Reverend MacGee, a Briton, who was allocated some parcel of the land around the spring. Knowing the import of the spring, Rev MacGee built a Baptist youth camp on the land, made up of chalets, a chapel, his residence, a recreational corner and a dormitory. These are located on the right while passing through Ikogosi town to Ipole Iloro town. He managed the spring site as a tourism site and provided accommodation for visitors who streamed in to see and feel the wonders of the spring (Ojo-Lanre, 2012).

Over the years, its allure diminished with the neglect it suffered despite its promising start.

The Baptist mission established a youth and conference centre and other conveniences on a hill adjacent to the warm spring area, attracting local and foreign tourists in the 50’s. However, in 1978, Ondo State acquired it from the Baptist Mission, putting in a basic infrastructure before the Ekiti State government acquired the resort centre after it was carved out of Ondo State. It, however, suffered neglect until rehabilitation processes started in July 2011 (Itayemi, 2012). Landscape Regeneration of the resort facility began in October 2022 when a Nigerian company, Glocient Hospitality Limited (a subsidiary of Cavista Holdings), took the concession to operate the resort facility.

Landscape and Ecotourism

Landscape is central to sightseeing and tourism; without landscape, there may not be tourism.

Landscape is crucial to the development, promotion, and consumption of tourism destinations, to triggering and sustaining tourism markets, and to framing tourist dreams, fantasies, and behaviours. Landscape figures prominently through all tourism activities, including sight-seeing practices, overall spatial planning and management of a destination for tourism development. Landscapes of tourism reflect and stage recreational trends, multifunctional livelihood systems, conflicts and opportunities for employment and income generation, as well as human development, cultural, and natural resource management and use (Terkenli, 2021).

Tourism is the world's number one employment, generating more than US$4 trillion in economic benefits annually (Pennisi et al. 2004). It is also one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the world (Waterman, 2009). The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines tourism as the movement of people for leisure, business, or professional reasons to locations outside their typical environment. On the other hand, ecotourism is a portmanteau word that is derived from ecology and tourism. It means ecological tourism, a field of study considered a sub-component of sustainable tourism.

Ecotourism, as defined by the Global Ecotourism Network, is ethical travel to natural regions that protect the environment, maintain the welfare of the local populace, and foster knowledge and understanding among all parties involved, visitors, staff members, and the people being visited. Ecotourism is a style of vacationing or travelling that prioritises natural attractions while minimising environmental impact.

Travelers can establish a connection with the local wildlife, ecology, and culture while also assisting the local economy and local population. It has several advantages for residents, travelers, and the environment, and the proceeds from this kind of travel assist the neighbourhood rather than big businesses. Its popularity will only grow as more people search for more environmentally friendly travel options worldwide.

The five vital components of the tourism system are Attraction, Accessibility, Accommodation, Amenities and Activities. Tourism activity starts with the attractions. Attraction is one of the most important components that attract people to travel from one place to another and influence all other components. They can make or break a destination. The ultimate motive of any tourist is to experience the attraction, with accessibility and accommodation facilitating this experience. But it can be said that without attractions, there would be no tourism. Accommodation is another crucial component of a tourism destination. Any traveller choosing to visit any destination would firstly look for accommodation suited to their needs. Amenities are the services required by the tourist to facilitate their travel. Amenities are those facilities that complement the attraction. High-quality amenities are an essential aid to every tourism destination or centre. Attractions are often assisted by various activities that enhance the tourist experience. Accessibility is an integral component of tourism as it creates a linkage between market source and destination. Attractions are often assisted by various activities that enhance the tourist experience (Leiper et al., 1990).

Ecotourism activities are often more sustainable, healthier, and better than typical tourism trips because they consider how tourism affects the local environment. Ecotourism activities should also mean reducing your impact on the environment, supporting local communities, and increasing public awareness about environmental issues and conservation efforts. While environmental tourism shares some aspects with regular tourism, there are several ways in which ecotourism differs from traditional tourism.

Regenerative Landscape Design

This paper explores the use of regenerative landscape design to renew the landscapes of Ikogosi Resort. Integrating these components (regenerative, landscape, design) to address applied research challenges is supported by a transdisciplinary approach that centres on iterative co-design and co-creation.

Specifically, the codesign process is critical for identifying relevant participants and convening around shared values and objectives about landscape design features.

This is because regenerative systems are thought to occupy more desirable system states, necessitating an agreed-upon consensus of what may be most desirable and valued among alternative outcomes (Yarime et al. 2012; Keller et al. 2021).

The concession of Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort to Glocient Hospitality Limited necessitated initiating a regenerative landscape design for the resort facility. Tourists’ expectations revolve around two important components: attractions and activities. The entire resort currently sits on 111.27 hectares of land space. The site is located within Latitudes 7° 35’14” N and 7° 35’58” N and Longitudes 4° 58’26” E and 4° 59’ 20” E in Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Ekiti West Local Government Area is located in the Northeastern portion of Ekiti State. It is bounded on the North by Erijiyan Ekiti, South by Ipole Iloro and Ikogosi communities, East by Ipawo, and West by Iwaji localities. The Drone Imagery (Figure 1) shows the boundary of the Resort. (Konfluence Resources Associates Limited, 2022)

The resort map (Figure 2) guides tourists, guests, and visitors coming to the resort. The map helps tourists to move around the resort facilities. The resort facilities are subdivided into three camps: Camps A, B and C. The springs are situated at Camp C, while the other resort facilities are located at Camps A and B. Accessing the resort facilities is through 4 access gates, namely, the west gate, north gate, and south gate, with the main entrance into the resort being through the east gate.

The layout of the Ikogosi Resort Landscapes (Figure 3) is aimed at improving the tourists’ experiences at the resort facility. It is delineated into three parks that tourists can visit to recreate: Warm Springs Park, Forest Nature Park and Linear Park. While the warm springs park is existing, the forest nature park and linear park are proposed and currently under construction. This overview is hinged on the five vital components of the tourism system: attraction, accommodation, accessibility, amenities and activities. The existing warm springs park is where the natural attraction warm and cold springs exists with other built amenities (swimming pool, shopping centre and boardwalk). The warm and cold springs are currently the main attraction of the resort. The proposed forest nature park landscape design components include tall evergreen trees, lush green lawns, walkways, a pond, and park benches. They are designed to accommodate several leisure activities, including outdoor sports. In contrast, the components within the proposed linear park include a boardwalk, a nature conservation area, a mini zoo for exotic animals, and lush green lawns. When fully developed, these parks would ultimately attract many tourists and guests to the resort.

The regenerative landscape design of the main entrance into the resort through the east gate is a fascinating transition (Figure 4), as it exhibits the resort's natural ambiance and lush greenness. The hedges, flowers, and lush green lawn welcome guests and tourists to the facility. A walkway was designed to provide a transition from the main entrance to the access road that leads to Ipole Iloro town.  

The well-designed landscape of the access road leading to the resort complements the overall aesthetics of the resort facility (Figure 5). This is the access road that connects Ikogosi town to the resort. It is serpentine in nature and very captivating and visually pleasing towards the entrance. The proposed road network design has kerbs to define the road and demarcate it from the adjoining green areas. The provision of trees on both sides of the road helps provide shade and make the road a boulevard (Figure 6).

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The regeneration of the confluence of warm and cold springs is an important agenda as this is the resort's centre of attraction (Figure 7). Lining hard cores along the edges of the stream and laying kerbs to define the walkways help demarcate the green areas from the walkways.

The conceptualization of the Forest Nature Park and Linear Park and integration into the proposed Ikogosi resort landscapes is in a bid to incorporate additional attractions and activities for the resort facilities.

The site for the forest nature park is a bamboo forest with tall evergreen trees, weeds and reptiles, but it has been regenerated into a nature park. The park is located on the left side immediately after accessing the resort through the east gate and it extends towards the west gate. The landscape construction of the park commenced from the end of the land area adjacent to the west entrance (Figure 8), having lush green lawns with stream paths lined with hardcore stones while ensuring the preservation of the tall evergreen trees. Proposed amenities within the park include lush green lawns, walkways, park benches, outdoor games, and picnic areas. Recreational, leisure, and sports activities like walking, meditation, reading, and playing games will be performed within the park. The park would ultimately provide a meeting point for nature and leisure walks, outdoor sports, and many other activities. The interior view of the Forest Nature Park (Figure 9) shows areas landscaped with grasses and stream paths lined with hardcore stones.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Tourism is a good way to increase the economy of the state of Ekiti and specifically help the Ikogosi local people rise and become empowered. This can be supported through a regenerative landscape approach.

Regenerating Ikogosi Resort Landscapes not only helps in the development and advancement but also increases employment opportunities and spreads the culture of the Ekiti people and place.

Furthermore, sustaining the regenerative Ikogosi landscapes ensures nature conservation for tourists and future generations. It would also significantly benefit the people of Ikogosi town and its neighbouring local communities.

Ekiti state is blessed with a rich cultural heritage and natural attractions. It has the potential to be the leading tourism destination in Nigeria. If planned, developed, and managed properly, all these attractions have the potential to be sustainable.