This chapter demonstrates the relationship between protected areas and wildlife tourism and protected areas. Protected areas are usually beneficial and significant as tourist destinations, attractions, and home to wildlife species. The balance between the development of tourism and the conservation of protected areas is crucial for the maintenance of the ecological integrity of the protected areas. Wildlife tourism offers outstanding ecological experiences by relying on watching wild plants and animals in their naturally occurring environment. The protected regions provide outstanding possibilities for wildlife tourists to experience and fully understand the natural ecological processes occurring in the forms of predation, distant migrations, and wilderness adaptions. Protected landscapes act as settings or platforms for wildlife tourists to directly and indirectly utilize the wildlife resources in numerous capacities, including photographing, trekking, and air ballooning. Occurring within varied designations and objectives, the protected landscapes are technically vital for conserving cultural heritages, ecological integrity, and environmental services. The categorizations and administration of protected areas might change depending on local, national, regional, and global conservation regulations. In other words, the protected area could be managed by either local communities, business enterprises, or governmental conservation authorities. The protected areas may also protect the habitats with different descriptions, including freshwater habitat, terrestrial habitat, and terrestrial and marine ecosystems. It is also possible for protected areas to conserve all three ecosystems, Saadani National Park, in Tanzania, demonstrates the circumstances. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies protected areas internationally to encourage the management and coordinated conservation activities globally. The international classification of protected areas is vital for avoidance of the confusion of categories among protected areas internationally. Since protected areas make up the heart of wildlife tourism, their protection is inevitable. Effective protection and administration of protected areas involve not only a coordinated effort but also trained and motivated individuals, financial stability, relevant research, and suitable institutional governance among others. Human–wildlife conflicts, climate change, commercial poaching, and unregulated tourism activities still remain the major challenges affecting the future of protected areas.
