Conserving Nature Through Tourism? Issues of tourism and Protected Areas. Professor Andrew Holden

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1 Conserving Nature Through Tourism? Issues of tourism and Protected Areas Professor Andrew Holden

2 Kenya video SgdEZY

3 Reflection What does the term natural environment mean to you? How do you value naturewhy is it important or not important to you? Having watched the film on Kenya do you think tourism is good or bad for nature? Justify your answer

4 How can tourism aid nature conservation? Give an economic value to nature without changing it- i.e. ensuring biodiversity conservation; Protect it from more destructive types of development, e.g. agriculture, mining; Conserved nature and ecosystems provide the resources for wealth creation now and in the future- wildlife; ecosystems- coral reefs; mountain areas; beaches; oceans Offer a sustainable economic activity if based upon resource conservation; Increase the environmental awareness and interests of local people and tourists; Help to establish and fund protected areas Protect ecosystems for scientific reasearch.

5 Giving an economic value to nature through tourism Being in situ (in place)- consuming the nature experience as a tourist Expenditure on services- e.g. accommodation; food and beverages etc Multiplier effects- income; employment and sales Supply chain linkages Use of tourism revenues to fund protected areas that includes national parks

6 Characteristics of protected areas Not uniform in type or management- there are different categories and embrace terrestrial and marine areas Evolved during the 20 th century Range of management structures that include government departments; communities and indigenous people; NGO s; and the private sector (plus hybrid partnerships)

7 What is a protected area? There are many designations of protected areas An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means In 2017 protected areas cover approximately 15.4 per cent of the world s land area and 3.4 per cent of the global ocean area. IUCN. (1994) Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK

8 IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature Founded in 1948 based in Gland in Switzerland Acts a co-ordinating body between states, government agencies and NGO s for protected areas worldwide Partnership of over a 1000 members

9 Functions of Protected Areas Protect world s threatened animal species and genetic potential of flora Protect ecosystems Conserve places of cultural value for example sacred natural sites World Heritage Sites Provide recreational and educational opportunities- especially relevant at a time of renewed interest in the natural environmentecotourism Not all categories of protected areas embrace tourism

10 IUCN Management Categories of Protected Area Category Description I Ia Strict Nature Reserve/Wilderness area: Protected area managed mainly for science or wilderness protection. Strict nature reserve: Protected area managed mainly for science Ib II Wilderness Area: Protected area managed mainly for wilderness protection (Tourism and recreation is a secondary objective) National Park: Protected area mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation III Natural Monument: Protected area mainly for conservation of specific natural features IV V VI Habitat/Species Management Area: Protected area managed mainly for conservation through management intervention (Tourism and recreation is a potentially applicable objective) Protected Landscape/Seascape: Protected area managed for landscape/seascape conservation and recreation Managed Resource Protected Area: Protected area managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems. (Tourism and recreation is a potentially applicable objective)

11 National Parks and tourism Creation of Yellowstone in 1872 in the USA Emphasis on nature conservation; enjoyment and contact with nature Getting in contact with nature- time of industrialisation and urbanisation Romanticism- George Catlin; Henry Thoreau; John Muir Reminder of the pioneer mentality MacCannell to assuage guilt Tourism offers potential benefits but may also have negative impacts allenges/tourism/impactsoftourism 6/aug/28/national-parks-tourism-bad-behavior

12 The positive relationship between tourism & protected areas Recognition of the aesthetic, historical & recreational values of nature Aids regional development & arrests depopulation Increases employment opportunities for local residents both in tourism and economic diversification e.g. handicraft production Opportunities for human development and social well-being, e.g. ACAP In the case of developing countries, the generation of foreign exchange may be critical Offers a place for scientific research Provides a focal point for environmental education Potentially less environmentally damaging development alternative Encourages the productive use of lands that may be marginal for agriculture Offers potential as a financing mechanism for protected area management- challenge is to capture the economic rent from values that visitors derive from the protected area without unacceptable degradation Promotes conservation by demonstrating to government and society the value and importance of protected areas

13 The negative relationship between tourism and protected areas Become too popular & overcrowded Transport problems & pollution Wildlife disturbance Cultural issues of displacement of peoples- particularly relevant to developing countries during colonialism and post-colonialism Over-use- e.g. Galapagos (not strictly protected but WHS)

14 World Heritage Sites- United Nations Environment and Scientific Committee and Organisation (UNESCO) Sites of significance- cultural, historical, natural scientific or some other form of significance Legally protected by international treaties. UNESCO regards these sites as being important to the collective interests of humanity

15 WHS Criteria- Natural (vii) to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance; (viii) to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features; (ix) to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals; (x) to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation accessed 10 October 2017

16 Significant threats to WHSs 1. Armed conflict 2. Earthquakes and natural disasters 3. Pollution 4. Unchecked urbanisation 5. Unplanned and uncontrolled tourism

17 Think point? What are the negative impacts than can arise in a national park? How should they be planned and managed?

18 Seminar Kanas National Park- China

19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites Sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. Cultural (i) to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius; (ii) to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design; (iii) to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared; (iv) to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history; (v) to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change; (vi) to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);

20 Belize Barrier Reef System What are the characteristics that led to its designation as a UNESCO site? Why is it under threat of losing its status? Outline the management plan that has been put in place to stop this happening