Tourism in protected areas: Developing meaningful standards

Abstract

In response to research revealing only 21% of protected areas worldwide have ‘sound’ management practices, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has introduced The Green List for Protected Areas. A system of certification that has resulted from recognition of the need for global standards for protected area management. While not focused specifically on tourism, visitation and visitor management practices where relevant to the overall management of a park are important components. For many protected areas, tourism is integral, relying on visitors and tourism for financial support. Increasingly, partnerships between conservation and tourism are contributing to changes in attitudes around the issues of biodiversity conservation and environmentally responsible business practices. This paper discusses The Green List concept and a case study of one of the successful pilot sites, Arakwal National Park in Australia. The paper also explores partnerships between conservation and tourism and how these partnerships could unfold through the work of The Green List. The work of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council which encourages such partnerships is also discussed, focused on sustainable tourism criteria.

Community Engagement: An Appreciative Inquiry Case Study with Theodore Roosevelt National Park Gateway Communities

“…In some regard, these increases provide opportunities for PPA managers. Tourism in PPAs is widely recognized as an essential tool for garnering political and economic support for conservation as well as for increasing the quality of life for nearby communities [3,4]. At the same time, poorly managed tourism development in and around PPAs can threaten the environmental integrity of the area and fail to produce the desired social and economic benefits to local communities [5,6].…”

Adaptive co-management as an approach to tourism destination governance – a case of protected areas in Bangladesh

“…This means the number of tourists engaging in tourism in protected areas of developing countries is increasing (Balmford et al, 2009;Mustika, Birtles, Everingham, & Marsh, 2013), placing pressure on the areas and communities in which the tourism is occurring. As protected areas are important geographic spaces for both the conservation of nature and the livelihoods of the communities that live in and around these areas (Bushell & Bricker, 2017;Figgis & Bushell, 2007;Sdrali, Goussia-Rizou, & Kiourtidou, 2014;Weaver, 2008), it is important to ensure environmentally friendly and sustainable forms of tourism occur. Such tourism activities can not only contribute to the sustainable development of local areas, but also to sustainable protected area management and poverty reduction amongst local communities who rely on the protected area for their livelihood (Balmford et al, 2009;Job & Paesler, 2013).…”

“…Tourism is often regarded as an opportunity for natural resource management and conservation (Bushell & Bricker, 2017;Kala & Maikhuri, 2011;Nyaupane & Poudel, 2011). However, from a natural resource management perspective, research shows that the implementation and revenuesharing components of tourism are quite complex and have been plagued with issues such as weak planning, poor coordination among stakeholders, lack of transparency and accountability, and poor management (Brockington, Duffy, & Igoe, 2008;Bushell & Bricker, 2017;Snyder & Sulle, 2011;Stone & Nyaupane, 2016;Timothy, 1999).…”

“…However, from a natural resource management perspective, research shows that the implementation and revenuesharing components of tourism are quite complex and have been plagued with issues such as weak planning, poor coordination among stakeholders, lack of transparency and accountability, and poor management (Brockington, Duffy, & Igoe, 2008;Bushell & Bricker, 2017;Snyder & Sulle, 2011;Stone & Nyaupane, 2016;Timothy, 1999). The establishment of an efficient governance system is therefore recognised as a fundamental practice for tourism destinations wishing to promote sustainable development and conservation, particularly when sustainable development is to be achieved through collective and coordinated actions between state and non-state agencies (private and NGOs) (Bramwell, 2011;Butler et al, 2015;Chen et al, 2016;Elands, Islam, & Van der Duim, 2015;Lai et al, 2016;Romeiroa & Costab, 2010;Sarkki, Rantala, & Karjalainen, 2015;Towner, 2016).…”

“…The rate of establishing new protected areas around the world has recently increased (Bushell & Bricker, 2017;Deguignet et al, 2014;IUCN, 2014;Stone & Nyaupane, 2016). The main objective of establishing these protected areas is to promote conservation and protection of natural and associated cultural resources of these areas.…”