Ecotourism in sustainable protected areas management - supplement or replacement for other regulations?

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June Houston
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1 Ecotourism in sustainable protected areas management - supplement or replacement for other regulations? - Some reflections from a Scandinavian perspective Hanne Haaland & Øystein Aas Workshop session I. Ecotourism and Protected Areas

2 Protected areas in a Scandinavian context I Norway: 36 national parks Sweden: 28 national parks Finland: 35 national parks Most protected areas in Scandinavia public property

3 Distribution of national parks in Norway

Allemannsretten the public right of access Public right of access a central element of the Scandinavian tradition of outdoor recreation ( friluftsliv ) Entails that anyone has the right, within

4 Allemannsretten the public right of access Public right of access a central element of the Scandinavian tradition of outdoor recreation ( friluftsliv ) Entails that anyone has the right, within certain restrictions, to move freely across private and public land holdings, as long as the land is not cultivated for agricultural purposes The access principle also includes the right to pick wild berries, flowers and mushrooms, and wood for a campfire The common right of access represent management challenges in national parks

5 Nature based commercial activities in, and around protected areas Nature based tourism one of the fastest growing tourism segments Environmental authorities with limited influence on the nature of this development, except in protected areas National parks significant element in the expansion of Norwegian tourism on the international market In terms of regulations Swedish and Norwegian parks have strict regimes compared to other regions in terms of physical impacts and infrastructure, liberal in terms of activities Significant amount of commercial activities taking place in and around national parks

6 Commercial activities in Norwegian national parks some examples Primary industries: grazing (sheep and reindeer) Limited commercial tourism infrastructure, yet many tourists Guided tours, glacier hiking, safaris, hunting and fishing among the main activities

7 Tools for achieving sustainable tourism activities in protected areas Protected area regulations Zoning Concessions Licences Increased environmental education and awareness within the industry ecotourism products Ensuring a common ground for ecotourism products, certification and approval systems

8 Increasing focus on ecotourism certification as a management tool Increasing interest for certification and eco labelling within tourism industry 260 voluntary initiatives worldwide (Honey and Stewart 2002) Examples of relatively successful certification systems in Australia and Costa Rica Nature s Best Swedish approval system (2002) Norwegian initiative to develop and establish ecotourism as a concept in Norway, along with an approval system (2006)

9 Ecotourism certification: improved environmental profile or marketing tool? I Certification systems can provide many benefits but are also subject to criticism: Accused of serving as marketing tools, providing a pretext of sustainability for the operators Criteria are difficult to test Not clear to what degree criteria address important conservation challenges Hard to see whether certification systems lead to on-ground improvements

10 Ecotourism certification: improved environmental profile or marketing tool? II Many criteria without liability much based on selfevaluation Criteria may be quite concrete, but with limited impact Often lack of third party evaluation Problem of sustainable financing Lack of specific focus on protected areas

11 Ecotourism certification: are the Norwegian tourism operators in and nearby national parks interested? I 1 out of 3 operators express that to operate in or near national parks reflects high product quality 80 % focus on contributing to increased knowledge and insights among tourists through nature based activities in and around protected areas No strict demands to formal competence 59 % have not initiated any efforts to reduce wear and tear 59 % with no action against avoiding disturbances of wildlife

12 Ecotourism certification: are the Norwegian tourism operators in and nearby national parks interested? II Varying degree of environmental profile among operators A growing interest for ecotourism approval systems or certification among Norwegian operators: 44 % of tourism operators see a need for certification of own nature based tourism products Certification important for being taken seriously in the market Fear of bureaucratic and rigid systems Point out the need to involve the industry in the possible development of such a system Limited willingness to pay

13 Concluding remarks I Ecotourism may be a viable tool for regulating tourism activities in Norwegian protected areas. Approval systems/ certification systems may ensure improved environmental quality of ecotourism and nature based tourism Voluntary certification schemes are softer than other environmental regulations A cheap solution for public management Leave much environmental responsibility to the private actors

Concluding remarks II Nature based tourism dominated by small - medium sized actors, with limited willingness/ability to pay A close link between the financial side of ecotourism certification and

14 Concluding remarks II Nature based tourism dominated by small - medium sized actors, with limited willingness/ability to pay A close link between the financial side of ecotourism certification and its success as a management tool Ecotourism certification systems must strive towards third party evaluation to increase reliability Important to evaluate existing certification system with reference to protected area management: lessons learned and areas for potential improvement

Concluding remarks III For Scandinavian protected areas, much due to the right of common access, ecotourism certification is not necessarily the best management tool and should be a supplementary

15 Concluding remarks III For Scandinavian protected areas, much due to the right of common access, ecotourism certification is not necessarily the best management tool and should be a supplementary mitigation However, with a rapidly increasing no of activities in and around national parks, there is a need for management tools raising the environmental standards of the industry Generally a need to establish closer cooperation and dialogue between tourism operators and protected area management independently of certification schemes or eco labelling The need to develop a system targeting tourism challenges in protected areas more specifically?

3rd Symposium for Innovators in Coastal Tourism Development and Sustainable Expo

3rd Symposium for Innovators in Coastal Tourism Development and Sustainable Expo Competitiveness Issues in Coastal Ecotourism: Best Practice Lessons from a CARIFORUM Ecotourism Value Chain Analysis Shellyanne