Community-based monitoring of tourism resources as a tool for supporting the Convention On Biological Diversity Targets: A preliminary global assessment

Abstract

Tourism can play a significant role in contributing to multiple Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Targets. Monitoring tourism resources and impacts is crucial in gauging the performance of tourism in support of the CBD Targets. Community-based monitoring (CBM) offers a viable solution to the concerns about costs and longevity of monitoring programmes, allowing for the continuation of monitoring plans on a lower budget while creating a venue for civic engagement and capacity building. This paper provides a preliminary global assessment and typology of CBM programmes with a focus on tourism resources (CBM-T). Twenty-nine CBM-T programmes with two primary monitoring approaches were identified based on an extensive literature review, including an infrastructure-based approach focusing on tourism facilities, and an ecosystem-based approach focusing on natural resources that support the tourism experience. These programmes are further differentiated by spatial scale, goals, biome, and resources, as illustrated by 10 representative programmes. Two case examples, one on trail monitoring in Taiwan and another on wildlife monitoring in Namibia, are used to illustrate design and implementation of each CBMT approach. Lessons learned, such as criteria for communities with potential for sustainable CBM-T programmes, are discussed.