Ecological Disturbance and Nature Tourism

Abstract

Recent research in biogeography presents a convincing case that natural disturbance is not an aberrant influence but is common to many biological systems. Human changes in the environment can have surprising and profound effects on the impacts of natural disturbances. If recent efforts to use nature tourism to conserve natural resources are to succeed, such development must incorporate ecological insights into the interaction of natural disturbance with social and biotic systems. Relevance of a nonequilibrium ecological model for environmental planning is illustrated for two barrier beaches on the Yucatan peninsula. THE purpose of this article is to consider the role of disturbance as a crucial ecological consideration in landuse planning for nature tourism. Incor- poration of ecological insights into the environmental-planning process offers hope for rational and sustainable development. Nature tourism has been proposed in recent years as a solution to the dilemma that developing countries face in conserving their biological heritage and concurrently im- proving the economies of local human settlements. In Mexico, nature tourism has become a favored mechanism for devel- opment, especially on the Yucatan peninsula. Recognizing the immense value of its coastal natural communities, Mexico has recently established several large biosphere reserves to preserve natural resources and to accom- modate and support human settlements. The experience of sprawling, high- impact Cancun, with more than one million visitors annually, has encour- aged the government to reassess its development goals. One example of Mexican openness to sustainable conservation-development projects is the innovative, cooperative effort of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to establish Ruta Maya, a low-impact design to promote tourism based on natural and archaeological treasures (Garrett 1989). In the Yucatan, two long, relatively pristine barrier peninsulas, Rio La- gartos and Celestun, are being identified as opportune sites for nature tour- ism. Both have high conservation value and were designated special bio- sphere reserves by the government in 1979 because of their floral and faunal diversity. Both have small human settlements based on fishing and salt extraction. The protection concept known as the Mexican modality, in which local villages can coexist with both conservation and tourism, is an ambitious development plan.