Abstract
Good governance of consumptive wildlife tourism, a complex socio-ecological system, requires finding the right balance between natural resource and tourism management. Fishing takes the lead globally as the most popular product offering within consumptive wildlife tourism, and both Iceland and Norway offer a marine angling tourism product. The two countries offer similar pristine Arctic fjord topography and similar fish species; but the management strategies are very different. Iceland’s management strategy for marine angling tourism prioritizes ecosystem-based management of the fish as a living resource, and requires a full accounting of all statistics related to marine angling tourists’ activities. Norway’s strategy relies on estimates of key statistics such as total seasonal catch, and the regulations put the burden of accountability primarily on the tourists. Using data from a multiple case study analysis of marine angling tourism in Iceland and Norway, the differences in governance inter-dynamics are examined using a theoretical model developed to analyse a complex socio-ecological system as an institution. This paper analyses how the differing management strategies influence institutional function, conflict creation and mitigation. Special focus is placed on the impacts of non-compliance by the tourists. This study demonstrates how such a model can serve as a tool to perform an analysis of a socio-ecological system in order to better understand institutional inter-dynamics, thereby assisting in the creation of a more effective governance strategy.
Highlights
Consumptive wildlife tourism is a specialized niche sector of tourism (Lovelock 2008) which has the potential to create institutional conflicts, especially with regard to natural resource management
The inter-dynamics of the institutional pillars based on the differences in the management systems for marine angling tourism (MAT), and highlighting the data from the section Monitoring the fish as a resource – empirical examples from Iceland and Norway, are discussed in the following order: natural, regulative, normative, and cognitive
The data for Vølstad et al (2011b) estimate was taken from tourists who willingly filled out catch reports in fishing camps; the interviews with camp owners and customs officials conducted for this study suggest that some camps are in operation primarily to support large-scale smuggling
Summary
Consumptive wildlife tourism is a specialized niche sector of tourism (Lovelock 2008) which has the potential to create institutional conflicts, especially with regard to natural resource management. With the rise in MAT, the locals must share “their” fish with foreign tourists, potentially creating scenarios for Solstrand Maritime Studies (2015) 14:4 tourism-related conflicts (Arlinghaus 2005; Yang et al 2013; Butler 1974; Robinson 1999; Budowski 1976). Conflict, in this context, is defined as a serious incompatibility between two or more opinions, principles, or interestsb — referring here only to sources of conflict behaviour (e.g. divergence of interests or values), not the conflict behaviour itself (e.g. acts of violence) (Pruitt 1998). A certain degree of conflict is an essential element in group dynamics and group formation, and is considered a learning and growth opportunity for institutions (Coser 1956), but this is in part dependent upon how the institution adapts to resolve or mitigate emergent conflicts
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