Abstract
The paper argues that carrying capacity is not the most effective way to analyse the relationship between the 'natural' environment and tourism pressure. Rather that concepts embedded within geomorphology, namely 'lag time', 'environmental thresholds' and 'dynamic metastable equilibrium' may provide a better approach to examine feedback between tourism and the environment. This could also provide the conceptual framework for the integration of the natural and social sciences in the study of tourism impacts, and the mechanism for truly sustainable development. The paper contends that the identification and management of threshold events and the use of base-line data on time scales of 102 to 103 years should be at the centre of the decision-making process. The paper warns against the use of 'limits of acceptable change' as a way of managing the interplay between tourism and the environment. The relationship between shoreline management and tourism development is used to illustrate the arguments presented.
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