Sustainable ecotourism on Atlantic islands, with special reference to whale watching, Marine Protected Areas and sanctuaries, for cetaceans

Abstract

Ecotourism in the Atlantic islands region is well-established and growing. Still, in the whale watching and marine tourism sector, many so-called ecotourism enterprises fail to achieve the minimum standards required to qualify as ecotourism. In the Atlantic islands area, approximately 1.7 million people a year go whale watching, with a total expenditure of US$133 million. In this region, the 90 existing marine protected areas (MPAs) where cetaceans are present and the 59 proposed MPAs represent nearly 27 per cent of all MPAs with cetaceans worldwide. When whale watching is conducted in a sustainable manner, especially in or near a cetacean MPA, and with other regulations in place, it has the capacity to take a leading role in the development of an island-based ecotourism industry. Yet few MPAs have management plans that include strategies for sustainable ecotourism. Sustainable ecotourism depends, firstly, on the maintenance of a pristine natural environment. Using a cost benefit analysis approach (CBA), managers can enhance the benefits or values of ecotourism and reduce the costs. CBA can be a key part of a framework for sustainable ecotourism that includes a stakeholder-agreed management plan, a legal structure, such as an MPA, together with environmental legislation and a strategy for evaluating sustainability that includes periodic review. The management plan should also set a carrying capacity for ecotourism.