Unplanned Tourism Research Articles

The Creation and Management of Protected Areas in Monteverde Costa Rica

Abstract At present, nature conservation depends heavily on protected areas to limit the destruction caused by human activities such as land clearing, logging, and urban development. Yet despite their importance and widespread use, the general public and policy makers frequently maintain a simplistic and static conception of protected areas. Often, the mental model of protected areas consists of a “one-size-fits-all” park – a fenced off area of land designed to protect “nature” from humans. In reality, however, protected areas are multifaceted, fluid entities that result from a confluence of people’s ideas about what these areas are expected to accomplish and for whom they serve. Although protected areas sometimes do take the “fenced-off” approach, they take many other forms reflecting societal trends in conservation practice. History belies the idea of one standard type of protected area for all places and all times. The area around Monteverde, Costa Rica, offers a distinctive case study of the development of protected-area conservation. Beginning in the 1950s with the arrival of American Quaker settlers, residents have created a protected area network that has grown and expanded to reflect the changing constituencies of the region: agriculturalists, biologists, international conservation groups, and tourists. The protected areas now safeguard local watersheds, protect endangered species and biodiversity, and provide the framework for a dynamic tourism-based economy. Many scholars look at Monteverde’s protected-area experience, particularly the development of nature-based tourism, as evidence of the area’s success in conserving its natural resources and improving standards of living. However, it is problematic to use Monteverde as a direct model for successful conservation and development. The protected-area network grew out of a half-century of conservation initiatives driven by various local and international constituencies. Monteverde residents themselves have painted a balanced picture of the area’s challenges, including successful conservation and a rise in living standards as well as rapid and unplanned tourism development, socioeconomic imbalances, and threats to the ecological integrity of the region. The Monteverde experience underscores the possibilities and challenges inherent in achieving multiple conservation and development goals through protected areas.

Sustainable Tourism Policy—Rejuvenation or a Critical Strategic Initiative

ABSTRACT Many tourism destinations have historically been mass tourism destinations, focusing on sun, sea and sand package holidays. Destinations, particularly islands such as Malta and the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean have often been heavily developed on an ad-hoc basis during the 1960's and 1970s which has resulted in unplanned tourism resorts leading to much environmental and social degradation. Due to this degradation, these islands have been losing competitive advantage over other destinations and realise that both their tourism product and market is deteriorating. In response, they have developed sustainable tourism policies to counter this deterioration. This paper examines two island destinations which have attempted to implement a sustainable tourism policy: Malta and Calviá (on the island of Mallorca in the Spanish Balearics). Although different in terms of governance structure, many economic, social, environmental and political issues are compared which are similar in how they have affected successful movement towards more sustainable forms of tourism through policy development. The paper concludes with recommendations provided by stakeholders within the industry for moving towards more sustainable behaviour and provides insight into sustainable tourism policy implementation issues for other destinations.

Dietary Changes over Time in a Caiçara Community from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Because they are occurring at an accelerated pace, changes in the livelihoods of local coastal communities, including nutritional aspects, have been a subject of interest in human ecology. The aim of this study is to explore the dietary changes, particularly in the consumption of animal protein, that have taken place in Puruba Beach, a rural community of caicaras on the Sao Paulo Coast, Brazil, over the 10- yr period from 1992-1993 to 2002-2003. Data were collected during six months in 1992-1993 and during the same months in 2002-2003 using the 24-hr recall method. We found an increasing dependence on external products in the most recent period, along with a reduction in fish consumption and in the number of fish species eaten. These changes, possibly associated with other nonmeasured factors such as overfishing and unplanned tourism, may cause food delocalization and a reduction in the use of natural resources. Although the consequences for conservation efforts in the Atlantic Forest and the survival of the caicaras must still be evaluated, these local inhabitants may be finding a way to reconcile both the old and the new dietary patterns by keeping their houses in the community while looking for sources of income other than natural resources. The prospect shown here may reveal facets that can influence the maintenance of this and other communities undergoing similar processes by, for example, shedding some light on the ecological and economical processes that may occur within their environment and in turn affect the conservation of the resources upon which the local inhabitants depend.

State and development: Changes in livelihood strategies in garhwal with special reference to ecotourism in the gangotri region

The object of the paper is to provide an insight into the changes in livelihood strategies of the people in the Garhwal Himalayas over time. From sustaining an economy based on transit trade and subsistence agriculture, there has been a shift towards tourism in recent times. This shift has been due to the tradition of pilgrimage to the higher reaches and also due to promotion by the state by developing infrastructure and providing incentives. The paper is divided into four parts. In the first part, the policies of the colonial state and the events leading to the destruction of forests and the impoverishment of the self-sustaining semi-pastoral economy in the Garhwal Himalayas are outlined. It is argued that the destruction of forests and subsequently, the economy of the Himalayas were directly responsible for the large-scale migration to the plains. This also led to further exploitation of forests by the people who were unfamiliar with any other form of livelihood. The paper also discusses the policies of the newly independent Indian state and sees them as an extension of the British policy of large-scale exploitation of Himalayan forests for the purpose of development and economic growth. In the third section, the growth of ecotourism as a direct outcome of the process of deforestation and as resulting from the need of society to conserve and yet to earn a livelihood is discussed. The case study of the Gangotri region examines the dilemma faced by the people of Garhwal in sustaining their livelihood, income or the development in the area. In addition, tourism has fostered monopolies of groups external to the region thereby contributing neither to the income or the development in the area. In addition, there is an added threat to the environment-deforestation, and erosion-a direct outcome of increased and unplanned tourism. Such problems demand state intervention and management of tourism. The conclusion to the paper asserts that in order that the requirements of the society to progress and to sustain itself in its natural habitat are not compromised, it is essential to increase the process of democratization by strengthening local structures and by vesting the community with the autonomy to determine its future. The paper therefore argues that ecotourism in the Himalayas undertaken without local involvement is not desirable. The constant need for local monitoring of external agencies or even of the State’s participation and the need for re-evaluation of environmental standards are cumbersome details that add to the costs of promoting low-impact tourism. To be viable, ecotourism should be community based and the needs of the community, their ideas of conservation should be given prime importance and local community must be encouraged to review the standards governing conservation. Local structures should thus receive patronage and promotion, so that ecotourism becomes a dynamic facet of economic development.

Community Participation in Rural Tourism Development

This paper examines rural tourism development at the community level. Research was undertaken in four rural communities in Ontario, Canada which identified outcomes and impacts of unplanned tourism development. The research indicated that critical problems arise as development increases. Frustration sets in after years of the community's inability to solve the issues. Members of the research communities identified the development of a tourism plan as the solution to these problems, however, this paper suggests that unless vital preplanning activities are established in the community, a plan may only produce increased frustration. The preplanning activity needs to focus on process issues including capacity building, trust and creating procedures for dialogue.

Fish and wildlife resources in the pantanal wetlands of Brazil and potential disturbances from the release of environmental contaminants

AbstractThe Pantanal is one of the world's largest wetland ecosystems, encompassing 140,000 km2. The region is a breeding ground for waterfowl, and enormous rookeries of storks, herons, egrets, and ibises indicate a vast abundance of birds. The Pantanal is also one of the most important refuges for many of Brazil's threatened or endangered species, such as jaguars, giant anteaters, and swamp deer. The productive web of waters supports an important fishery industry. The Pantanal, with its extraordinary diversity and abundance of wildlife, is a threatened region. Deforestation, expanding agriculture, illegal hunting and fishing, unplanned tourism, and pollution with pesticides have caused a progressive deterioration of the natural environment, placing one of Brazil's most important ecosystems at risk. Gold mining is still common in the northern Pantanal. Along the Cuiabá river are 700 functional gold‐mining dredges. In the town of Poconé, unregulated gold mines have also contaminated the area with mercury, which is used during the processing of gold. Approximately 50% of the fishes from the Cuiabá River and 35% from the Bento Gomes River have mercury levels higher than 0.5 μg/g, which is beyond the international standard for contamination. Fishes from the Paraguay River have levels below 0.5. Birds like Phalacrocorax olivaceus, Aramus guarauna, and Rosthramus sociabilis were also contaminated. No research has been conducted on the fate of pesticides in the Pantanal. However, because of the huge demand for soybean plantations on the upland areas surrounding Pantanal, the application of toxic agricultural chemicals is very common.