Recommendation 12
Tourism as a Vehicle for Conservation and Support of Protected Areas

The world’s tourism and recreation sector potentially provides significant benefits to protected areas and associated communities. While tourism alone is not sufficient to support protected areas or community development, it can provide economic benefits, opportunities for communities, opportunities for land acquisition for protected areas, greater appreciation of cultural and natural heritage, greater knowledge of the interplay between humans and their environment, and increased interest in and commitment to the conservation of natural and cultural values. In this context, visitation, recreation and tourism are a critical component of fostering support for parks and the conservation of biological and cultural heritage. Careful and strategic implementation of policy together with proactive and effective management of tourism is essential.

However, the ecological, social and cultural costs of tourism can be considerable. Even limited impacts may have major conservation significance. If not planned developed and managed appropriately, tourism can contribute to the deterioration of cultural landscapes, threaten biodiversity, contribute to pollution and degradation of ecosystems, displace agricultural land and open spaces, diminish water and energy resources, disrupt social systems, and increase poverty.

Tourism in and around protected areas must be designed as a vehicle for conservation: building support; raising awareness of the many important values of protected areas including ecological, cultural, spiritual, aesthetic, recreational, and economic values, and generating much needed income for conservation work for the protection of biodiversity, ecosystem integrity and cultural heritage. Tourism should also contribute to the quality of life of indigenous and local communities provide incentives to support traditional customs and values, protect and respect sacred sites, and acknowledge traditional knowledge.

There are many stakeholders concerned with protected areas, and thus managers need resources and training to enable them to work effectively with different constituencies, including the tourism industry, local communities and visitors.

There are numerous conventions, charters and guidelines that can be of assistance, including, inter alia:

a. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Guidelines on Tourism in Vulnerable Ecosystems;

b. The ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Charter: Managing Tourism at Places of Heritage Significance;

c. The Quebec Declaration on Ecotourism;

d. The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ (WCPA) publication Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Planning and Management;

e. The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage;

f. The World Tourism Organisation Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

Therefore, PARTICIPANTS in the Stream on Building Broader Support for Protected Areas at the Vth World Parks Congress, in Durban, South Africa (8-17 September 2003):

1. RECOMMEND that the tourism sector, including appropriate institutions, associations, and operators, work together with protected area managers and communities to ensure that tourism associated with protected areas, in both developed and developing countries:

a. Respects the primacy of the role of conservation for protected areas;

b. Makes tangible and equitable financial contributions to conservation and to protected area management;

c. Ensures tourism contributes to local economic development and poverty reduction through:

i. Support to local small and medium sized enterprises;

ii. Employment of local people;

iii. Purchasing of local goods and services; and

iv. Fair and equitable partnerships with local communities;

d. Uses relevant approaches that encourage appropriate behaviour by visitors (e.g., environmental education, interpretation, and marketing);

e. Uses ecologically and culturally appropriate technologies, infrastructure, facilities and materials in and or near protected areas;

f. Monitors, reports and mitigates negative impacts and enhances positive effects of tourism;

g. Communicates the benefits of protected areas and the imperative for conservation; and

h. Promotes the use of guidelines, codes of practice and certification programmes;

2. RECOMMEND that key decision-makers work with the conservation community, including the IUCN WCPA Task Force for Tourism and Protected Areas, to ensure that tourism:

a. Supports the sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage;

b. Supports local and indigenous community development and economic opportunities;

i. Provides political and financial support for the establishment, extension, and effective management of protected areas;

ii. Supports implementation of relevant international agreements, national legislation, and guidelines on protected areas;

iii. Fosters respect and stewardship for natural and cultural heritage through visitation and education: and

iv. Promotes the use of culturally appropriately participatory processes;

3. THEREFORE RECOMMEND to key international and national agencies, local authorities and the private sector to support research and development to:

a. Understand the links between tourism, conservation and community development;

b. Establish reliable data on protected area tourism;

c. Determine optimum types and levels of protected area visitation;

d. Promote appropriate monitoring and evaluation;

e. Promote effective management;

f. Encourage policy development on protected area tourism;

g. Provide appropriate tourism training for protected area personnel;

h. Provide effective interpretation and education;

i. Understand visitor experiences, behaviour and impact; and

j. Develop appropriate tools and techniques for sustainable finance of protected areas through tourism;

4. ENCOURAGE dissemination of these recommendations and coordination of their implementation by the IUCN WCPA Task Force for Tourism and Protected Areas.

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