Socio-economic impact of

protected areas on local

communities reasons for a change

Carlos Sunyer

TERRA centro para la política ambiental

How to attract them?

• The cost / benefit must be positive, with a direct

impact on local people

• Most used tools

•Investments for improving living conditions

•Grants and incentives

•Awareness

Tourism

• Tourist attraction (quality mark)

• 72% of Germans prefer holidays in a region where there is a Park

• Demand for rural and nature tourism

• Increase of nature tourism (10-30%) / conventional tourism (4%)

• Overnight stays in rural accomodations �20%

• 49,4 M visitors to protected areas (2004)

Nº de establecimientos de turismo rural en España ( Datos a enero. Fuente INE)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Visitantes en los parques nacionales de España

0

2.000.000

4.000.000

6.000.000

8.000.000

10.000.000

12.000.000

89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

Nº visitantes

Visitors to national parks

Rural tourism establishments

New business

PROTECTEDAREA

TOURISM

•49,4 M visitors(2004)

Increasing demand for

differentiated products

• An opportunity for local products

Organic farming surface

Economic value of P.D.O. and P.G.I. (excluding wine)

New business

PROTECTEDAREA

TOURISMLOCAL PRODUCTSMARKETS

Jobs, wealth, opportunities, local pride,

Involvement of stakeholders,

• Nº = 10, 499.895 ha, 130 municipalitiesAging rate, decreasesRate of activity, increasesLevel of training , increases

Castilla y Leon Natural Parks

Direct employment = 1.759 full time jobs

National Parks

• Nº = 4, 143.591 ha, 30 municipalities– Aging rate, decreases

– Rate of activity, increases

– Level of training , increases

Direct employment = 2.673 full time jobs

Estimation for Spain (excluding the Balearic and Ca nary Islands)

Direct employment of protected areas: 11.140 full time jobsTotal employment of protected areas: 16.732 full time jobs

NP Sierra Nevada

• 86.000 ha

– 72% entrepreneurs say the park positively affects the billing

– 27,1% of the turnover is due to the park (334 M€)

– Direct employment = 4.683• Fernández et al. 2007

Municipalities in

Parks

Other mountain

munipalities

Andalucia Period

� Population 0,54 -0,25 0,70 1989-2005

� Aging index 60,1 66,3 47,9 1986-2005

� Net incomes/inhabitant 6,73 5,07 4,50 1991-2001

• Data show:

– Positive impact well beyond that recognized by the local

population and the administration

– Direct impact on the local population

• Promotes:

– the integration of nature conservation and landscape as a

business asset

– more collaborative attitudes

CHALLENGES

• Case by case approach

• Too focused on the tourist sector

• Park administration must be more proactive

• More studies socio-economic studies are needed

• Should not be confused with the value of biodiversity

• Results must be shown to the wide public

• Should be a reason for a better understanding

between stakeholders and nature conservation

Indeed these are reasons for a change

Thanks for your attention

Carlos Sunyer

www.terracentro.org

• New business. New jobs

Nº SME. Cabañeros NationalPark

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Before 1995 1995-99 2000-04 2005-08

Some facts

• Huge surface

• 1.300 municipalities, 12.000.000 inhabitats

• Most are in less favored areas

– Less oportunities

– Low productions

– Relation cost/benefits is broken

– Intensification-Abandon

• Social, economic and ecological impact