BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN PROTECTED AREAS (3RD EDITION): AN OVERVIEW AND DISCUSSION

Yu-Fai Leung

Professor, North Carolina State University, USA

Ralf Buckley

Professor, Griffith University, Australia

Glen Hvenegaard

Professor, University of Alberta, Canada

Anna Spenceley

Spenceley Tourism and Development (STAND)

TAPA-SG Chair, South Africa

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

� The needs for sustainable tourism BPG for protected areas

� The past two editions of ST-BPG

� The Third Edition

� Objectives and guiding principles

� Contributors

� Timeline

� This workshop

� Input on outline and contents

� Potential contributors

TOURISM IN PROTECTED AREAS

� Major incentive for protected area establishment and special designations (e.g. World Heritage sites, Global Geoparks)

� Public and political support for protected areas

� Key ecosystem service with conservation and community benefits

� Visitor experience and conservation education opportunities

CONCERNS ABOUT TOURISM

� Development pressure and habitat loss/degradation

� Strain on natural resources

� Tourist activity impacts

� Leakage of tourism revenues

� Impacts on local communities

NEEDS FOR BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES

� Tourism has a significant role to play in protected area conservation

� Enhancing the positive impacts of tourism while minimizing negative impacts

� Operationalizing sustainable tourism with best practice examples (environmental management, finances, partnerships, education, etc.)

� Collaborative learning and global knowledge sharing

� Proactive and adaptive management in face of changes

PAST EDITIONS OF ST-BPG

� First Edition: 1992

� McNeely, J. A., Thorsell, J. W., & Ceballos-Lascurain, H. (1992). Guidelines: Development of National Parks and Protected Areas for Tourism (UNEP-IE/PAC Technical Report Series No. 13). Madrid: WTO and UNEP.

� Second Edition: 2002

� Eagles, P. F. J., McCool, S. F., & Haynes, C. D. A. (2002). Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Planning and Management. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, 183pp.

OBJECTIVES OF THE THIRD EDITION

� To update the background information used to develop the current best practices guidelines

� To engage TAPAS members and other stakeholders of protected area tourism in enhancing the contents and utility of the guidelines;

� To publish the BPG in concert with the 2014 World Parks Congress

SOME GUIDING PRINCIPLES

� Collaborative project

� Balanced collection of global knowledge

� Proactive, strategic and participatory approaches

� Evidence-based management

� Starter reference for PA managers

CONTRIBUTORS

� Editorial Team (TAPA-SG Knowledge

Development and Dissemination subgroup)

� Dr. Yu-Fai Leung (chief editor), Dr. Ralf Buckley, Dr.

Glen Hvenegaard, Dr. Anna Spenceley

� Contributors from TAPA-SG members

� Other contributors

� Types of contribution

� Chapter, subsection, case study, digital images

TIMELINE IN BRIEF

� Nov. 2011: Project approved by WCPA

� Sep. 2012: Identify contributors

� Dec. 2012: Draft contributions

� Apr. 2012: Final contributions

� Aug. 2013: First complete draft

� Dec. 2013: Final draft

� Aug. 2014: English version published online

� Nov. 2014: Release of print version at 2014 World Parks Congress

ST-BPG OUTLINE (CURRENT VERSION)

Chapter Proposed Contents

Introduction and Concepts • Brief introduction to the potential role of tourism in protected areas

(PA), tie to 2014 World Parks Congress themes, 2012 WWC themes,

IUCN strategic plan, etc.

• Brief introduction of the old and new challenges (and opportunities)

of tourism management in protected areas

o Here we acknowledge the notion of carrying capacity in the

tourism management literature but we emphasize that this

BPG will move beyond the flawed conceptualization and

instead focus on a holistic/adaptive approach to sustainable

tourism management

o Lack of visitation/tourism as a problem in PAs

• Contextual (concise) description of global issues and forces influencing

management of tourism (climate change, financial crisis, economic

restructuring, security, technology, changes in governance, etc.)

• Key concepts and scope: What do we mean by sustainability and

tourism in protected areas?

o Emphasize that “sustainable tourism” is not a form of tourism

but rather an overarching principle

o Tourism management vs. visitor management, what is our

focus

• What is the tourism/visitor experience? Diversity of tourism/visitor

experience as related to PAs; why is visitor experience important?

• What is included in the book? What is outside the scope? Who is the

intended audience?

• Brief outline of the book

Historical and Geographical Context • Why is tourism in PA? How has the tourism-PA relationship evolved?

INSTRUCTIONS FOR GROUP DISCUSSION

� 20 minutes: � Form groups of 5-6

� Review the handout (draft BPG outline) and discuss important topics or issues that are missing

� Brainstorm best practice examples

� Write on the A3 paper provided

� 10 minutes:� Rank the topics and issues (1-10,1 being

the most important)

� 20 minutes:� Each group reports the top 2 issues/topics

QUESTIONS?

COMMENTS?