World Conservation and Protected Areas Benefits World conservation and protected areas such as mountains, parks, islands and coral reef amount to 9.5% of the world’s land i.e. about 12.8 million square kilometers. These 30,000 protected areas cover the size of China and India combined together (International Union for conservation of Nature - WCPA, 2000). Sensitive areas hold the main assets on which the tourism industry depends, so conservation is a must. Protected areas have a long and worthy tradition as beautiful places and refuges for wildlife. The benefits to society of the services that protected areas provide will increase in value. UNEP strongly believes that tourism can make a contribution to the protection of sensitive areas through financial contributions, provision of environmental infrastructure, improved management, awareness raising and education, and by the creation of protected areas, national parks, cultural and natural sites. These protected areas, which are a source of sustained tourism bring benefits to people, embedding protected areas more firmly in local economies so that communities, local, national and international benefit from the full range of material and non-material values of protected areas (UNEP, 2002). Marine and coastal protected areas are also a pillar in sustained tourism which brings a lot of benefits. Marine, coastal, and estuarine protected areas range from small, locally managed and enforced fishery reserves to larger national marine parks. Benefits include: Strengthened management of parks and protected areas; Habitat and biodiversity conservation through threat mitigation; Improved environmental management by both public and private sector entities; Sustained livelihoods, employment diversification, and income generation; Reduction of negative impacts from international trade and destructive fishing practices; Sustainable tourism and fisheries; and Reduction of land-based sources of pollution and improved coastal watershed management (US Aid, Undated).
Aqua-Trek's Beqa Shark Dive won an International Award in 2007 in this regard. Aqua-Trek is committed to protecting sharks and creating a model for conservation and sustainable tourism that can be applied around the world. Aqua-Trek's Fiji Shark Conservation and Sustainable Tourism Program encompasses several interlinked aspects that have been instrumental in the conservation of sharks on a local and global level. In Fiji, tourism has been the answer and Aqua-Trek's Shark Dive offers a unique tourist attraction with increasing worldwide recognition. In addition to conservation and education, the project provides income to local villages; preserves the cultural heritage of the indigenous people; provides Fiji with a successful sustainable tourism enterprise; and creates an unparalleled opportunity to study sharks in their natural environment. (Aqua-Trek, 2007)
World Heritage Sites (WHS) Benefits World Heritage sites belong to all the people of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations (UNSECO, Undated). Currently, around 880 sites have been inscribed onto the World Heritage list, which includes natural properties, cultural properties and mixed properties. A cultural WHS is a monument, group of buildings or site which is of Outstanding Universal Value to the international community from the point of view of history, art, aesthetics, science, ethnicity or anthropology. International examples of WHSs include the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Gizza and Stonehenge (Liverpool World Heritage, Undated) .
Promoting sustainable tourism is one of the fastest growing global industries and often depends upon images of iconic World Heritage sites. These bring benefits such as:
Benefits of World Heritage status WHS status could be used as a tool to create economic benefits WHS bring benefits to the community, to the nation and to the world community Educational benefits Tourism value is of undoubted national and international value
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Area and is one of the world's most recognisable tourism icons. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park welcomes nearly 2 million tourists and 4.9 million recreational visitors each year. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Marine Park tourism industry directly help achieve a well-managed and sustainable industry as well as significantly improving environmental, cultural and business outcomes in the Marine Park (GBRMPA, Undated).
Considerations Sustainable tourism in essence means seeking growth in a way that affects the environment while contributing towards its conservation and preservation. Sustainable tourism may bring benefits if it provides a quality product for the tourist while embracing local involvement. Responsible tourism management must protect the resources while sustaining and improving the overall tourism product. In the process of sustainable tourism management, the broad goals of economic, social, and cultural values must be maintained. The major challenge in realising the full potential of sustained tourism is in finding a balance between these goals. |
