Protected areas and tourism

Protected areas accessible to visitors

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Not all protected areas are synonymous with a “glass bell.” Thus, most categories of protected areas (except category 1) allow access to visitors for recreational and tourist activities. These activities take many forms such as hiking, wildlife observation, or mountain biking or cross-country skiing.

The impacts of tourism in protected areas

Protected areas accessible to the public allow the discovery of the natural and cultural resources of the territory and thus contribute to the awareness of conservation and protection values. In many cases, tourism is even essential for the creation and management of protected areas. The economic benefits of tourism in protected areas can also be a powerful argument in favor of conservation. However, this activity requires basic infrastructure and a sustainable management system in order to limit negative impacts that could contribute to the primary mission of protected areas. The table below summarizes the benefits and potential negative impacts of tourism in protected areas.

For sustainable tourism in protected areas

To help managers and other decision makers develop sustainable tourism in protected areas, IUCN has published a guide presenting guidelines and a series of best practices. The guide is available Hather. The ten principles presented in the guide can be summarised as follows.

Principles 1 to 4 —Sustainable Management and Planning

Tourism necessarily has impacts on the territory and the community of the protected area. Infrastructure management, planning and design must be consistent with the goals and values of the protected area.

• Establish a clear and precise management framework (e.g.: development by zoning, impact management measures, standards);
• conduct environmental impact assessments;
• Determine the limits of acceptable changes for the territory and the community (define indicators and quality standards);
• Choose eco-friendly materials;
• Use native plant species for landscape design.

Principles 5 and 6 —Managing visitor flows and land uses

The use of tools and techniques that limit the use of the territory by visitors ensures that tourist activities do not compromise the conservation objective of the protected area. Here are some courses of action:

• Extend the offer in space and time for a better distribution of visitor flows;
• Reducing demand for problem uses. For example ending certain activities (climbing walls) at certain times (nesting);
• Use a system of restriction for access (e.g.: reservation system, draw, queue);
• Use zoning that assigns certain recreational activities to specific areas or time slots;
• Use variable pricing (e.g. the most popular and fragile sites are more expensive).

Principles 7 to 10 — Follow-up, Commitment and Communication: The Winning Trio

Once the management framework has been established and the tools and techniques are carefully selected, protected area managers must design and implement a monitoring, engagement, and communication program.

• ‍Follow-up is essential. Continuous monitoring, which monitors current conditions and assesses the effectiveness of actions, allows informed decisions to be made and the necessary adjustments to be made.‍
• Stakeholder engagement and consultation are essential in the management of a protected area. Partnerships between protected area management organizations and NGOs, indigenous peoples, local communities, and the private sector can be very beneficial, but also complex, as each group may have different goals.
• Finally, Communication is essential for improving knowledge and supporting sustainability.

Conclusion

Tourism and the various recreational uses in protected areas generate certain negative impacts. However, if managed sustainably, this tourist use can also generate positive impacts in favor of nature conservation and for community development. Finally, by applying best practices, sustainable tourism can help defend numerous natural and social values that contribute to the conservation mission of the protected area and, where possible, benefit local communities.

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