Natural Area Tourism: Ecology, Impacts and Management

481 Pages·2012·0.91 MB·English

by  David Newsome

Natural Area Tourism
ASPECTS OF TOURISM
Series Editors: Chris Cooper (Oxford Brookes University, UK), C. Michael Hall
(University of Canterbury, New Zealand) and Dallen J. Timothy (Arizona State
University, USA)
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Natural Area Tourism
Ecology, Impacts and Management
2nd edition
David Newsome, Susan A. Moore and
Ross K. Dowling
CHANNEL VIEW PUBLICATIONS
Bristol • Buffalo • Toronto
David Newsome is dedicating this book to two people who have been instrumental
in fostering David’s interest in travel and the natural world:
In memory of Kenneth Firth Newsome (1926–2010) and sunny days in Cornwall
on the southern coastline of England, where, on family holidays and as a boy, I
saw my first basking shark.
In memory of Jonathon Paul Welton (23/8/53–22/2/78) and bird watching in the
Okavango Delta, Botswana, during March 1975.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Newsome, David, 1951–
Natural Area Tourism: Ecology, Impacts and Management/David Newsome, Susan A. Moore and
Ross K. Dowling. — 2nd ed.
Aspects of Tourism: 58
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Tourism. 2. Tourism—Environmental aspects. 3. Natural areas. I. Moore, Susan A. II. Dowling,
Ross Kingston. III. Title.
G155.A1N43 2013
338.4’791–dc23 2012036509
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN-13: 978-1-84541-382-8 (hbk)
ISBN-13: 978-1-84541-381-1 (pbk)
Channel View Publications
UK: St Nicholas House, 31-34 High Street, Bristol BS1 2AW, UK.
USA: UTP, 2250 Military Road, Tonawanda, NY 14150, USA.
Canada: UTP, 5201 Dufferin Street, North York, Ontario M3H 5T8, Canada.
Copyright © 2013 David Newsome, Susan A. Moore and Ross K. Dowling.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
permission in writing from the publisher.
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Typeset by R. J. Footring Ltd, Derby
Printed and bound in Great Britain by the MPG Books Group
Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xiii
List of Boxes xv
Acknowledgements xvii
Preface xix
1 Introduction 1
Tourism and the Natural Environment 1
Natural Areas as a Focus for Tourism 3
Nature and Naturalness 4
Human Approaches to Nature 5
Types of Natural Area 7
Tourism and Tourists 8
Defining Sustainable Tourism 12
Natural Area Tourism in Context 13
The Spectrum of Natural Area Tourism 16
Key Issues for Natural Area Tourism in the 21st Century 31
Outline of the Book 37
2 The Ecological Perspective 40
Introduction 40
An Introduction to Ecosystems and Landscapes 43
Ecological Characteristics and Tourism Activity in Different Types of
Ecosystem 69
Wildlife as a Specific Component of Ecosystems 97
Conclusion 102
3 Environmental Impacts 104
Introduction 104
Sources of Impact 110
v
vi Contents
Trampling 114
Access Roads and Trails 125
Use of Built Facilities and Camping Areas 147
Use of Water Edges 159
Recreation and Tourism in Mountainous Areas 172
Recreation and Tourism in and around Caves 174
The Observation of Wildlife 178
Wildflower Tourism 184
Recreation and Tourism Focused on Sites of Geological Interest 187
Social Impacts 188
The Impacts of Natural Area Tourism in the Context of Wider
Environmental Issues 190
Conclusion 199
4 Visitor Planning 201
Introduction 201
Stakeholder Involvement in Visitor Planning 205
Planning Concepts 208
Recreation/Tourism Planning Frameworks 211
Conclusion 239
5 Management Strategies and Actions 241
Introduction 241
Creating Protected Areas 242
Governance and Joint Management 251
Zoning 254
Site Management Actions 256
Visitor Management Actions 270
Choosing Management Actions 278
Managing the Tourism Industry 284
Conclusion 292
6 Interpretation for Nature Tourism 294
Introduction 294
Principles 295
Stages of the Interpretive Experience 300
Application of Interpretation 302
Techniques Used in the Delivery of Interpretation 303
The Role and Effectiveness of Interpretation 315
Enhancing and Valuing the Role of the Tour Guide: Some Important
Issues 319
The Tour Operator as a Role Model 320
Views on the Effectiveness of Interpretation 321
Conclusion 322
Contents vii
7 Monitoring 324
Introduction 324
Definition 324
Reasons for Monitoring 325
Principles of Monitoring 330
Developing a Monitoring Programme 332
Monitoring Visitor Impacts on Natural Areas 333
Monitoring Visitors to Natural Areas 354
System-Wide and Integrated Approaches 371
Conclusion 378
8 Conclusion 380
Introduction 380
The Ecological Underpinnings of Natural Area Tourism 381
Tourism’s Impacts on Natural Areas 382
Appropriate Planning and Management Strategies 384
Monitoring – The Ongoing Commitment to Natural Area Management 385
Interpretation – The Bridge Between Visitation and Connection 386
Big Picture Issues – Sustainability and Climate Change 387
Emerging Research Trends 388
References 390
Index 442

Figures
1.1 Tourists in the remote Purnululu National Park, Western Australia,
a World Heritage site 9
1.2 The tourism system 11
1.3 Characteristics of natural area tourism 14
1.4 Management and scales of tourism 15
1.5 Nine Bend River in the Mount Wuyi World Heritage site, Fujian Province,
China 19
1.6 Whale shark watching, Exmouth, Western Australia 24
1.7 Geotourism attraction, Granite Skywalk, Castle Rock, Porongurup
National Park, Western Australia 26
1.8 Tourist walkway, Langkawi Global Geopark, Malaysia 27
1.9 Geotourists witnessing a volcanic eruption on Fernandina Island,
Galapagos, Ecuador 29
2.1 Levels of organisation within the science of ecology 42
2.2 Components of an ecosystem 44
2.3 Interaction of the biotic components in ecosystems 46
2.4 Moisture largely determines the development of terrestrial vegetation
in the tropical climate zone 47
2.5 Generalised models of nutrient cycling 48
2.6 Simplified marine ecosystem food chain and ecological pyramid 49
2.7 Example of a food web: Kelp in marine ecosystems 50
2.8 Conceptual model of ecosystem processes 51
2.9 Conceptual diagram of the hydrological cycle (local and global scale) 52
2.10 The potential role of the grey wolf as a keystone predator in
Yellowstone National Park, USA 57
2.11 Factors affecting the establishment of woodland or grassland
communities in the Serengeti–Mara region of East Africa 58
2.12 A comparison of patches and corridors in the landscape matrix.
(A) Agricultural matrix; (B) natural forest cover matrix 62
2.13 Location map of important nature-based tourism destinations referred
to in this chapter 64
ix