P_ Managing Visitor Impacts for ecotourism.pptx

the presentation focused on the impacts of ecotourism to a tourism destination site. Since tourism is very timely nowadays, it is empirical to manage the influx of tourist specifically to a protected area that is locally managed or declared under National Integrated Protected Area Systems (E-NIPAS) Act of the Philippines.

1. MPA Capacity Building Module 3: MANAGING VISITOR IMPACTS Planning for Sustainable Tourism

2. MPA Capacity Building “ There are two kinds of change … Managing Visitor Impacts

3. MPA Capacity Building “ There are two kinds of change … Managing Visitor Impacts planned and unplanned.

4. MPA Capacity Building Which would you rather have? Managing Visitor Impacts

5. MPA Capacity Building Managing Visitor Impacts Where do we start with planned change? Start with developing a vision Conduct a series of assessments to determine if you have a suitable tourism destination Now it is time to determine how you are going to define “sustainable tourism” for your MPA

6. MPA Capacity Building Developing Tourism Objectives What do you want to achieve (result) on your sustainable tourism plan? Protection of target species, habitats and ecosystems Protection of cultural or historic resources Protection of cultural integrity and communities Contribution to economy of local communities Provide a meaningful visitor experience

7. MPA Capacity Building Where are you now and where do you want to be twenty years from now as a result of your sustainable tourism plan Articulation of vision Broad description, big picture Grounded in reality (achievable) Sets a target (something to aim for) Characteristics of Good Objectives

8. MPA Capacity Building example of biophysical objective: To provide the opportunity for recreational and land-based tourism development activities that allow for the maintenance of Good Condition of sea grass beds in Palaui Island. Characteristics of Good Objective

9. MPA Capacity Building example of cultural objective: To provide the opportunity for tourism that respects and appreciates the value of the traditional music and culture of Dumagats , while allowing for unimpeded continuation of a traditional lifestyle by local people. Characteristics of Good Objectives

10. MPA Capacity Building example of community integrity objective: To provide opportunities for recreational tourism and land- based tourism development that allows for the undisturbed maintenance of the current social structure of the fishing community in Palaui Island Characteristics of Good Objectives

11. MPA Capacity Building example of visitor experience objective: To promote tourism activities that: increase visitor understanding of the marine biodiversity surrounding Palaui Island, and appreciation of the culture setting of local communities living on the island. Characteristics of Good Objectives

12. MPA Capacity Building Are the objectives of your Ecotourism Management Plan good enough?

13. MPA Capacity Building Exercise 3.1: Developing Sustainable Tourism Objectives Objective: to establish clear objectives as a statement of what you want to achieve as a result of implementing your sustainable tourism plan. Activity: With your team, and using guidance from handout 3.1, develop SMART biophysical, cultural/historical, social and economic goals for your sustainable tourism plan Time: 35 minutes + 10 minutes to share

14. MPA Capacity Building Presentation 3.1 Managing Visitor Impacts Based on Threshold

15. Promoting recreation and tourism so that visitors can learn about and appreciate an MPA… …without damaging the values for which it was established. MPA Capacity Building CHALLENGE

16. MPA Capacity Building Visitor Impacts Recall the potential negative impacts of tourism: Impacts on wildlife Water quality Seafloor damage Site deterioration Effects to visitor experiences…

17. MPA Capacity Building Not really managing resources, but rather managing people … What do these impacts mean for MPA managers?

18. MPA Capacity Building A successful sustainable tourism program seeks to: Achieve balance between protecting the resources and providing enjoyment for visitors --- thus --- Fundamental to sustainable tourism management is the monitoring and managing of visitor impacts Managing Visitor Impacts

19. MPA Capacity Building Managing and monitoring tourism means understanding : What activities tourists are engaged in and around your MPA When they conduct these activities Where they conduct these activities How they behave when conducting these activities What kind of management is in place Managing Visitor Impacts

20. MPA Capacity Building Managing Visitor Impacts Methods for Managing Visitor Use: Carrying Capacity Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC)

21. MPA Capacity Building Carrying Capacity What is carrying capacity? Carrying capacity is the maximum amount and type of tourist activity that can be sustained without damaging the environment or decreasing visitor enjoyment.

22. MPA Capacity Building Carrying Capacity Estimating Carrying Capacity is difficult and varies for each MPA depending on: Ecological conditions Resiliency of ecosystem and ability to recover from disturbance (which may vary over time) Behavior of visitors

23. MPA Capacity Building Problems with Carrying Capacity Carrying Capacity commonly used to set limits for divers at coral reefs: spend similar lengths of time under water Assumption : number of divers is a reliable indicator of damage to the reef However : it does not account for the impacts caused by the behavior of the divers

24. MPA Capacity Building Problems with Carrying Capacity

25. MPA Capacity Building Problems with Carrying Capacity Numbers are often not an accurate measure of impacts. Impacts will vary with: ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Visitor behavior & motivations Mode of transportation Type of lodging Effectiveness of guides Season and time of day “Site hardening” etc.

26. MPA Capacity Building Problems with Carrying Capacity Newer methods have evolved from carrying capacity: Recreation Opportunity Spectrum Visitor Impact Management Resource Protection Planning Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC)

27. MPA Capacity Building Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) LAC focuses on: How much impact is too much? Impact is inevitable; Different sites have different environment and social condition; A given level of tourism may have different impacts in different environment.

28. MPA Capacity Building LAC and Carrying Capacity CARRYING CAPACITY Management decisions based on how many people/visits/activities can a resource sustain LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE CHANGE Management decisions based on how much change is acceptable as a result of those visits, and how should that change be addressed

29. MPA Capacity Building Basic Logic of LAC Identify two goals in conflict - often environmental conditions & visitor experiences There will be compromising Decide which goal takes priority Write LAC standards for the priority goal Allow compromise in the priority goal only until the LAC standards are reached. At that point, compromise the other goal as much as necessary. LAC forces us to realize that unrestricted visitor access cannot always be accommodated.

30. MPA Capacity Building Managing Visitor Impacts Limits of Acceptable Change Methodology and Process: Identifying the Problem Standards and Indicator Monitoring Management Strategies Adaptive Management

31. MPA Capacity Building LAC Methodology

32. MPA Capacity Building LAC Methodology: Problem Specification Preliminary

33. MPA Capacity Building National Geographic Society Problem specification: what exactly is the problem? Sometimes the problem is obvious…

34. MPA Capacity Building IMPACTS to resources to visitor experience ROOT CAUSES what is really causing the problem? Problem Elements:

35. MPA Capacity Building Articulate problems in terms of specific impact to the resource Avoid framing a problem in terms of solution Distinguish between problems and the root causes Problem Specification Tips

36. MPA Capacity Building Vague: Boats are damaging sea grass. Specific: Boat operators are causing damage by anchoring on the sea grass. Example 1: Be Specific

37. MPA Capacity Building Just the problem: Boat operators are causing damage by anchoring on sea grass. Defined in terms of a solution: No fines for Boat operators for anchoring on sea grass. Example 2: Don’t Define the Problem in Terms of a Solution

38. MPA Capacity Building Problem: Sea grass beds are being damaged by boat anchors. Root cause: Dive boat operators are unaware of mooring buoy locations. Example 3: Distinguish Between Problem and Root Causes

39. MPA Capacity Building Threat Diagram SEA GRASS

40. MPA Capacity Building Threat Diagram SEA GRASS 1. Target resource

41. MPA Capacity Building Threat Diagram SEA GRASS Destruction of seabed 1. Target resource

42. MPA Capacity Building Threat Diagram SEA GRASS Anchoring Destruction of seabed 1. Target resource 2. Impact 3. Behavior/ activity

43. MPA Capacity Building Threat Diagram SEA GRASS Anchoring Destruction of seabed Dive Boat Operators 1. Target resource 2. Impact 3. Behavior/ activity 4. Stakeholder group

44. MPA Capacity Building Threat Diagram SEA GRASS Anchoring Destruction of seabed Dive Boat Operators Too many boats and too few dive sites with mooring buoys 1. Target resource 2. Impact 3. Behavior/ activity 4. Stakeholder group 5. Root cause of behavior

45. MPA Capacity Building Threat Diagram SEA GRASS Anchoring Destruction of seabed Dive Boat Operators Too many boats and too few dive sites with mooring buoys 1. Target resource 2. Impact 3. Behavior/ activity 4. Stakeholder 5. Root cause of behavior

46. MPA Capacity Building Threat Diagram SEA GRASS Anchoring Destruction of seabed Dive Boat Operators Too many boats and too few dive sites with mooring buoys 1. Target resource 2. Impact 3. Behavior/ activity 4. Stakeholder group 5. Root cause of behavior

47. MPA Capacity Building When is enough, enough?

48. MPA Capacity Building When is enough, enough? If you allow for tourism development in your MPA you will have impacts on your target resources.

49. MPA Capacity Building When is enough, enough? If you allow for tourism development in your MPA you will have impacts on your target resources. Based on sustainable tourism objectives, we need to then ask the question: - What is the acceptable level of change or impact on: Target resources Local communities Visitor experience

50. MPA Capacity Building When is enough, enough? Do you think it ’ s possible to manage visitor impacts to meet your level of acceptable change?

51. MPA Capacity Building LAC Methodology: Indicators & Standards Target Setting

52. MPA Capacity Building Exercise 3.3: Establishing Impact Thresholds LAC

53. MPA Capacity Building Realistic S Specific/Sensitive/Significant M Measurable (now is the time for this!) A Attainable/Appropriate R T Time/Space and User Characteristic Bound Characteristics of Good Indicators & Standards (LAC)

54. MPA Capacity Building Indicators & Standards After you have identified a potential problem: Select “ indicators ” exactly what will be measured? Each indicator needs a “ standard ” the amount change of an indicator over time and space? Basic types of indicators: Environmental (Biophysical) Socio-cultural aspects Visitor experience Economic Managerial (Infrastructure)

55. MPA Capacity Building No one formula for creating standards MPA managers set standards (LAC) based on their knowledge of their sites Always done in collaboration with stakeholders Developing Standards

56. MPA Capacity Building Statement of the Problem : Sea grass beds are being damaged by boat anchoring. Potential Indicators & Standards : INDICATOR 1: Number of scars in three representative 1-hectare plots near high boat traffic areas STANDARD 1: 10 scars visible per hectare in aerial photo Moving from the Problem to Indicators and Standards

57. MPA Capacity Building Statement of the Problem : Sea grass beds are being damaged by boat anchoring. Potential Indicators & Standards : INDICATOR 1: Number of scars in three representative 1-hectare plots near high boat traffic areas STANDARD 1: 10 scars visible per hectare in aerial photo INDICATOR 2: Number of scarring incidents seen by enforcement personnel STANDARD 2: 5 reports per week Moving from the Problem to Indicators and Standards

58. MPA Capacity Building Examples: Indicators & Standards Biophysical: Coverage at a site Successful nesting of turtles Visitor experience: Number of complaints % of visitors who are “pleased” or “very pleased” with visit Biophysical: 30% bare seabed at site X Five nesting turtles along beach X Visitor experience: Five complaints / month 90 % of visitors are “pleased” or “very pleased” on survey Indicators Standards

59. MPA Capacity Building Indicator : Number of complaints to park officials per week related to excessive motorized vessel speed near swimming areas during high tourist season Standard (LAC) : No more than 5 complaints per week Example : Indicators and Standards

60. MPA Capacity Building Indicator : Number of citations issued to recreational boat operators per week for speed zone violations Standards (LAC) : Off season (November-April): No more than 2 citations issued per week High season (May-October): No more than 5 citations issued per week Example : Indicators and Standards

61. MPA Capacity Building Why Monitor? If you do not know what effects your sustainable tourism activities are having on the site’s natural environment and the surrounding communities, then you cannot say whether you are successful. Only by routine monitoring can you detect early signs of change - before the damage is too far advanced.

62. MPA Capacity Building Track overall resource conditions and quality of visitor experiences Quantify existing impacts Provide evidence impacts are above or below standards Get early warning of upcoming problems Evaluate whether management interventions are working Practice adaptive management Why Monitor?

63. MPA Capacity Building Observation Visitor surveys Interviews Crowdsourcing Focus groups Economic analysis (PHP spent, distance traveled) Content analysis / document review Secondary data analysis (permit data) Social assessment Various Visitor Characteristic Monitoring Methods

64. MPA Capacity Building Collecting Information: Baselines & Monitoring The need for monitoring How much is too much? Cost Personnel Record-keeping

65. MPA Capacity Building Resource conditions : natural science data Vegetation cover (loss) Nest sites (disturbance) Wildlife behavior Visitor characteristics : social science data Visitor demographics and user types Use levels and patterns Visitor attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs Visitor motivations, expectations, experiences Management actions The Big Question is… How are A and B changing in response to C??? What to monitor?

66. MPA Capacity Building Exercise 3.4 Establishing Indicators and Monitoring Impacts Objective: to understand that each LAC requires an indicator that will be monitored/ measured on a periodic basis to see if there are any changes or indications of a trend that you may be moving towards that standard (which reflects your LAC). Activity: 1) with your team, use worksheet 3.2 and refer to handouts to develop indicators that will be measured to see if there is any change in your target resource, 2) then identify what kind of monitoring program will be used to identify change in the indicator. Time: 1 hour