Human Case Studies

Página 1

Mallorca:

Intro:

Experienced the negative impacts of mass tourism as they were one of the first countries to experience it in the 1960's. In 1960 there was 400,000 visitors but this increased to 12.5 million in 2015.

A number of management policies were but in place to try to reduce the negative impacts.

+Ve economic benefits: (Probs not need)

2/3's of the population are employed in tourism= 84% GNI

The most popular resorts unemployment rates are 4% lower than the average and average family incomes are 30% higher.

-Ve social Impacts:

Job limitations: many of these tourism developments are designed and financed by international tour companies leaving only manual and semi skilled jobs for the locals. Much of this work is seasonal so have to work long anti social hours to compensate for this. In the beginning it was thought that these negatives were outweighed by the economic benefits.

Loss of Mallorcan culture and architecture: by the end of the late 1970's most of the Mallorcan culture was lost especially in regions such as Calvia. Many hotels, bars and restaurants are owned by the Irish, English and German so there is no need to speak Spanish. It attracted many young people staying in cheap accommodation which lead the negative image of crowded beaches, rowdy bars and nightclubs.

-Ve environmental impacts:

Competition for water: seasonal influx of tourists places heavy demands on already scarce water supplies. By the end of the 1970s tap water was unfit for drinking and so expensive decontamination of sea water took place. Fresh water supplies were used for golf courses and landscaping. Locals had to compete against the tourist demand and so became resentful of these developments.

Destruction of natural coastal landscape: natural dune vegetation and its wildlife was destroyed as dunes were removed to make way for more apartment blocks. Beaches in Calvia were extended by up to 13% over a 20 year period. Increased number of tour buses and other vehicles increased air pollution, causing a decrease in air quality.

Management Strategies:

Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) (1970s): attempts to address the problem of pollution but had limited effect.

Balaeric Autonomous Community (BAC) (1980s): attempts to protect fragile environments through protected land status were largely unsuccessful.

BAC based on principles of sustainability (1980): more success, initiatives: no new buildings on a 100m belt from the coast, extending the area of protected land e.g the Archipalegeo of Cabera became a national park in 1993 and increased restrictions of he building of second homes and villas in rural areas.

Local Agenda 21 in Calvia: considerable success, objectives focused on providing an upgraded tourism project that would be attractive for tourists and provide a sustainable economy for locals. Developers encouraged to use locally available resources and user energy conservation measures where possible. Objectives delivered through a series of lines of action- building restriction plan and the demolition of 5 sea front hotels, compulsory purchase of land to prevent more buildings.

Achievements of tourism management:

+Ve's:

Many hotels have been upgraded from 3/4 to 5 stars in attempt to attract wealthier tourists.

Tourist numbers increased following this modernisation programmes an the tourist season has bee extended

2005 the Baeleric Isalnds recorded the 3rd largest daily spend by tourists in all of Spain.

-Ve's:

Eco-tax was dropped within a year due to opostion

Due to the death of 3 tourists in 2014 the consumption of alcohol on the streets has been banned from 10pm-8am.

€240 million has been used to fund improvements in Magaluf and Palm Nova including luxury bars and restaurants to remove the negative reputation and image.

Conclusion:

Tourism across whole island- not just Calvia that receives 1.7 million tourists anually

Locals involved in decision making progress

Many resorts dominated by Irish, English and German bars so Spanish culture not fully rejuvenated

Future is uncertain with the increase in terrorist attacks sending people to perceived safe locations such a mainland Spain and here and the increase in Cruise ship visitors- 524 cruise ships docked in Palma Nova in 2016.

Página 2

Costa Rica:

Intro:

Tropical climate, extensive beaches, wealth of biodiversity and diverse environments makes it a prime location for ecotourism.

A fall in primary exports in the 1970s lead them to restructure their economy and so tourism and ecotourism became their main focus.

1988: 32,500 ~ 2.9 mil 2016

Social and economic benefits:

Employment: 247,500 employed in tourism in 2015. Many receiving incomes double that of non tourism jobs

Little Leakage: approximately 75% of lodges and hotels are owned by local Costa Ricans so the profits stay in the community and aren't leaked abroad.

Trickle down effect: local Costa Ricans establish service industries in restaurants, souvenir shops and transport facilities. These provide income for many people. Consumer demand for local products including coffee has generated $16 million in recent years.

Environmental benefits:

Protected land status: ensures preservation of important vegetation and wildlife. A national park service was developed in the 1970s to manage the diverse environment and 25% of the country has some form of protected land status. Protected land status also includes rivers which are used to generate hydro electricity and a source of clean water.

Research: Costa Rica is regarded as a pioneer of ecotourism and has attracted conservationists and academics to study its wealth of biodiversity. Government investment in conservation has also encouraged research.

E.g. El Remanso Lodge: awarded level 5 of the certification of sustainable tourism (CST) which is the highest possible. The Certification of Sustainable Tourism is a tourist board that was established to monitor the impacts of ecotourism in the 1990s and has been used as a guideline for future regulation. It utilises renewable energy sources and 100% of the electricity comes from micro hydro electric systems. They ban bottled water and only use fully biodegradable cleaning products. They actively contribute to conservation by providing education programmes.

Social and economic negatives:

Inequality in distribution of income: Costa Rica is ranked 66 on the human development index (HDI) so it falls into the band of high human development countries but on the inequality adjusted human development index (IHDI) its 75.

Decline in farming: due to the potential financial gain from selling farmland for ecotourism ventures. This has led many to sell their land and Costa Rica now imports food.

Environmental negatives:

Habitats threatened: many of the luxury lodges have been accused of greenwashing and so consequently endangering the environment.

Over exposure of fragile environments: tourist overcapacity damages the fragile environment an wildlife. One of the principals of ecotourism is that it should be small scale and low impact but the increasing number of tourists means the environment is wildlife is subject to more human pressure.

E.g. Four Seasons Resort, Peninsula Papagayo: awarded 4 leaves on the CST but its sustainability initiatives aren't listed on their main website. No environmental impact studies have been done and hotels have damaged the maritime zone and pre Colombian archaelogical sites have been destroyed. However there are proposed solutions such as slowing down development or imposing stricter environmental safeguards.

Conclusion:

Costa Rica has benefitted considerably from ecotourism.

Stricter policies are required to ensure that he negative impacts are minimised and the benefits are spread equally across the country

Ongoing challenge for the future is to maintain the balance between economic gain and environmental conservation