610 Coastal & Marine Ecotourism

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1 610 Coastal & Marine Ecotourism The Sustainable Tourism Destination Management Program The George Washington University

2 Copyright The George Washington University January 2007 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of The George Washington University Event & Tourism Professional Education Programs. The George Washington University School of Business Event & Tourism Professional Education Programs 2201 G Street, N.W. Funger Hall, Suite 301 Washington, DC

3 SYLLABUS Instructor Related Text Description Purpose Tourism Staff Hatzidos, Marcel E., Anthony J. Hooter, and Martin Fodor (1997). Coral Reefs: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Management. World Bank Publications. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of integrating coastal zone management and marine/reef conservation into a sustainable tourism development strategy. This course is designed to provide students with the tools to Maintain sustainable marine ecotourism and reef recreation activities Work with local communities to accommodate their needs Preserve the marine and coastal environment Evaluation Students will receive 1 2 continuing education units (CEUs) for completing the requirements listed above. Students who do not fulfill these requirements will receive no credit (N) unless they repeat the course successfully. The George Washington University February 2002 i cw610-unit1

4 CONTENTS Page Introduction...1 Unit 1 Relevance of Ecology to Marine Ecotourism Development...2 Unit 2 Unit 3 Education Programs and Tourist Expectations...5 Diver Impact and Resource Monitoring...11 Unit 4 Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)...18 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Community Outreach...29 Putting It All Together...32 The Challenge of Creating an Ecotourism Program...34 The George Washington University February 2002 ii cw610-unit1

5 INTRODUCTION Welcome to our program focusing on coral reefs, ecotourism and marine park areas. Because coral reefs are the focus for a large component of tropical tourism, we will begin the course with an in depth presentation of how coral reefs function with particular emphasis on why they are vulnerable to human impact. With this as a foundation we can then discuss how coral reefs, and related ecosystems, can be sustainably used as tourist destinations and how information about them shared with tourists. We will explore how divers impact coral reefs and how the dive community can be mobilized to help better understand and manage coral reefs. An important goal of management is sustainability and the most effective means of achieving this is through integrated coastal zone management. Our exploration of this management approach will include how marine protected areas can be used to enhance coral reef vitality and productivity in adjacent areas where diving would be allowed. Finally, almost all ecotourism operations exist as a component of a larger, local community. How local people use, manage and protect coral reefs is often more important than that of the tourists and consequently any management program must include the locals as an integral part of the planning and implementation process. The course will be divided into two sections. The first will involve an overview of the general subject areas described above. The goal is to create a foundation of knowledge sufficient for practical application in the real world. The second section will involve students being challenged to create an ecotourism program involving a reef management strategy on a remote tropical island where a population of indigenous people have lived for thousands of years. Important issues to be resolved will include keeping sewage from polluting the reef, deforestation on native lands with related impact on coral reefs and a group of local people who are not supportive of the development nor do they want to see outsiders denying them access to their traditional fishing grounds. You will work through these issues and seek alternate solutions which are acceptable to both the local people and ecotourism developers. The George Washington University February cw610-unit1

6 Unit 1 Relevance of Ecology to Marine Ecotourism Development Unit 1 RELEVANCE OF ECOLOGY TO MARINE ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT Objectives At the completion of this unit, you will be able to: Understand the fundamentals of coral reef ecology Identify threats to reef health To Protect Something It Helps To Know How It Works In this unit we will focus on the important processes and characteristics of coral reefs and related ecosystems such as sea grass beds and mangroves. Coral reefs live in the biological desert of the open sea and yet thrive with rates of productivity and measures of biodiversity as anywhere on earth. This remarkable feat is accomplished by corals, and their algal partners, which efficiently capture sunlight and recycle wastes. High rates of ecological efficiency also exist at the ecosystem level. Because of the nutrient poor and clear waters of the tropical seas in which corals thrive, they are vulnerable to anything which changes the water characteristics. Sediments and nutrients from deforestation and human activities (sewage, fertilizers, development etc.) are particularly harmful to reefs. And coral reef populations are also vulnerable to overharvesting and have suffered greatly world-wide from unsustainable harvest. Protecting reef vitality requires a reduction in these and other impacts. How Does A Coral Reef Function? Energy corals and algae capture energy for the entire ecosystem Cycles of matter and life cycles nutrients are efficiently recycled and organisms carry out their life cycles The George Washington University February unit1

7 Unit 1 Relevance of Ecology to Marine Ecotourism Development Living communities a number of different communities thrive and interact Adaptations species are well adapted to the special conditions of the reef environment Biodiversity by having more species in a community, there is redundancy and more different strategies for the continuation of important ecological processes Connections all organisms in the reef community are connected in one way or another, this results in a healthy integration of ecological functions which the benefit the entire ecosystem just as different occupations in a city contribute to the effective functioning of the community Threats to Reef Health Coral reefs around the world are showing signs of degradation, due to a variety of factors. Population #1 more people mean more of every impact: more pollution (including sewage), more agriculture (fertilizer/nutrients and sediments), more deforestation (sediments and nutrients), more harvest of resources Nutrients sewage, fertilizer from agriculture, runoff from deforested lands Sediments from deforestation, agriculture and development Over-exploitation over harvest of fish, shellfish and other critters Destructive fishing use of dynamite, cyanide, bleach to kill fish Coastal development destruction of mangroves and sea grass beds, increase sediments, alteration of coastal currents What Can Be Done to Protect Reefs Basic guidelines for responsible and sustainable use should be based on how to avoid disrupting the fundamental processes of reef ecology: Energy reduce sediments Cycles of matter and life cycles reduce nutrients and overfishing Living communities control development Biodiversity reduce pollution, landscape alteration, coastal destruction (particularly mangroves and sea grass beds), overharvest of living resources Connections remember every action has many consequences and connections to other ecosystem components The George Washington University February unit1

Unit 2 RELEVANCE OF ECOLOGY TO MARINE ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Unit 2 RELEVANCE OF ECOLOGY TO MARINE ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT Objectives At the completion of this unit, you will be able to: Understand the fundamentals of coral reef ecology Identify threats to reef health