What does it mean to manage tourism sustainably on New Zealand's conservation estate?

Abstract

The potential for symbiosis between tourism and conservation is commonly advanced as a rationale for developing protected areas as tourism resources. Tourism is seen as a means of providing economic incentives and encouraging community support for conservation. Discussions of the sustainability of tourism in protected areas tend to focus on management techniques for the mitigation of adverse physical and social impacts, and the maximisation of economic benefits. Meanwhile, critics maintain that financial gains are overstated and social, cultural and environmental impacts underestimated. In New Zealand, a rapid growth in numbers of international tourists is placing pressure upon the physical and social capacity of the conservation estate, and the limited funds of the Department of Conservation. In pursuing a central question - what does it mean to manage tourism sustainably on New Zealand's conservation estate? - this study analyses the values and assumptions involved in the debate surrounding the relationship between tourism and conservation by examining the ways in which humans value the natural environment; exploring the concept of sustainability; and discussing tourism from the perspective of the commodification of experiences and relationships. This theoretical overview provides the foundation upon which a rationale for a 'strongly' sustainable and ecologically-centred tourism is proposed, along with the 'plurality of values' which it must encompass. The implications of these are discussed in relation to current tourism and conservation policy issues in New Zealand. Primary among the findings is the conclusion that New Zealand's tourism policy should be tied to the objective of sustainable development rather than economic growth, and that adequate funding for conservation should come from government and not be linked to revenue generation through tourism. Guidelines by which tourism is allowed on the conservation estate should include, in addition to ecological constraints and the mitigation of environmental impacts, the extent to which it integrates development and conservation by contributing to the economic self-sufficiency of local communities and Iwi; providing a transformative experience for tourists by increasing their awareness of the ecological, intrinsic and cultural values of natural areas; and demonstrating a commitment to conservation through assistance with conservation management, education and advocacy, and encouraging tourists to support conservation projects, financially and in kind.