Sustainable Tourism and the National Parks
Tourism is a critical factor to America’s National Parks, setting a record for recreation visits in 2017 with nearly 331 million visitors (National Parks Service 2017). Of those, 22 million entered Yosemite (5 million), the Grand canyon (6 million), and the Great Smoky Mountains (11 million) National Parks. While visitors attend these National Parks for many reasons, typically recreational use and admiration of natural beauty, these parks also house irreplaceable ecosystems and culture. Tourism is often described as a problematic dichotomy, where tourism attracts visitors, economic benefits, and educates the public, the presence of individuals can pose a risk to the protection of the cultural and natural site. With the growing rate of tourism at the National Parks, sustainable tourism within the management of the site is a way to encourage tourism growth while still preserving the site at hand
Thoughts on Sustainable Tourism Definitions and Plans
Sustainable Tourism
There are several definitions of sustainable tourism. The definition by the International Council on Monuments and Sites states that “Sustainable Tourism refers to a level of tourism activity that can be maintained over the long term because it results in a net benefit for the social, economic, natural and cultural environments of the area in which it takes place”(Srinivas 2017). Similarly, The United Nations World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities” (United Nations World Tourism 2005). Sustainable Tourism is a balancing act between the desires of the tourists and preserving the culture and history of the site for tourists in perpetuity, but this balancing act can be incredibly difficult to juggle.
To help this balancing act, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has created the World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme, which develops appropriate tourism in relation to preserving the natural and cultural values, revolving around cooperation. This plan directly involves integrating sustainable tourism into the World Heritage Convention and to create collaboration between tourism that encourages responsible behavior and foster appreciation about Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage Sites.
Sustainable Tourism in Practice: Yellowstone and Yosemite
Due to the increased and record-breaking visitation numbers to the National Parks, there is a higher risk to the damage of these natural resources (Figure 1). For example, Yellowstone National Park’s superintendent Dan Wenk stated that “Last year’s visitation tested the capacity of Yellowstone National Park. We are looking at ways to reprioritize in order to protect resources, provide additional ranger programs, and keep facilities clean” (Wilkinson 2016).
However, recreation is placing people in direct conflict with animal habitats. As Yellowstone’s roads are continuously being damaged and run down by visitors, at Yosemite National Park visitors are creating their own set of problems (Figure 2).
Despite the National Park Service creating predetermined trails, visitors have been forging their own paths (Figure 3). These informal trails and paths are being created in protected areas of the park, which poses a large risk to the ecosystems of the park.
Conclusion
Overall, National Parks suffer from dividing environmental protection with the tourists who come to enjoy it. The management of nature and wild animals versus the need to encourage exploration is one that will be a challenge for World Heritage Sites. As seen with Yosemite, despite management making predetermined trails, visitors still are motivated to create their own trails, regardless of ecological repercussions. Management is seeking solutions, such as Dan Wenk’s idea of limiting visitor numbers. Examining these studies shows the current situations of visitors versus preservation in National Parks, and perhaps sustainable tourism can spark future ideas to alleviate the rift.
Sources
“Annual Visitation Highlights.” National Parks Service. Last modified 2017. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/annual-visitation-highlights.htm
Leung, Yu-Fai, Todd Newburger, Marci Jones, Bill Kuhn, and Brittany Woiderski. “Developing a monitoring protocol for visitor-created informal trails in Yosemite National Park, USA.” Environmental management 47, no. 1 (2011): 93–106.
Olson, Jeffrey. “America’s National Parks: Record Number of Visitors in 2015.” National Parks Service Press Release. Last modified January 27, 2016. https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/release.htm?id=1775
Srinivas, Hari and the Global Development Research Center. “What is Sustainable Tourism?” The Sustainable Tourism Gateway. Last modified 2017. https://www.gdrc.org/uem/eco-tour/st-whatis.html
United Nations Environment Programme, and World Tourism Organization. “Making Tourism More Sustainable- A Guide for Policy Makers.” 2005. http://www.unep.fr/shared/publications/pdf/dtix0592xpa-tourismpolicyen.pdf
Wilkinson, Todd. “Booming Tourism Becomes a Stress Test for Yellowstone.” National Geographic, May, 2016. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/05/yellowstone-national-parks-tourism/
