Alex’s Adventures

Sustainable Tourism Planning in Delta Landscapes

            The scope of research I am pursuing via the Geraldine Knight Scott Traveling Scholarship is that of sustainable tourism planning in Delta landscapes. I would like to answer the question of ‘What issues need to be considered when planning for sustainable tourism in a Delta landscape?’ This research opportunity is extremely beneficial to me as I am working professionally in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta (aka California Delta) through my internship with the Delta Protection Commission. I recently finished my thesis, ‘The Sacramento Delta National Heritage Corridor, (http://lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/restoration/pdfs/Westhoff_MS.pdf)’ which proposes that the Sacramento Delta receive designation as a National Heritage Area (NHA) through the National Park Service. I have discussed my thesis to a number of stakeholders and policy makers in the Delta who are excited about the idea as they think it could be a viable way to help alleviate some of the Delta’s problems. Ultimately, this project could become a focus for the next several years and could play a role in the Delta in the context of tourism development. Therefore, I would like to use this fellowship as an opportunity to examine comparable case studies to extract lessons learned on sustainable tourism development in Delta systems that could be applied to the California Delta.

When researching my travel interests for this fellowship. I studied a number of Deltas throughout the world. Making a decision about which Deltas I was most interested in visiting was incredibly tough as Deltas throughout the world all seem interesting and impressive in their own ways. I am confident though that I chose appropriately based upon the opportunities of this fellowship. The Deltas that I am planning to visit are as follows:

·        Okavango Delta, Botswana – The Okavango Delta is also an inland Delta like the California Delta. About 50,000 people visit this Delta annually, mainly from developed countries for the purposes of ecotourism as this area supports a large diversity of wildlife. Tourism has both benefited and harmed the region. Local populations have benefited economically and infrastructural improvements have been made, though there have been some negative social side effects from these improvements including prostitution, racism and settlement displacement. Though tourism has been an incentive for wildlife protection in the area, there have also been negative environmental impacts from tourist activities related to solid waste production, water pollution, invasive species introductions via water based transportation, bush fires and more. Community based tourism planning has been promoted in the region through the Community-Based Natural Resource Management program as a means to empower local communities by linking economic and social development to natural resources management. I would like to learn more about this program and how that has affected the decision making process in tourism development.

·        Ebro Delta, Spain – The Ebro Delta is an important wetland area on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. In the 1980s, the Ebro Delta Natural Park was declared which drew more attention to the region as a tourism destination and to the area’s natural and social values. Tourists visit due to the interesting experience of navigating the channels, as well as the magnificent birdlife. The site is recognized as a model for sustainable ecotourism which is planned for by the European charter for sustainable tourism in the Ebro Delta. I would like to find out more about what this charter does to plan for sustainable tourism, and what indicators they use to gauge the success of their sustainability efforts. Also, I would like to investigate land use issues regarding potential conflicts of tourists with sensitive habitats of endangered species and get the perspectives from the birding groups in the region on the impact of tourism to the natural habitat.

·        Danube Delta, Romania – Like the Ebro Delta, efforts are being made to ensure sustainable tourism development in the Danube Delta. This Delta is the largest in Europe and is a UNESCO world nature and cultural heritage site. It provides habitat for thousands of plant and animal species, especially known for its bird and fish species. One specific reason I am interested in visiting this Delta is that I would like to understand necessary precautions to take when an area gets designation as a heritage site and a sudden increase in tourists must be planned for. Another parallel to the California Delta is that the Danube Delta has been home to a wide diversity of people including: Romanians, Lipovans, Haholens, Turks, Greeks and Aromunens, many of whom still live there. I would like to gain an understanding of how these groups were involved in planning and if they feel their heritage is acknowledged in the broader context of the region. As there are many ways in which human activities are threatening this system through road construction and uncontrolled tourism, a project ‘Danube Delta – Landscape of the Year 2007-2009’ is being planned by International Friends of Nature and Friends of Nature of Romania.

·        Nile Delta, Egypt – Egypt is a popular tourist destination in Africa and the Nile Delta lies in the midst of several major metropolitan areas with Cairo at the south and Alexandria at the west. Like the California Delta, the Nile Delta contains incredibly fertile soils, thus making it one of the most productive agricultural regions in Egypt. Though there are some amazing wildlife areas within the Nile Delta, cultural tourism has been promoted and developed to a greater extent as there are a number of historic cities, small towns and villages, archeological ruins, and other sites of historic interest. The Nile Delta appears to have several parallels with the California Delta. While both are predominantly agricultural land, they are both threatened with intense urbanization around the periphery. Also, both are threatened by subsidence and sea level rise and face water resource conflicts. I would like to determine how tourism plays a role in land use planning and management of the Nile Delta to see whether or not tourism actually helps to alleviate any of these environmental problems, or whether it just leads to further degradation. I would also like to learn more about the farmers in the Nile Delta, if they are included in the planning process for tourism and if they reap any economic benefits from tourism.

I plan on spending about two weeks at each location to get a comprehensive understanding of issues that are being dealt with. The first half of my time at each location will involve interviewing local stakeholders. At each location I would like to interview local tour operators and local citizens to get an understanding of their perspectives on the impacts that tourism has socially, environmentally and economically. Tour operators will be interviewed to determine how tourism is affecting the natural resources of the area, how local people and tourists affect one another, what (if any) guidelines they are required to abide by in order to follow sustainable practices, and how much tourism gives back to the local communities. Local people will be interviewed to determine if they have had to make sacrifices to local traditions or customs to accommodate tourists, if they were included in the tourism planning process, if they have reaped any economic benefits from tourism, if they feel the native people are overdependent on the tourist dollar, and if they see tourism as a threat, asset, or some of both in regards to their own lifestyle. Of course interviewees could likely be both tourist operators and local people, in which case they will be asked questions that pertain to both. In many cases there will be a diversity of types of tour operators (i.e. ecotour operators, cultural tour operators, etc) as well as a wide spectrum of locals representing different cultures and interest groups (i.e. farming, wildlife, etc.). From these interviews, I would like to come to a few conclusions about what these places had done that was positive in regards to sustainable tourism and what could be done in order to link gaps between present and desired conditions; socially, environmentally and economically.

The second half of my time at each location will be spent doing field reconnaissance to document the positive and/or negative impacts that tourism has had on the physical environment. Using maps of the region I will note where environmental degradation such as soil erosion, habitat destructions, pollution, etc. has occurred in relation to the tourist activities. I would also like to get a sense of ways that tourism has had positive effects on the landscape such as restoration of native ecosystems, soil stabilization, preservation of historic structures, etc. I will do photography and illustrations to support my mapping activities.

        Each location will be a case study and have its own story on how tourism has affected the natural and social environment of the region, and how the planning process of these places does or could include sustainable principles. Upon completion of the fellowship, I would like to write a summary report on sustainable tourism planning in Delta landscapes. In conclusion, I am very excited for this scholarship as it could have great implications on tourism planning in the California Delta which, if done sustainably, could ultimately ensure a more stable long term future for a local resource which much of California is dependent upon.