Plans to diversify Kiribati’s economy away from a reliance on licenses for fishing access are some way off being realized, and the island needs to keep its focus on fisheries, according to a local tuna fisherman. Mike Tallarida, a Kiribati captain operating purse seine vessels in the Western and
The Andrews Labor Government is taking the next steps to engage Victorians in determining new conservation, recreation and tourism opportunities in Immediate Protection Areas.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has wrought unprecedented devastation on tourism in Asia and the Pacific. Tourism arrivals fell by 84% in 2020 compared to 2019, making it the worst affected region in the world. Countries heavily dependent on tourism also experienced the largest fall in economic output. This abrupt drop demonstrated the importance of tourism for the region, but also placed a spotlight on its negative impacts. Decreased economic activity—including tourism—resulted in the largest annual reduction in CO2 emissions in more than 70 years, for example.
Oceanic islands harbour a disproportionately high number of endemic and threatened species. Rapidly growing human populations and tourism are posing an increasing threat to island biota, yet the ecological consequences of these human land uses on small oceanic island systems have not been quantified. Here, we investigated and compared the impact of tourism and urban island development on ground-associated invertebrate biodiversity and habitat composition on oceanic islands.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect societies across the world, the ongoing economic and social disruptions are likely to present fundamental challenges for current and future biodiversity conservation. We review the literature for outcomes of past major societal, political, economic and zoonotic perturbations on biodiversity conservation, and demonstrate the complex implications of perturbation events upon conservation efforts.
Tourist operators say the rules governing national parks are so outdated that when a crisis like Covid-19 strikes and they need to adapt, they're hamstrung. A different set of rules - or management plans - governs each of the 13 national parks.
This guidance document aims to build awareness, knowledge, and capacity internationally on how to best undertake economic evaluations of tourism in protected areas, and thereby contribute towards a globally acknowledged standard methodology. We believe that it will serve as a key resource for protected area managers, site managers and their respective natural and cultural heritage agencies, practitioners, academia and consultancies, as well as international stakeholders and donor agencies.
Sustainable tourism involves increasingly attracting visitors while preserving the natural capital of a destination for future generations. To foster tourism while protecting sensitive environ‐ ments, coastal managers, tourism operators, and other decision‐makers benefit from information about where tourists go and which aspects of the natural and built environment draw them to particular locations. Yet this information is often lacking at management‐relevant scales and in remote places. We tested and applied methods using social media as data on tourism in The Bahamas.
Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga, is a well-established whale-watching destination in the South Pacific. Between July and October, the waters around the archipelago represent one of the most important breeding grounds for Oceania humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). The Tongan government allows tourist swimming activities with whales and tour operators strongly promote the practice of swimming-with-whales, focusing primarily on mother-calf pairs.
The COVID-19 crisis has hit tourism-dependent Pacific Island countries severely. Fiji, the largest of these states, is feeling the impact badly, with laid-off workers of tourism-related industries, such as hotels and travel companies, turning to farming and fishing for survival.