Tourism in changing natural environments

ABSTRACT

Natural environments and the human interactions that occur within, are continuously changing and evolving. However, increasingly, the impacts of climate change, natural and man-made disasters, economic instability, and other macro-environmental factors, have profound implications on local and global economies, fragile ecosystems, and human cultures and livelihoods. In response, tourism within these natural environments is also changing and evolving rapidly in both developed and developing regions. While at times this is spurred by new opportunities, it is often also the result of resource and user-conflicts and changing environmental circumstances. The articles in this special issue examine the numerous ways in which changes in the natural environment impact tourism, and how the tourism industry is responding and adapting to such changes. Detailed case study examination of human interactions within what are often fragile ecosystems can provide us with important insight on social and ecosystem resiliency, innovation and adaptation, and factors that drive tourism success. This was the focus of a session at the inaugural Tourism Naturally Conference, held in Alghero, Italy, 2–5 October 2016, and formed the basis for this collection of articles. From these contributions, what is evident is that while adaptation can be passive in nature, it can, and should ideally be much more proactive, with individuals and organizations seeking improved knowledge and learning. Such actions will contribute to greater resilience within the tourism industry, whether in response to climate change and its subsequent impacts, or an increasing scarcity of the natural resources upon which tourism relies.

摘要

自然环境和人类之间的相互作用是不断变化和演变的。然而, 气候变化、自然灾害和人为灾害、经济不稳定以及其他宏观环境因素对当地和全球经济、脆弱的生态系统、人类文化和生计的影响日益严重。作为回应, 这些自然环境中的旅游业也在发达和发展中地区迅速变化和发展。虽然有时这是受到新机会的刺激, 但也往往是资源和使用者冲突以及环境变化的结果。本期特刊的文章探讨了自然环境对旅游业的影响, 以及旅游业是如何应对和适应这些变化的。在通常脆弱的生态系统中, 人类相互作用的详细案例研究可以为我们提供关于社会和生态系统恢复力、创新和适应的重要见解, 以及帮助我们了解推动旅游业成功的因素。这是2016年10月2日至5日在意大利阿尔盖罗举行的首届旅游自然会议上的会议焦点, 成为本期这一系列文章的基础。从这些文章来看, 显而易见的是, 虽然适应在本质上是被动的, 但它可以, 而且应该通过个人和组织寻求学习这方面更新的知识而更积极主动。这些行动将有助于旅游业获得更大的恢复力, 无论是应对气候变化及其后续影响, 还是应对旅游业所依赖的自然资源日益稀少。

KEYWORDS:

• Tourism
• changing natural environments
• adaptation
• resilience
• resource conflict
• climate change

关键词:

• 旅游业
• 自然环境变化
• 调适
• 恢复力
• 资源冲突
• 气候变化

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Natalie Ooi

Natalie Ooi is an assistant professor, and program coordinator of the Ski Area Management Program within the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources in the Warner College of Natural Resources. She teaches within the Master of Tourism Management and Graduate Certificate in Ski Area Management programs. Her areas of research include sustainable tourism, mountain resort development and impacts, social capital, and backpacker tourism.

Esther Duke

Esther A. Duke is a Western program director at the conservation aviation non-profit organization LightHawk and an affiliate faculty member of the Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Department at Colorado State University. She is a social scientist and specializes in ecosystem services and building capacity for collaborative and performance-based conservation.

Joseph O'Leary

Joseph O'Leary is a professor in International Tourism at Colorado State University. His research interests include international and domestic travel and recreation behavior.