Perceptions of climate change impacts, adaptation and limits to adaption in the Australian Alps: the ski-tourism industry and key stakeholders

Abstract

This paper explores perceptions of ski-tourism representatives and other regional stakeholders about climate change impacts, limits to tourism development and adaptation strategies in the Australian Alps. This area faces rising temperatures, declining rain and snow falls, and shorter skiing seasons. Open-ended interviews examined the perceptions, plans and attitudes of the ski industry and those of conservation managers, local government officials and Australian researchers into tourism and/or climate change effects in the Australian Alps. All interviewees accepted climate change was a reality; several, however, questioned the worst-case scenarios. The major tourism-related adaptation strategies were snowmaking and diversifying to year-round tourism; the success of these strategies will vary according to individual resorts’ snowmaking capacity and potential summer tourism revenue. Currently non-snow-based tourism revenue is worth only approximately 30% of winter revenue. Social resistance to increased water and electricity use for snowmaking emerged as an important issue. Competition for water, including the needs of ecosystems, agriculture and fire protection in this summer-fire-prone region, and fire management issues, is a key concern. Current conflicts between the ski industry and other stakeholders over climate change adaptation call for a collaborative adaptation and change policy within the Australian Alps.

对气候改变影响的观念，奥地利阿尔卑斯山脉地区的适应性和对适应性的限制：滑雪旅游业和主要的利益相关者

该文章探讨了滑雪旅游代表者和其他区域利益相关者关于奥地利阿尔卑斯地区气候改变影响旅游发展的限制和适应性战略的看法。该地区面临上升的温度，减少的雨水和降雪量，还有变短的滑雪季节。开放式面访被用来检测对滑雪业的看法，计划和态度，还有那些保护管理者，当地政府官员和奥地利研究者对旅游在奥地利阿尔卑斯地区和/或气候改变影响的看法。所有被采访者认为气候改变是事实；但是，有一些人对最坏的情况提出疑问。主体旅游中与适应性战略相关的是制雪和延伸至全年旅游；这些战略的成功将根据每个滑雪地的制雪量和潜在的夏季旅游收入而改变。现在不是与雪相关的旅游收入占冬季旅游收入的30%左右。由于制雪需要而产生的上升的用水量和用电量引起的社会反感度是一个重要的事件。对用水的竞争包括生态系统，农业的需求，和在夏季的火灾常发生地的火隐患保护的需求：火隐患管理是重要关注。在滑雪业和其他利益相关者关于气候改变适应性的当前冲突要求奥地利阿尔卑斯地区内适应性和改变性政策的合作。

Keywords:

• snowmaking
• year-round tourism
• fire management
• adaptation capacity
• sustainable tourism
• social values

关键词:

• 阿尔卑斯旅游
• 气候改变
• 价值系统
• 对可接受改变的限制
• 滑雪地
• 可持续性旅游

Acknowledgements

We thank the interview participants for taking the time to share their information and ideas in relation to climate change in the Australian Alps. This work was supported financially by the Australian Government and the partners in the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) consortium. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for any information or advice contained herein. Ethics approval was granted by Griffith University (GU Ref. No. ENV/24/10/HREC). Jon Barnett and three anonymous reviewers provided valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

Notes

^aFrom Australian Resort Statistics for the Australia Ski Areas Association website (www.snow-australia.com, accessed February 2011).

^bFrom the Alpine Resorts Co-coordinating Council website (www.arcc.vic.gov.au, accessed February 2011).

^cActual area not specified.