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Sustainability and Resilience in Community Based Tourism
1. Community Based Tourism
in Natural Areas:
Sustainability, Life Cycles
& Resilience
Alan A. Lew, Ph.D., AICP
Northern Arizona University
Editor-in-Chief, Tourism Geographies
AlanLew.com
Nanjing University
Nanjing, China
13 November 2012
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
3. Outline
Defining Sustainability & Sustainable Tourism
New Global Challenges
Resilience as an Alternative Approach
Tourism Area Life Cycles and Persistent Resilience
Transformational Resilience and Community
Development
Disaster Resilience
Concluding Thoughts
4. “ Using resources to meet the needs of contemporary
society while ensuring their availability to meet the
needs of future generations. ”
(Brundtland Report 1987)
Vancouver, BC, Canada
5. Sustainable Development – Definition Issues
= Oxymoron (contradictory concept)
1- ‘Development’ perspective
Sustaining economic activity
Greenwashing
2- ‘Sustainable’ perspective
Environmental stewardship
Ecosystem equilibrium
Green Building:
Ambiguous - multiple interpretations Marina Barrage
building in
Diversity of Planet Earth Singapore:
Reason for a flexible definition A green roof
with a large solar
But, can mean almost anything to anyone = meaningless power array
Is “Sustainable Development” just a distraction?
Abandonment guarantees unsustainable outcomes
An “ideal” to work toward -- widely embraced … in principle
6. World’s Most Sustainable Cities
Abu Dhabi, UAE London, England
Austin, Texas, US Malmö, Sweden
Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador Melbourne, Australia
Bangkok, Thailand New York, NY, US
Barcelona, Spain Oslo, Norway
Bogotá, Colombia Portland, Oregon, US
Cape Town, South Africa Reykjavik, Iceland
Copenhagen, Denmark Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Curitiba, Brazil San Francisco, California, US
Doha, Qatar Singapore, Republic of Singapore
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK Sydney, Australia
Frankfurt, Germany Toronto, Canada
Helsinki, Finland Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hyderabad, India Victoria, BC, Canada
Kampala, Uganda Wellington, New Zealand
7. What Makes A Sustainable City?
(1) Environmental Footprint (MITIGATION)
Non-carbon Energy Sources: Hydro, Bio-fuels, Wind
Low/Non-Carbon Transit: Mass, EVs, Bikes, Walkability
Green Buildings: Codes, Certifications, Retrofitting
Recycling-based Waste Management
8. (2) Quality of Life / Sense of Place
(ADAPTATION)
Community-wide Green Goals & Planning
Open Green Space/Parks
Healthy Air & Water Quality
Targeted Benefits to Low Income
Integrated Land Use & Transportation Planning
Protected Forests, Agricultural Lands, Waterways, Heritage
Other Indicators: Education, Arts, Culture; Housing; Economy &
Business Strength; Regulatory Framework, Transparency, Governance;
Innovation & Investment; Freedom of Speech & Media
9. 1. Maintaining the Tourism Economy
Focus of Destination Marketing Organizations
(DMOs) Fair Trade Products
sign in Chinatown
Avoiding Tourism Industry Decline gift shop, San
Francisco, USA
Destination Economy’s
Adaptive Capacity & Resilience
2. Environmental Footprint of
Tourism Activities
Focus of Tourism Businesses
“Green Certification” programs
3. Tourism’s Contribution to
Quality of Life
Focus of Community Development
& Social Sciences Research
10. BUT – CONTEMPORARY Threats to Humanity
(2011 & 2012 News Items)
Extreme Climate & Geologic Events
2011 - Economic losses last year =$380 billion
previous record $220 billion in 2005
Major interruptions to global supply chain & international trade
Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
2011 – GHG Reached Highest Levels in past 250 years
Growing at an accelerated rate
Population Growth & Migration
31 Oct 2011 - World Reached 7 Billion People
Increasing Urbanization, Resource
Pressures, and Income Inequality
Economic Shock & Change
Great Recession in the US; Eurozone Crisis;
Cultural & Economic Globalization
2012 –International Tourists to reach 1 Billion
up from 674m in 2000; 980m in 2011
13. “RESILIENCE” as an Alternative?
Physics /Engineering
The property of a material to absorb energy when deformed and not fracture/break;
the maximum energy per unit volume that can be elastically stored.
Ecology
The capacity of an ecosystem to absorb or
respond to a disturbance without
permanent damage to the relationships
between populations.
Psychology
The tendency to cope with stress and
adversity, including “bouncing back” to
a previous state of normal functioning or
developing an inoculating effect to improve
functioning - “coping strategies”.
Organizations
The ability of an organization (company or government) to provide and maintain an
acceptable normal level of service in the face of periodic or catastrophic system faults
and errors.
e.g., natural disasters, terrorist attacks, supply chain & electrical grid disruptions
14. Creating Climate Change Resilience
Transportation: Raising roads & runways;
increasing culvert sizes; strengthen bridges
Agriculture: Shifting to drought resistant
crop varieties; re-training farmers;
emphasizing local agriculture on Pulau Kapas, Terengganu, Malaysia
Business: Examining and altering supply chains;
increasing transparency and disclosure regarding climate risk
Water: Increasing protection for wetlands; installing permeable
pavement, green roofs, and rain and water gardens
Energy: Protecting or moving production & distribution facilities/
vulnerable to flooding, extreme heat, drought or weather events
Public Health: Identifying ways to reduce urban heat islands; assessing
medical response vulnerabilities to weather/climate extremes
Ecosystems: Planning for movement of habitat, changes in local plants
and animals, sea level rise
Land Use: Changing building codes; planning “retreat” from sea level rise
15. Urban Planning’s Shift to Resilience
Topics in a Call For Papers for “The Politics of
Sustainability & Climate Change”
Urban planning strategies for managing climate change
Resiliency or adaptability paradigms within urban design
Urban climate change policy and design
Climate change denial and anti-climate change legislation
Grassroots responses to climate change policy
Effects of climate change on cities
(Post) political dimensions of sustainability policy
Sustainable or green architecture
Disaster Preparation in cities
Critiques of sustainability
Artistic engagements with climate change
Technological innovations for managing climate change
16. Resilience:
Learning & Adaptation
Severity of adverse events is
context dependent
Reduced Severity Quicker Recovery
17. Scale of Social & Environmental Change
(1) Unexpected Large Shocks & Sudden Changes
Physical
Typhoon/Hurricane/Cyclone System
Earthquakes, Tsunamis/Floods, & Droughts
Social
Violent Overthrow of a Government
Massive Famines, Deaths & Migrations
Economic Collapse
(2) Unpredictable Gradual Shifts & Moderate Change
Physical
Biological Ecosystem (flora & fauna) Relocations & Endangerments/Extinctions
Climate Change / Global Warming
Social
Globalization – Economic & Cultural
Paradigm Shifts – Enlightenment/Science, Industrial, ICT
18. Scale, Change & Resilience Issues
Resilience in Tourism Places
1. Facilities & Service
Maintenance
Tourism/System Scale
3. 4.
Public Public
2. Major Attraction or
Tourism - Tourism - Market Loss
Slow Sudden
Change Shock
3. Climate Change &
1. Globalization
2.
Private Private
Tourism - Tourism - 4. Major Natural &
Slow Sudden
Change Human Disasters
Shock
Change Rate
19. Scale of
Resilience Entities
Individual
Family
Business
Community
Society / Country
Ecosystem / Bioregion Kampung Setiu Lama, Terengganu, Malaysia
Planet
“Persistent Resilience”:
coping with the mundane
pressures of social &
economic transformation
Vulnerability : the opposite of
resilience
20. Tourism Business Resilience in Cherating, Malaysia
Cherating Village
Small, Laid-back Fishing Village
Nice, wide Surfing Beach; Asia's first Club Med
Many Guesthouses & Small Hotels (Chalets)
1973 - residential houses started to be
converted into chalets
some residence (fishermen) moved away from
tourist areas (beach & highway)
Also driven out by coastal erosion
– common on East Coast of Malaysia
Early 1990s – tourism became main source of
income for most in the beach area
Backpacker Tourism = major income source
1999 – 42 houses rented rooms to tourists
21. The 4 R’s of Resilience
(based on the Emergency Management definition)
25. Decline Factors
Internal
Seasonality
Low tourist arrival
Location disadvantage due to
new development
Lack of family support
Lack of government support
Old age
Ill-health
Death of owner
External
Economic Crises
Iraq war
September 11th 2001 terrorism
Diseases and endemics
26. Consistent Stability & Growth Factors
Support from government
Partnership with other
organizations
Property ownership
Introduction of new activities
Improves quality of facilities
& services
27. Decline & Bounce Back Factors
Decline
Location disadvantage
Economic crises
Iraq War
Seasonality
Bounce Back
Offer new activities
Enhanced promotion
Collaboration/partnership
Family support
Improved & enhance
facilities and services
Wireless services
Meeting rooms
Bars/restaurants
Mosque
28. Resilience Lessons from the Cherating
1. Tourism area separated from local residential area
Non-tourism involved residents may be “forced” out by nuisance impacts
2. Need for market/niche development
New products & continuous marketing
3. Global events influencing local economy
4. Business lifecycle of small enterprises related to the entrepreneur’s life
expectancy & descendents
5. Availability of other options for economic livelihood
29. Three Approaches to Resilience
(1) Engineering Resilience
Ability of to return to a steady-state
equilibrium after a disturbance
emphasis on the speed of return to equilibrium
(bounces back); efficiency &predictability
(2) Ecological Resilience
Ability to learn from a disturbance &
prepare for future stresses Recreational
acknowledges multiple equilibriums & fisherman in
potential flip into alternative stabilities Singapore
(3) Transformational Resilience
Ability to evolve, transform and adapt over mixed timeframes and
geographic scales into new models in response to stress
Whole system changes & Paradigm shifts
aka Evolutionary Resilience, Socio-ecological Resilience & Persistent Resilience
30. Engineering Resilience
- Return to Equilibrium
Transformational Resilience
- Learn & Create a New Paradigm
Ecological Resilience
- Learn & Return to Equilibrium
• People become resilient in
response to adversity
• Disturbances include both acute
shocks and chronic slow burns
• Tools: institutions, leadership,
social capital & social learning
40. 2007
Forest Restoration
2010 Tourism = RM 1.3 million in 2011
Forest Restoration = RM 240,000 in 2010
41. KOPEL Tourism Cooperative - 260 members – since 2003
Treasurer & Vice Chairman & Vice Secretary & Vice
Treasurer Chairman Secretary
Boat Promotion Conserva-
Home Stay Cultural Tour Guide F&B Transport
Service & PR tion
Bureau Bureau Bureau Bureau Bureau
Bureau Bureau Bureau
Outdoor Experiences Partners
Boat Trips Sabah Forestry Department - forest restoration; 2009 Eco-Camp
Wildlife Observation LEAP Conservancy: sourcing funds; capacity building
Tree Planting Alexander Abraham Foundation: lake & forest restoration
Forest Camps & Camping American Forests: Orang-utan habitat restoration; forest restoration
Forest Interpretation Arcus Foundation; Shell Oil Malaysia: 2007 Eco-Camp
Limestone Caving Volunteer Organisations & High Schools: Rakuno Gakuen
University, International School Brunei, Global Vision International
Homestay & Culture (GVI) , plus independent volunteers
Cooking Lessons Adventure Tour Companies: Outlook Expeditions (school groups),
Traditional Games Exodus Travel, Intrepid Travel, Geckos Travel, Imaginative Traveller
Traditional Music & Dance - “responsible tourism” adventure holidays
42. Resilience Lessons from Batu Puteh
Diversification of both tourism product and other economic activities
Early planning to enhance community buy in for cooperative approach
Long term commitment to capacity building by local and external leaders
Entrepreneurial approach to partnerships building and external funding
Sensitivity of international market conditions and opportunities
Terrapuri Heritage Village Resort,
Kg Setiu, Terengganu
Borneo Nature Lodge,
Sandakan, Sabah
43. Summary & Conclusions
Sustainable Development (SD)
Major Shortcomings: Oxymoron & Culturally constructed
Focus on Engineering Mitigations & Certifications
New Global Challenges
Climate, Economy, Governance Issues – Overwhelming SD
The ‘Resilience’ Alternative
Focus on Adaptation to Change
Big Resilience (Disasters) & Small Resilience (Persistence)
Resilience in Tourism Development
Tourism Area Life Cycle & Entrepreneurial Resilience
Community-Based Tourism & Transformational Resilience
46. The 4 R’s of Resilience
(based on the Emergency Management definition)
Resilience = “adaptive capacity”
KPI = key performance indicators
47. Resilience Planning &
Sustainable Planning
Planning after a Disaster
Same as before – But Time is Compressed
Much more to do - at a much faster pace
Due to High Change Rate
Process flexibility varies
Information flows, Development of social capital
Demolition and debris removal
Commerce
A Sustainable City
is a Resilient City
48. Scale, Change & Resilience Issues
Resilience in Tourism Places
1. Facilities & Service
Maintenance
Tourism/System Scale
3. 4.
Public Public
2. Major Attraction or
Tourism - Tourism - Market Loss
Slow Sudden
Change Shock
3. Climate Change &
1. Globalization
2.
Private Private
Tourism - Tourism - 4. Major Natural &
Slow Sudden
Change Human Disasters
Shock
Change Rate
49. Small/Private Tourism - Small/Private Tourism -
Slow Change Resilience Sudden Shock Resilience
Facilities & Service Quality Major Attraction or Market Loss
Tourism as a distinct economic Infrastructure Planning: Indentify
activity in a diversified economy Vulnerabilities to Diversify & Change
Delivery Systems for Transportation,
Need for market development; new Food & Water Supply, Public Health
products & continuous marketing; & Basic Needs, Energy &
Entrepreneurial approach to Communication, and Business
partnerships building and external Supply Chain
funding; Awareness of how global Land Use Policies & Planning: Support
market conditions events Natural Ecosystem Planning &
influencing local economic Conservation; Mitigation planning to
opportunities avoid disaster prone areas (e.g.,
Business lifecycle of small floodplains & active fault zones;
enterprises related to the Adaptive construction & design
entrepreneur’s life expectancy &
descendents
Early planning to enhance community
buy in for cooperative approach;
Long term commitment to capacity
building by local and external
leaders
51. Outline
Defining Sustainability & Sustainable Tourism
New Global Challenges
Resilience as an Alternative Approach
Tourism Area Life Cycles and Persistent Resilience
Transformational Resilience and Community
Development
Disaster Resilience
Concluding Thoughts