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Session I (April 2 - 6) of the PPMT e-consultation
Discussion Paper:
"Cultural and ecological impact of tourism in remote mountainous destinations"
by Beau Beza*
(*Beau Beza, Lecturer in
Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning,The
University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia)
Opening statement
Welcome everyone to the opening of the People, Park and Mountain Tourism e-consultation. Over the next 5 days we will be discussing themes and issues related to Session I: Cultural and Ecological Impact of Tourism in Remote Mountainous Destinations. My Name is Beau Beza and I will be moderating this session of the e-consultation.The following text has been provided as a means to help generate initial discussion, please think of it only as a starting point! There is a vast amount of knowledge and experience that all of you share and I am sure we will quickly move on to other topics related to this session. There is no formality or word limit to the e-mails you may send in this session; however, I request that your input be direct, sincere and if examples or quotes are used please reference those appropriately. In addition, I understand that we are all in different time zones and commitments both professionally and personally may allow for differing levels of participation in this e-consultation. So as discussion may move along or change direction rapidly, please send any e-mail as quickly as possible. Finally, please remember that everyone's comments are encouraged and welcomed - let's start!
Introduction
Mountains hold a certain attraction for many people and are highly sought after tourist destinations. People wish to experience mountains for features such as their "...clean cool air, varied topography and scenic beauty..." (Price, Wachs & Byers 1999, p 5). When tourists are asked why they choose to trek in the Mt. Everest region of Nepal they give reasons such as wanting to: see the biggest mountains in the world; view Mt. Everest and this picturesque setting; experience the challenge of altitude and; interact with the Sherpa culture[1]. In descending order the top 4 features that make the landscape beautiful to people that have walked along this trek are the: 1) peaks/ mountains; 2) rivers, snow fields and glaciers; 3) forests; and 4) [local] religious symbols[2].During conversations and without any prompting, tourists who have experienced this trek first describe the beauty they find in this landscape. They then follow on to the humorous or mildly discomforting experiences, the unpleasant and finally, the ugly. Many people stop at the humorous or mildly discomforting phase and it is only through probing that the last stages are described. When they do start to talk about the ugly, a wealth of information and opinion is offered. For example, when asked what features along the trek make this landscape ugly the top 4 responses in descending order are: 1) Garbage; 2) Deforestation; 3) Tourists; and 4) Erosion[3].
Garbage as one of the problems
Tourism is increasing to the Mt. Everest region of Nepal. Generally, the annual number of visitors has been shown to increase since 1980 when official statistics started to record trekking routes of tourists[4].As tourism increases in an area so does development. The United Nations has identified tourism as a means to improve the economies of developing mountain communities (CSD 1992). In the Mt. Everest region of Nepal, the Sherpa have become dependent on tourism (Adams 1992; Pawson et al 1984) and, as a result, have achieved new levels of affluence (Weitz et al 1978; Pawson, Stamford & Adams 1984).
Tourism does however cause significant environmental stress in mountains and ultimately, a region can become so over-built and over-settled that it loses its attractiveness for tourists (Fust 1999, p 4). As mountain communities develop, resident populations and tourist numbers increase, and garbage too increases (Nepal 2001). It appears in inappropriate places in the form of litter (Munic 1997) which attracts more litter and spreads (Clark, Hendee & Burgess 1972). Once this cycle is established, littering cannot be eliminated although its impact can be managed. To be successful such management must respond to a complex interaction of perceptions and behaviours which are influenced by environmental cues, such as the distribution of litter (Curnow, Strecker & Williams 1997). Attempts then are made to manage litter where it is collected and put in piles of garbage which are separated, burned, buried or recycled.
Along the Mt Everest trek some of the groups that currently help to manage garbage are the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), Mother Unity, the Namche Youth Group and the Himalayan Yeti Club, based in Junbesi. In the fiscal year of 2000/ 01 (2057 year of Buddha) 217238kg of garbage were collected from the Khumbu area and disposed of in rubbish pits by the SPCC (2001). Despite management strategies and clean up efforts by all these groups, garbage is still seen in the landscape along the trek. The range of garbage in this landscape is quite diverse and the following items may be found: [toilet] paper, plastic bottles and packaging, tins, glass, oxygen bottles, batteries, tampons/ sanitary napkins, condoms, film canisters, old tyres, used syringes, soiled bandages, unmarked medication, chewing tobacco packets, cigarette butts, clothes and shoes, kerosene barrels, rubber goods, vinyl sheets, metal, bamboo baskets, crashed aircraft and their parts[5].
If garbage is to be seen, let's say for the sake of argument, in any remote mountain destination then what does the presence of garbage in the landscape mean to a tourist or a local? What are the effects of garbage on the environment or a culture, if any, and are we justified to focus on garbage as an issue? Or is the issue of garbage our attempt to impose our own aesthetic preferences or environmental concerns on a host community? If so, what are more important issues we should be discussing and focusing on in remote mountain destinations that are impacted by tourism?
Other Questions Open for discussion
This is but one possible start this session; even if you have not been along the Mt. Everest trek feel free to respond to any of the above statements or questions posed in this opening text - remember that all comments are encouraged and welcomed. Alternatively, here are a few other questions that relate to this session that you may wish to respond to:a) Questions on impacts of tourism.
How does the interaction between the different varieties of tourism (e.g. individual vs. group or trekker vs. mountaineer in a expedition) and a remote mountain community affect that community's traditional social structure? How might this same interaction then affect the surrounding ecology? As change may be thought of as a given, what cultural and ecological impacts are perceived as positive and negative. How do we then accentuate the positive and minimize the negative in practical terms - through what mechanisms might we achieve this?b) Questions on culture and the ecology.
How can a culture be promoted as a tourism asset without undermining its value? This assumes however that the 'commodifying' or packaging of a culture undermines it - but does it really? If it does, should the promotion of a culture be managed (if so, how and by whom) or left up to the invisible hand of the market?Is the ecological impact of mass tourism in popular mountain destinations overrated (those who hold onto the 'carrying capacity' view may not think so) or should this issue be addressed at all and how? If we say there is an ecological impact then does this detract from the overall experience of the tourist? If so, how should 'overcrowding' be regulated, if at all?
c) Questions of allocating royalties and user fees: how do you compensate the mountain people?
Many national governments representing the people of remote mountain destinations charge fees to both the trekker and the mountaineer (royalties). According to Dr. Harka Gurung, a renowned Himalayan chronicler, the people of mountain areas are not being compensated adequately through climbing royalties as these are collected by the national exchequer (Nepali Times 2002). He goes onto suggest that 50% of the royalties should be put into a trust fund to benefit people of the Nepal's Himalaya with the other 50% to go to the government. The implication being that the money in the trust could be used, among other things, to improve the welfare of the mountain people, as well as for conservation and clean-up. Do you believe that people of remote mountain destinations are not adequately compensated by the government that collects the royalties and user fees? Please discuss and provide examples from your country or region..
Notes
[1] Information presented here represents research conducted by Beau Beza as part of his Ph.D. candidature in the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne.
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Nepal Tourism Statistics (1998) indicated a decline in trekking permits issued in the years of; 1981; 1987; and 1990. The Monthly Tourist Record (Sagarmatha 2002) indicate a decline in tourist numbers in the year of 2001 and tourist numbers displayed for the months of January though May 2002 also indicate a decline.
[5] Information presented here represents a combination of research conducted by Beau Beza and lists and or descriptions of garbage given by Bishop & Naumann (1996), McConnell (1991), Nepal (2001) and the SPCC (2001).
References
*Adams, V, 1992, 'Tourism and Sherpas, Nepal: Reconstruction of Reciprocity', Annuals of Tourism Research, Vol 19, pp 534 - 554.
*Bishop, B, and Naumann, C, 1996, 'Mount Everest: Reclamation of the World's Highest Junk Yard', Mountain Research and Development, Vol 16, 3, pp. 323 - 327.
*Clark, R N, Hendee, J C, & Burgess, R L, 1972, 'The Experimental Control of Littering', The Journal of Environmental Education, Vol 4, 2 Winter 1972.
*CSD, 1992, 'Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development', The Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3 '14 June 1992, Chapter 13, Commission on Sustainable Development, United Nations, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/agenda21chapter13.htm
*Curnow, R, Strecker, P, & Williams, E, 1997, Understanding Littering Behaviour, A Review of the Literature, Community Change Consultants, Beverage Industry Environment Council.
*Fust, W, 1999, 'Foreword', Mountains of the World: Tourism and Sustainable Mountain Development, Prepared for The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and its 1999 Spring Session on Tourism, Mountain Agenda, Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) Institute of Geography, University of Berne Hallerstrasse 12, p 3.
*McConnell, R M, 1991, 'Solving Environmental Problems Caused by Adventure Travel in Developing Countries: The Everest Environmental Expedition', Mountain Research and Development, Vol 11, 4, pp. 359 - 366.
*Munic, J, 1997, Influence of Tourist Activities on Mountain Regions, Mountain Forum On-Line Library Document, <http://www.mtnforum.org/resources/library/munij98a.htm>
*Nepal Tourism Statistics, 1998, Annual Statistical Report 1998, His Majesty's Government of Nepal, Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation.
*Nepal, S, 2001, Managing mountain tourism and environment in the highest national park: Solid Waste Management in the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal, A success Story, Unpublished paper, Centre for Development and Environment, Institute of Geography, University of Bern, p5.
*Nepali Times, 2002, 'Climbing and 'superfluous thought'", Nepali Times, http://www.nepalnews.com.np/ntimes/issue122/meeting.htm.
*Pawson, I G, Stanford, D D, & Adams, V A., 1984, 'Effects of Modernization on the Khumbu Region of Nepal, Changes in Population Structure, 1970 - 1982', Mountain Research and Development, Vol 4, 1,pp. 73 81.
*Pawson, I G, Stanford, D D, Adams, V. A., & Nurbu, M, 1984, 'Growth of Tourism in Nepal's Everest region: Impact on the Physical Environment and Structure of Human Settlements', Mountain Research and Development, Vol 4, 3, pp. 237 - 246.
*Price, M, Wachs, T, & Byers, E, 1999, 'Why tourism and mountains?', Mountains of the World: Tourism and Sustainable Mountain Development, Prepared for The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and its 1999 Spring Session on Tourism, Mountain Agenda, Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) Institute of Geography, University of Berne Hallerstrasse 12, p 5.
*Sagarmatha, 2002, 'Monthly Tourist Record', Sagarmatha National Park, Jorsalle, Visits to Nepal [Sagarmatha National Park] since 1998 [Expeditions not included in figures].
*SPCC, 2001, Progress Report Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee 2001, Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee - Namche Bazaar. Print out of document obtained from Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee office in Namche Bazaar on 27.02.02.
*Weitz, C A, Pawson, I G, Weitz, V, Lang, S D, & Lang, A, 1978, 'Cultural Factors Affecting the Demographic Structure of High Altitude Nepalese Population', Social Biology, Vol. 25, pp 179 - 195.
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