Residents’ Attitudes Towards Tourism in a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems Pilot Site: a Case Study in China

Abstract

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is a wide program to promote the conservation and adaptive management of such systems and their associated landscapes, biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures. Rice-Fish Systems (RFS) in Longxian village of China, as a traditional agricultural system, was selected as one of the five pilot sites of GIAHS in 2005. Researchers have paid more attention to the dynamic conservation and adaptive management of RFS because it is under severe threats from global development challenges. Tourism is suggested to be brought into the RFS conservation program as an alternative industry. This paper presents a comparative study of residents in three types of farm household in Longxian, seeking attitudes to the RFS conservation and tourism development and ways in which such information may guide future strategies. Results show residents, belonging to the household type in which most family members are abroad, have the most positive attitudes to RFS conservation and tourism development; while residents, as other household type in which less than 50% of family members are abroad, are the least sensitive group in these three household types, due to the motivation of moving abroad weakening their enthusiasm to participate in the local activities. Implications are discussed in the context of how resident attitudes will affect the future management of GIAHS conservation and tourism development, and then measures are put forward to foster tourism cooperation and multistakeholders process establishment.     

The governance of integrated ecosystem management in ecological function conservation areas in China

The relationship between ecological and socioeconomic systems in ecological function conservation areas (EFCAs) in China is analyzed from a governance perspective. Lashihai watershed in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province was chosen as a case study area, where leaders of 81 villager groups were interviewed through questionnaire surveys and anecdotal evidence was collected from focus group discussions. Our study found that the rehabilitated ecosystems in Lashihai, arising from conservation actions, provided the local communities with increasing natural capital to pursue horseback tourism as an important means of livelihood. Also, bonding social capital, together with unique cultural and ethnic assets, may have been instrumental in the formation of horseback tourism teams in some villager groups. However, the lack of higher-level government involvement and coordination among horseback tourism teams appeared to have led to a situation, where the rapidly developing tourism teams have started to impose threats on the wetland ecosystem. While highlighting some limitations of self-governance in adapting to complex and fast-changing socioeconomic conditions, the study called for the potential importance of fostering adaptive co-management to help modify the emerging undesired interconnectedness in social-ecological systems in Lashihai. For the future’s successful governance of integrated ecosystem management in EFCAs in China, the study also made brief discussion on some key elements of the adaptive co-management.     

Selection of (bio) indicators to assess effects of freshwater use in wetlands: a case study of s’Albufera de Mallorca, Spain

Parc Natural sAlbufera de Mallorca is an internationally recognised resting area for a wide array of migratory birds, and like most wetlands it has many other ecological functions and socio-economic values. In the catchment, in which the wetland is situated, expanding tourism and intensification of agriculture place much pressure on a limited amount of freshwater. The freshwater supply to the wetland decreased due to water-extraction mainly driven by intensification of agriculture in the catchment. As a result saltwater intrusion increased since 1983–1985. This had considerable impacts on the ecological integrity of the wetland as reflected by changes in the state of the aquatic ecosystem. The distribution of submerged plants, less tolerant of salinity, declined or disappeared, while the distribution of species, known to prefer high salinity increased. As a contribution to the development of monitoring programs and management strategies that address both socio-economic and natural water demand, this article will formulate ecological criteria to assess the natural water demand by selection of (bio)indicators within the aquatic ecosystem.     

The development and unraveling of marine resource co-management in the Pemba Channel,Zanzibar: institutions,governance, and the politics of scale

Marine resource management programs face conflicting mandates: to scale-up marine conservation efforts to cover larger areas and meet national and international conservation targets, while simultaneously to downscale and decentralize management authority to resource users and local communities. These conflicting goals create tensions in marine resource management. This paper explores these tensions by presenting and evaluating the outcomes of a fisheries co-management program on the island of Pemba, Tanzania, where institutions and scale were configured and reconfigured under externally funded programs to improve marine conservation through co-management. The initial institutional arrangements for co-management supported a functioning system to protect marine resources, ensure fishermen’s access, and distribute tourism revenues. However, a subsequent push to scale-up marine management reconfigured institutional arrangements and power in a more hierarchical and potentially weaker system. With the expansion of the co-management program, protected area coverage, financial resources, and the number of community organizations created for fisheries co-management expanded tremendously; however, community participation in marine management decreased, and the fishermen’s association previously involved in co-management dissolved. Several factors contributed to this outcome: inadequate time to solidify co-management institutions and arrangements, diverse resource users inexperienced with local management, a sudden and substantial new source of funding, and political pressures to restructure marine management. Rather than focusing primarily on expanding coverage and devolving authority, it is important to adapt co-management arrangements to the local contexts in which they operate.     

旅游发展对九寨沟自然保护区景观格局变化的影响

自然保护区是保护生物多样性的基石，旅游是保护区的重要发展方式。立足于景观尺度，基于3S技术和景观指数，研究了1975~2007年九寨沟自然保护区在旅游业快速发展背景下景观格局的变化。结果表明：近33 a来，保护区各类景观都发生了不同程度的变化；草地、疏林/灌丛、耕地为净减少，而林地、冰雪/裸岩、建设用地、水域为净增加；从转出的比例上看，建设用地最大(13207%) ，其次是耕地(100%)、草地(606%)、疏林/灌丛(535%)、林地(447%)、冰雪/裸岩(321%)、水域最小(207%)；在人类活动和自然过程的共同作用下，到1997年景观破碎化程度不断增加，到2007年则有所恢复。总的来讲，采伐活动与自然恢复之间的综合作用是九寨沟景观变化的主要驱动因素，旅游业发展对景观变化的影响相对较小。旅游发展促进了保护区整体植被的恢复，但也增加了景区内的建筑用地面积，改变了景区局部地区的植被格局。只有坚持“保护第一”的原则，对旅游进行科学的规划管理才能实现保护与发展的共赢     

梅子垭旅游资源评价及开发,保护规划研究

在对三梅子垭区的旅游资源现状及其结构和功能进行评价分析的基础上,认为应大力发展该地的旅游业,并建议长江三峡地区统筹安排以形成该区旅游业发展的整体优势。对于区内旅游资源的开发则应以生态旅游为主,但是必须适度,即合理的开发度和保护度相结合而且这种旅游资源的开发应该是可承受性的。这与当地整个社会－经济－自然复合生态系统的总承受能力有关。对于构成总承受能力的各种具体因素,如旅游区生态承受能力。社会心理 承     

Systematic Contradiction Between Heritage Conservation and Tourism Development: Cleaning the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu

Abstract

In recent years, with the rapid development of the tourist industry, world heritage sites become more and more popular among tourists from home and abroad. Therefore, heritage tourism has become a new hotspot. However, while world heritage sites are making obvious economic benefit from tourism, they also bring various problems and contradictions, of which the most troublesome one is the contradiction between heritage conservation and tourism development. To discuss and analyze the root and the essence of the above contradiction and find a way to bring about harmony between them is an important program faced by our national heritage management practice and academic research. Based on the case of cleaning the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu, this paper analyzes the reasons why our national world cultural heritage sites bring about the above contradiction in the process of tourism development and points out that the improper system and stakeholders' benefit imbroglio are respectively the root and the essence of the contraction. Then, it also puts forward corresponding solutions.     

基于陆路交通网络的跨界旅游区可达性测度及空间格局优化研究

跨界旅游区是中国重要的潜在旅游目的地,而可达性大小是制约其旅游一体化发展的主要因素之一。通过构建景区区内可达性、景区区外可达性两类指标,运用 GIS软件定量分析大别山跨界旅游区景区可达性,生成空间格局示意图,发现：（1）国道、省道、县道构成的普适性交通网络的完善程度对景区区内可达性起着决定性的影响作用,而高速公路、普通铁路、高速铁路可以有效提高景区区内可达性;（2）普适性交通网络对景区区外可达性的影响力最弱,高速公路在改善景区区外可达性方面起到关键性作用,普通铁路的影响力不及高速公路,高速铁路仅对停靠站附近的景区有所影响。最后构建了景区、交通、旅游集散地耦合发展模式     

Systematic Contradiction Between Heritage Conservation and Tourism Development： Cleaning the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu

In recent years, with the rapid development of the tourist industry, world heritage sites become more and more popular among tourists from home and abroad. Therefore, heritage tourism has become a new hotspot. However, while world heritage sites are making obvious economic benefit from tourism, they also bring various problems and contradictions, of which the most troublesome one is the contradiction between heritage conservation and tourism development. To discuss and analyze the root and the essence of the above contradiction and find a way to bring about harmony between them is an important program faced by our national heritage management practice and academic research. Based on the case of cleaning the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu, this paper analyzes the reasons why our national world cultural heritage sites bring about the above contradiction in the process of tourism development and points out that the improper system and stake-holders＇ benefit imbroglio are respectively the root and the essence of the contraction. Then, it also puts forward corresponding solutions.     

秦岭山地生物多样性保护红线划分研究

生物多样性保护是划定并严守生态保护红线的重要内容,如何准确识别生物多样性维护功能极重要区是科学划定生物多样性保护红线的关键。基于秦岭山区物种丰富度的海拔梯度格局,通过对生物多样性维护功能重要性评估模型的改进优化和校验,最终形成秦岭地区科学的生物多样性保护红线方案。结果表明:(1)修正后的NPP定量指标评估法,提高了陕西秦岭地区生物多样性重要区域识别的准确性,可适用于我国中东部物种丰富度随海拔梯度呈中峰型或单调递增型的山区;(2)秦岭生物多样性保护红线区的总面积达24 688.33 km~2,占到秦岭山区总面积的39.11%,空间分布整体上呈现出西部集中、东部分散,南坡多、北坡少的空间分布特征;(3)森林生态系统是秦岭生物多样性保护红线区的重要支撑系统,面积占比高达96.12%。本研究提出的修正方法和研究结果,不仅提高了区域生物多样性维护功能重要区识别的准确性,而且为其他地区生物多样性保护红线的科学划定和边界优化提供了参考。     

农业节水和南水北调对华北平原可持续水管理的影响

针对华北平原可持续水管理中存在的问题，采用MIKE SHE模型和SD模型耦合的方式，设定现状保持、农业节水和南水北调等3种情景，模拟2014~2028年农业节水和南水北调对华北平原可持续水管理的影响。结果表明：（1）农业节水的实施对华北平原可持续水管理有一定影响，模拟期末的缺水指数下降15.8%，非充分灌溉和减少灌溉量分别使得地下水储量恢复约0.06和0.12 m；（2）南水北调显著降低缺水指数（下降50.7%），地下水水位和含水层储量出现较大的恢复（含水层储量恢复1.12 m）；（3）华北平原短期内无法解决缺水问题，但通过多种途径结合，倡导节约用水，提高用水效率，引入区域外的水，可以有效地缓解华北平原的缺水问题，保证水资源的可持续利用和发展。     

Questioning Community Based Coral Reef Management Systems: Case Study of Awig-Awig in Gili Indah, Indonesia

Issues and complexities arising when the fisheries and marine tourism sectors have stakes in an institution governing the coral reefs ecosystem called awig-awig are discussed, awig-awig is a colloquialism meaning ‘a local rule’. The community-based management system is commonly recognized as a better approach to governing resources, however, the success of awig-awig in the study area is questionable. Awig-awig fails to deal with the conflict of interest among stakeholders in coastal resource appropriation, despite the community being relatively culturally homogenous. The benefits of awig-awig are biased in favor of the tourism as opposed to fisheries, leading to the fishers’ resistance of awig-awig. There are critical factors to this weakness: a crisis of legitimacy within community, socio-economic inequality among actors involved in such system, high intervention from external agencies, and the institutional conflict over conservation policy. In addition, awig-awig reduces community spirit as it is perceived as not being attached to any customary law or traditional norms. Group cohesion is challenged and there is no common understanding of the problem or alternatives strategies.     

Human use and conservation planning in Alpine areas of Northwestern Yunnan,China

Alpine areas in northwestern Yunnan, China possess globally significant levels of biodiversity and are important locally for livelihood activities such as livestock grazing and medicinal plant collection. Because local land use has important impacts on alpine conditions and communities have significant capacity to manage alpine resources, we emphasized local collaboration during the initial stages of conservation planning. Our collaboration with local communities investigated how livelihood strategies affect the condition of alpine resources in northwestern Yunnan and how future conservation efforts can be compatible with local livelihoods. We sampled three livestock herding sites, each within a different alpine sub-region, using open-ended interviews and maximum variation sampling. According to interviewees, livestock grazing within the alpine zone currently does not appear to be negatively impacting the availability of forage. Medicinal plant collection, however, is showing unsustainable trends. Tourism is as yet a nascent industry, but is seen as having great potential by those interviewed. It is clear that with increases in population, access to regional markets, and tourism, northwestern Yunnan’s rich alpine resources will require careful management. In addition to the data collected, we found that the methodology used may be widely applicable to organizations with limited resources that wish to engage local communities during the formative stages of regional-level conservation planning.     

China's coastal wetlands: Conservation history,implementation efforts,existing issues and strategies for future improvement

China has approximately 5.80 × 10⁶ ha coastal wetlands by 2014, accounting for 10.82% of the total area of natural wetlands. Healthy coastal wetland ecosystems play an important role in guaranteeing the territory ecological security and the sustainable development of coastal zone in China. In this paper, the natural geography and the past and present status of China's coastal wetlands were introduced and the five stages (1950s–1970s, 1980s–1991, 1992–2002, 2003–2010 and 2011–present) of China's coastal wetlands conservation from the foundation of the People's Republic in 1949 to present were distinguished and reviewed. Over the past decades, China has made great efforts in coastal wetland conservation, as signified by the implementation of coastal wetland restoration projects, the construction of coastal wetland nature reserves, the practice of routine ecological monitoring and two national wetland surveys, the promulgation of local wetland conservation statutes and specific regulations, the coordination mechanism to enhance management capacity, the wide development of coastal wetland research and public participation, and the extensive communication to strengthen international cooperation. Nonetheless, six major issues recently emerged in China's coastal wetland conservation are evidently existed, including the increasing threats of pollution and human activities, the increasing adverse effects of threaten factors on ecosystem function, the increasing threats of coastal erosion and sea-level rising, the insufficient funding for coastal wetlands conservation, the imperfect legal and management system for coastal wetlands, and the insufficient education, research and international cooperation. Although the threats and pressures on coastal wetlands conservation are still apparent, the future of China's coastal wetlands looks promising since the Chinese government understands that the sustainable development in coastal zone requires new attitudes, sound policies and concerted efforts at all levels. The major strategies for future improvement of China's coastal wetland conservation include: exploring effective measures in response to major threaten factors; improving the conservation and compensation system for coastal wetlands; strengthening coastal wetland legislation and management; increasing funds for coastal wetland conservation and research; and strengthening coastal wetland education and international cooperation.     

An assessment of the attitudes of the inhabitants of Northern Karpathos, Greece: towards a framework for ecotourism development in environmentally sensitive areas

This paper is a case study that sets out to explore the extent to which the local residents of the region of Northern Karpathos and Saria in the southeast corner of the Aegean have positive attitudes and perceptions towards ecotourism ventures for sustainable development. The area is included in the European Ecological Network Natura 2000 and was chosen for studying since it constitutes an ideal location for the promotion of soft and alternative forms of tourism. The investigation of the attitudes of the inhabitants of the Community of Olympos, in Northern Karpathos was carried out using as research tool a questionnaire that was drawn up specifically for the needs of the present work. The attempt to provide a systematic way of studying the inhabitants’ attitudes led to the proposition of a framework that contains the necessary conditions for sustainable ecotourism development. This is based on three fundamental factors, namely: (a) environmental conservation, (b) environmental education and (c) empowerment of local community. The main conclusion drawn was that the perceptions of the local people accord with the basic principles of ecotourism. Residents (a) showed a high degree of awareness and sensitivity regarding environmental conservation issues in the area, (b) recognised the need for environmental education concerning ecotourism activities and (c) had a favourable attitude towards the implementation of initiatives in the ecotourism field aimed at their empowerment and at promoting sustainable development in the area. The participants’ place of permanent residence and level of education appeared to influence significantly their perceptions of this alternative form of tourism.     

Plant biodiversity and ethnobotany inside the projected impact area of the Upper Seti Hydropower Project,Western Nepal

A survey of plant biodiversity and ethnobotany was conducted along the Seti river banks in the Tanahun district of Western Nepal. This area, home of the Magar ethnic group, will be impacted by a major hydropower project, currently under feasibility study. The objective of the study was to document plant biodiversity and ethnobotany in order to suggest appropriate conservation and management strategies. Botanical sampling was conducted inside quadrats and along transects. A total of 221 plant species were recorded in the study area, distributed as herbs (80 species), trees (68), shrubs (28), climbers (19), pteridophytes (18), lianas (5), and epiphytes (3). Twelve of the inventoried species figure in one or more conservation categories identified by various national or international agencies. Group discussions and personal interviews allowed to find out that 43% of the species were ethnobotanically important for the local people and that most were used as medicine, food, or timber. We propose specific species for sustainable use programs based on certain criteria. The area is very important in terms of plant biodiversity and ethnobotany, and hence, immediate implementation of conservation measures is recommended to maintain the high social, ecological and economic values of the area.     

上海市旅游生态足迹分析

运用生态足迹的理论与方法,结合旅游者的生态消费及结构特征,借助现代地理信息技术,对上海市旅游生态足迹进行了分析。通过测算,2009年上海市旅游生态足迹为66 333 483.428hm2,人均旅游生态足迹为466.547×10-4 hm2;旅游生态承载力为1 900 029.08hm2,人均旅游生态承载力为146.908×10-4 hm2,人均生态赤字为319.692×10-4 hm2。从上海市旅游生态足迹结构来看,旅游交通和旅游购物足迹的比例最大,分别占71.79%和23.76%,旅游餐饮和休闲娱乐其次,分别为3.44%和0.14%,比例最小的是旅游观光和旅游住宿。这表明旅游活动正在过度消耗上海城市资源环境,旅游业目前处于生态赤字状态,因此应采取相关的改进措施,以实现资源保护与旅游发展的平衡,并着手调整旅游产业内部结构,发展环保节能的交通工具,大力推动低碳旅游发展,开发有特色的旅游商品,提高旅游购物消费,在保证生态资源可持续利用的同时保持旅游经济快速发展。     

长江旅游带旅游资源空间格局研究

旅游资源的空间格局是旅游产业规划、布局的重要基础。本文选择长江旅游带9省2市世界遗产地、国家级自然保护区、5A旅游景区、全国重点文物保护单位等12类共计4 729处旅游资源单体的空间分布数据,借助Arc GIS软件,运用空间自相关分析和核密度估计法对旅游资源空间格局进行了分析。结果表明,长江旅游带总体旅游资源、自然旅游资源和人文旅游资源在空间上均具有明显的聚类特征。总体旅游资源沿北纬30°线、G318国道以及沪昆、沪汉蓉高铁等交通主干线分布趋势明显;高级别旅游资源主要集中在长江三角洲地区;自然旅游资源主要集中在沪汉蓉及沪昆高铁沿线及其中间地带;人文旅游资源主要集聚在长江以南的长江三角洲、古徽州地区、滇西北地区以及黔东南少数民族地区。依据得出的旅游资源空间格局特征和分布规律,建议依托长江水道、G318国道和沿线高铁,打造东西向快速旅游通道和精品旅游线路;依托政策优势,联合多方组织机构形成跨区域旅游合作共同体。     

中国省域森林公园旅游产业竞争力的时空演化特征及影响因素

分析我国各省森林公园旅游产业竞争力演变及其影响因素，有助于为处于不同发展阶段和不同发展水平的省份提供产业竞争力方面的指导。首先构建我国港澳台外31省（市、自治区）森林公园的旅游产业竞争力指标体系，然后计算各省旅游产业竞争力得分并分析其时空演变特征，最后采用分位数回归研究影响森林公园旅游产业竞争力空间差异的主要因素。结果表明：中国森林公园旅游产业平均竞争力值较低，区域差异较大，呈现东部向中西部递减的状态；2004~2014年期间西部各省森林公园旅游产业竞争力进步较小，主要原因是受到“短板效应”的制约，表现为西部各省在产业效益方面与东、中部省份存在较大差距；中国的森林公园存在东北和东南两个高层次旅游产业竞争力集聚中心，并存在逐渐向周边地区扩散，带动周边省份提升发展的趋势；回归表明，国家扶持力度、管理投入、资源禀赋、经济基础、品牌效应和交通便利性会在不同分位点上对各省森林公园旅游产业竞争力产生影响。森林公园旅游产业竞争力在不同分位点上影响因素的差异为有针对性的提高各地区竞争力提供了良好的参考。     

省域旅游扶贫工程研究

旅游扶贫工程是解决贫困问题、促进区域协调发展的重要途径。以广东为代表，在省城范围内开展的立体化协作旅游扶贫工程是一个实践创新，上个月政府主导、区域协调、系统动作、产业扶贫等特点和优势。本文在广东三年多来的实践基础上，首次提出“省域旅游扶贫工程”概念，并对这一新兴的旅游扶贫模式进行了系统研究，探讨了其运行机制，分析了其实施过程中可能面临的挑战和误区，最后提出了基于政策实践的相关建议。