UNWTO Political and Scientific Position Paper on Climate Change and Tourism

1.6 billion: That’s the number of international tourists expected to arrive at holiday destinations around the world in 2020.

It reflects not only a key source of income for countries but also the scale of an industry at the forefront of global climate change.

Tourism is inextricably tied to the environment, whether it’s snowboarding on the winter slopes of Hokkaido or scuba diving off the islands of Barbados, and if the earth’s temperature continues to rise as projected over the next few decades, the industry and the people it supports will feel the direct heat of those changes. The sector will also have a big role to play in keeping that general warming trend to a minimum.

In 2009, CARIBSAVE detailed those impacts and responsibilities in a report delivered at the 15^th Conference of Parties in Copenhagen by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

It spelled out the negative and positive impacts of global warming on the travel industry and how those effects will vary substantially by region and sector.

Tourism is one of the best-known ways of redistributing wealth from rich nations to poor ones and from urban areas to rural zones. It is an economic cornerstone for many less-developed countries and so any impacts from climate change is certain to deal a bigger blow to these communities.

These threats are becoming clearer by the day and so too does the need to respond. The industry will need to work out how it will cope with changes in the length and quality of climate-dependent tourism seasons as well as changes in factors such as water availability, biodiversity loss, landscape degradation and coastal erosion.

The sector will also have to confront the challenges posed by national or international policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions, such as higher transport costs. These difficulties may be compounded by potential political unrest stemming from the economic toll of climate change.

It’s critical then that any agreement on climate change considers the disproportionate and wide-ranging effects that it will have on tourism-dependent economies.

Tourism also has a role to play in reducing emissions. The industry contributes about 5 per cent of global carbon dioxide discharged into the atmosphere and must work to cut this toll. But any progress will rely on partnership. The complexity and scale of the issues demands collaboration between government, business and community.

IS-CS Facts & Figures

The INTASAVE Partnership (INTASAVE) works around the world with governments, regional organisations, communities, the private sector, universities, international development agencies and development banks. INTASAVE uses an international, holistic, inter-sectoral approach to addressing critical issues surrounding risk, sustainability, climate change, socio-economics, environments and sustainable livelihoods.

INTASAVE is a Not-For-Profit company based in the UK, South Africa and the USA and is sister company to the regional Not-For-Profit company; The CARIBSAVE Partnership based in Barbados, West Indies.

INTASAVE uses an evidence-based approach, providing the highest quality outputs and pragmatic outcomes to bridge the gaps between science, research, implementation of practical strategies and capacity building. The company focuses on vulnerable economies, small island states, less developed countries and destinations around the world, as well as assisting developed countries in reducing vulnerability, building capacity and increasing resilience. The company was created in response to international demand for the replication of highly successful methodologies and outputs and increased resilience generated across the Caribbean by CARIBSAVE, its' sister company.

 

The CARIBSAVE Partnership (CARIBSAVE) is a Not-For-Profit regional organization based in the Caribbean with its Headquarters in Barbados. CARIBSAVE was formed in 2008 as a partnership initiative between the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the University of Oxford. CARIBSAVE works with stakeholders to address the impacts and challenges surrounding climate change, the environment, economic development, tourism and community livelihoods across the Caribbean Basin, using an integrated and holistic approach.

See the interactive map above and click on any one of the country names to browse the projects and activities being implemented by the CARIBSAVE Partnership across the Caribbean Region.

The Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region in the world with few options to develop alternative economic sectors. The region is one of the most vulnerable in the world to the impacts of climate change including sea level rise, biodiversity loss and impacts on human health.

The CARIBSAVE partnership is providing practical strategies, and implementing capacity building and skills transfer activities across the region for pro-poor and national economic development in the Caribbean in an era of economic restructuring and climate change.

Featured Project: Caribbean Fish Sanctuary Partnership (C-FISH)

http://youtu.be/BK941BVYBxE

In the tropical waters of the Caribbean, a team of committed CARIBSAVE scientists, island residents and businesses are working together on ecosystem-based adaptation to fortify reefs and fisheries against multiple threats.

C-FISH stands for the Caribbean Fish Sanctuary Partnership Initiative, and helps partners in five island states to manage and sustain more than a dozen marine reserves from the onslaught of overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and climate change.

It’s a four-year project started in 2012 to give coastal communities the finance, technology and know-how they require to manage their marine sanctuaries effectively and sustainably.

It’s up and running in Jamaica and Grenada, with plans to expand to St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia and Dominica over the next three years, as opportunities arise.

The economies of Caribbean Islands rest on the health and diversity of fish life and coral reefs but these critical assets are under attack. So much so that in many places, once-abundant reef species like parrotfish and lobsters have become scarce. Marine sanctuaries are a proven way of bringing those species back - they give fish and reefs the space and time to recover and rebuild. In some cases, fish life within a protected area can increase 20 fold within a few years, replenishing both stocks inside and outside the reserve. And these bigger populations mean a greater ability to breed and a much better chance of surviving environmental shocks.

But the assault on the ecosystem is not just about the environment – it has a direct impact on the livelihoods of the many people who make a living in fisheries and tourism. Depletion has led to unemployment for local residents and in some cases a vicious cycle of poverty and crime.

Our goal, then, is to help those with the most to lose – fisherfolk, tourism operators and families – become the ones with the most to gain from each reserve’s long-term future. This means finding ways for people to make a living from the reserves being utilised sustainably as well as creating new opportunities for employment.

C-FISH exists to provide communities’ training, funding and know-how to maintain the sanctuaries and generate income from them, whether it’s through crafts and community-based tours or monitoring and patrolling the protected areas. Further, we work with big companies in the tourism industry to encourage them to contribute ideas and expertise, so that tourists can assist the coastal communities by supporting local jobs and sanctuary management. The companies can provide further support by making donations through the C-FISH Fund.

C-FISH is funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development (DFID) through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC). The project is being managed by The CARIBSAVE Partnership.

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For further details about this initiative, visit the C-FISH website: www.c-fish.org; or contact the Project Director, Dr Owen Day at owen.day@caribsave.org.

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The Caribbean Fish Sanctuary Partnership Initiative (C-FISH) is a 4-year project (2012-2016) being implemented by CARIBSAVE and aimed at strengthening 15 community-based fish sanctuaries in Jamaica, St Lucia, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica by providing resources, training and alternative livelihood opportunities.

The objectives of the C-FISH are:

• To provide financial and technical support for the management of community-based fish sanctuaries.


• To implement innovative communication and fund-raising strategies that engage a wide circle of regional and international stakeholders in supporting the sustainability and resilience of Caribbean fishing communities and coastal ecosystems.


• To develop a micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) programme, that includes capacity-building, training and access to markets (e.g. for crafts and tours), as a fund-raising mechanism for fish sanctuaries and as an opportunity to promote alternative livelihoods and build mutually beneficial linkages between the tourism sector and local communities.


• To implement a collaborative research programme to develop a new tool (the “Aquacam” Research Programme) for monitoring fish populations inside fish sanctuaries.

The project will establish a partnership with large companies in the tourism sector and a new fund, the C-FISH Fund, to encourage the engagement of the tourism sector in supporting Caribbean fish sanctuaries and the sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities. C-FISH is funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development (DFID) through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC). The CARIBSAVE Partnership is implementing the project on behalf of DFID and the CCCCC.

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