Climate Change and Tourism - UNEP - Division of Technology ...

96 Climate Change and Tourism – Responding to Global Challenges
safer habitats or seed banks. Water supply planning and a tailored scientific monitoring programme
were implemented as adaptation measures in the Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia, which successfully
increased the resilience of the national park, a stopover for migrating birds and tourist destination for
bird watchers.
The much-visited city of Timbuktu in Mali has suffered both from flooding and from desertification as a
result of climate change over recent years. Adaptation measures at this cultural heritage site include the
improvement of drainage systems, the creation of buffer zones, the removal of sand in the vicinity of
the most visited buildings such as mosques, as well as the restoration of mosques and damaged historic
houses. The success of these measures led the World Heritage Committee to withdraw Timbuktu from
the List of World Heritage in Danger. 488
More ironic, revenue generating adaptation strategies include attracting visitors to sites endangered
due to the impacts of climate change. The ‘see it whilst it’s still here’ or ‘see climate change in action’
travel marketing concepts seem not have taken off fully with tour operators as yet. However, Conde
Nast, the popular travel magazine, has featured articles listing ‘endangered wonders’ that travellers
were recommended to visit before they disappear. 489 Sites that fall into this category include the Belize
Barrier Reef, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the snows of
Kilimanjaro.
9.3 Adaptation Policy
There are only few examples of governments developing adaptation policies specifically for tourism,
however, more generic climate policies have evolved considerably over the last decade and many
of these affect tourism. The National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPA) financed by GEF aim to
address urgent and immediate needs and concerns related to adaptation to the adverse effects of climate
change for less developed countries. Tourism is a major economic sector in many of these countries,
although NAPA does not specifically address tourism issues. The NAPA in Samoa is one which has
addressed tourism, recognising the importance of the sector to the Samoan economy, assessing impacts
of climate change and climate variability on the loss of beaches, inundation, and degradation of the
coastal ecosystems, saline intrusion and damage to critical infrastructure and the loss of attractiveness
of coral due to bleaching. Activities have included awareness raising and training activities for tourist
operators and employees on issues such as cyclones and flood prone areas, and the development
of a national Sustainable Tourism Environmental Policy. Three roles have been identified for climate
policy: a) to control atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG), b) to reduce the negative
consequences of changes in climate, and c) to address development and equity issues. 490 While
poverty and gender inequality are not the primary concerns of climate change policy, it is increasingly
recognised that effective implementation of climate policy addresses these issues as well. UNWTO is
collaborating for the implementation of the Nairobi Work Programme on Impacts, Vulnerability and
Adaptation to Climate Change, lead by UNFCCC. The programme has a strong focus on cross-sectoral
integration, and therefore represents a good opportunity to build policy linkages for a better involvement
of the tourism sector in international and national adaptation activities.
It is now recognised that regardless of the emissions reduction efforts, there will be a need to adapt to
unavoidable changes in climate. International climate policy generally accepts that developed countries
will support developing countries in their climate change adaptation efforts. 491 To assist the process
and implementation of adaptation several international organisations have prepared tools or guidelines.
For example, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has prepared a comprehensive
Adaptation Policy Framework, a users’ guidebook, a series of technical papers, case studies and related
tools and resources designed to provide technical guidance to key national players for developing and
assessing climate change adaptation policies and measures. The four guiding principles that underpin
the framework are 492 :
•
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place adaptation in a development context;
build on current adaptive experience to cope with future climate variability;
UNWTO, 9 July 2008