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UNWTO, 9 July 2008 Impacts and Adaptation at Tourism Destinations Socio-cultural heritage is an ever more popular attraction for tourists, and cultural activities, as well as indigenous and folk traditions are among the most fragile aspects of a society. Many have already disappeared through processes of globalisation, mechanisation, urbanisation, emigration and other factors. The cultural consequences of physical climate change impacts on landscapes and buildings may reinforce current trends towards the abandonment and break-up of communities leading to the loss of rituals and cultural memory. 399 Such attractions as local arts and crafts, dances and traditional agricultural land-uses are important draws for tourists in destinations such as Australia, Africa and Asia. 400 Traditional skills such as boat-building, fishing and navigation, as well as the way in which boats are used are based on local conditions of tide, current, wind and wave. If any of these aspects are altered the suitability of a boat for its purpose may be adversely affected, so that the boat design may no longer be of use, or the navigation skills used may have to change. 401 Similarly, if marine resources such as coral reefs, fish stocks and mangrove forests are altered or diminished by climate change this will affect the attractiveness and food supplies in a destination, and the livelihoods of local people. Coral reefs cover 0.2% of the ocean floor but contain 25% of marine species globally. They provide livelihoods to 100 million people globally and provide the basis for industries (tourism, fishing) worth an annual net benefit of US$ 30 billion. 402 Similarly, one hectare of mangroves is estimated to deliver products and services worth up to US$ 900,000 (timber and wood chippings, fish spawning, and habitat for economically important species). 403 In 2005, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) initiated an assessment of the impacts of climate change on World Heritage; the report, containing twenty-six case studies of natural and cultural heritage, was published in 2007. 404 These case studies illustrate impacts that have already been observed and some of those that can be expected in the future. Changes in World Heritage sites due to climate change will affect a range of tourism segments including nature-based tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism, dive tourism, safari tourism and study tourism. The study found, for example, that buried archaeological evidences could be rapidly lost if the stratigraphic integrity (organization of levels and types) of soils changed due to changes in precipitation levels, permafrost melting and floods. The report states that: the melting of glaciers worldwide will alter the appearance of some mountainous regions dramatically affecting their aesthetic beauty; it found problems for the conservation of biodiversity hotspots listed as natural World Heritage sites; and that the conservation of properties listed as cultural heritage built in coastal lowlands is threatened by increased sea level rise and coastal erosion. The report also confirmed the threat of widespread bleaching and potential death of coral reefs due to sea temperature changes and increased levels of carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans. In addition, changes in wetting and drying cycles will induce crystallization and dissolution of salts and affect other popular tourist sites such as wall paintings, frescos and rock art. The UNESCO report provides indications of the extent of changes and likely timescales. Regarding the impacts to Venice, according to moderate change scenarios, Venice is likely to be flooded daily by 2100, with a net loss in altitude of 54 cms. In Australia, projections indicate that by 2100, warming on the Great Barrier Reef will be between 2–5° C. This will result in large-scale bleaching and widespread coral death. The frequency of bleaching events is increasing at a rate of about 1.6% more each decade and bleaching thresholds will be reached on an annual basis well before 2100. 405 Box 7 Selected World Heritage sites and potential impacts 406 Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania • • • • At 5,895 m, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, a volcanic massif with a snowy peak standing in isolation over the savannah – World Heritage List in 1987. Approximately 30,000 tourists visit Kilimanjaro each year bringing valuable revenue to the parks authority and local communities. If current trends are not changed (losing more than half a metre in thickness each year) this will lead to the complete disappearance of the Kilimanjaro ice fields in less than 15 years. 407 Consequences for tourism include reduced landscape aesthetics and decreased visitation. 79
80 Climate Change and Tourism – Responding to Global Challenges Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia • • • • Largest coral reef eco-system in the world; 2,100 km in length, 1,500 species of fish and 400 species of coral – World Heritage List in 1981. Approximately 1.8 million visitors per year, generating over AU$ 5.1 billion. In 2005 approximately 820 authorized tourist operators and 1,500 vessels and aircrafts were permitted to operate in the Park. The Great Barrier Reef has been observed as being susceptible to sea-temperature increase, sea level rise, increased storm frequency and intensity, changing precipitation patterns, drought, land run-off, oceanic circulation and ocean acidity. Severe coral bleaching has been observed in a number of areas in 1998, 2002 and in 2006. Consequences for tourism include reduced attractiveness of destination and quality of tourist experience (i.e., snorkeling and SCUBA diving), and decreased visitation reducing economic sustainability of operators. Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, Peru • • • • Capital of the ancient Chimu Kingdom and the largest and most important prehispanic earthen architecture cities in the Americas – List of World Heritage in Danger in 1986. Approximately 3.5 million tourists visit Peru every year and Chan Chan is one of the most popular destinations. 408 Chan Chan has consistently suffered from the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, extreme precipitation and flooding, eroding and affecting the base of the earthen architecture structures. Consequences for tourism include reduced attractiveness of destination, decreased visitation and increased risk to visitor safety. City of London Sites, England • • • • Westminster Palace; Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London; and the buildings at Greenwich date, respectively, from medieval times; Norman (11th/12th Century); and the 17th and 18th centuries – all site World Heritage List in late 1980s, except for Greenwich (1997). Over 12 million international tourists visit London every year and the Tower of London, on the banks of the Thames receives approximately 2 million overseas visitors per annum. The predominant impacts of climate change on these sites are sea level rise and an increased incidence of flooding arising from high tides and storm surges caused by low pressure systems traveling over the north sea and the funneling of water from the southern North Sea into the Thames Estuary. 409, 410, 411 Consequences for tourism include reduced attractiveness of destination and quality of tourist experience, increased risk to visitor’s safety and reduced visitation. UNWTO, 9 July 2008
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