Marine Tourism, Climate Change, and Resiliency in the Caribbean, Volume I

Kreg Ettenger, Samantha Hogenson

• Publisher: Business Expert Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781631577512
• eBook ISBN: 9781631577529
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Small Business
• Index: Business

As the nations of the Caribbean respond to and prepare for climate change, tourism has the potential to both worsen and mitigate these effects. In this book we look at marine tourism and its connection with ocean health, fisheries, and critical ecosystems, including coral reefs. We consider the role that marine protected areas can play in preserving reefs and other ecosystems, leading to greater resilience in the face of climate change. Finally, we look at how the tourism industry is responding to the threat of climate change, using its economic and social capital to foster positive change in the Caribbean and other parts of the world. While the situation is clearly urgent, we hope this volume provides readers with some optimism, as well as tangible ideas for using tourism to help mitigate the impending effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and economies.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

Kreg Ettenger

This book looks at the complex relationship between climate change, tourism, oceans, and coastal communities, with a focus on the small island states of the Caribbean. Together with the three other volumes in this collection, it provides a current picture of the state of coastlines and waters in the Caribbean region, including how they support local communities through marine resources and tourism, the impacts of climate change on tourism as well as on ecosystems and coastal communities, and how tourism both contributes to and can potentially help mitigate climate impacts. For comparison, we also draw upon examples from other regions that share similarities with the Caribbean, including a reliance on marine resources and tourism.

The central theme of all four volumes is how coastal and marine tourism can and must be sustainably planned, built, and operated in this era of climate change. The authors, many of whom attended the Center for Responsible Travel’s “Innovators Think Tank on Climate Change and Coastal & Marine Tourism” in July 2015, include tourism business owners, academics, scientists, community and nonprofit leaders, and government managers and employees. The key questions these authors explore include:

 

    •  How do various sectors of marine and coastal tourism contribute to climate change?

    •  How are these sectors experiencing the impacts of climate change?

    •  What measures have tourism businesses, governments, and other stakeholders taken already to address climate change and its impacts?

    •  Given the predicted future impacts of climate change, what are the main gaps between current and best practices by tourism businesses in addressing climate change?

 

In all four books, we take a practical and applied approach to these issues, focusing on solutions and best practices rather than simply identifying problems or accusing likely culprits. While we certainly acknowledge the seriousness of the issues at hand and the role that some industries, including tourism, have played in contributing to these problems, we believe the only way to move forward is to find solutions that work for multiple stakeholders and can achieve broad and strong support.

The first two books in this series, Coastal Tourism, Sustainability, and Climate Change in the Caribbean: Volumes 1 and 2, explore issues most relevant to coastal tourism destinations and activities, including beach and shoreline protection; tourism facility siting and development; sustainable hospitality operations; golf course design and management; airports and ground transportation; and agriculture and land-based food systems. In this book, we explore the health of ocean ecosystems, especially coral reefs, in the face of climate change; the state of ocean fisheries; and the importance of marine protected areas and their relation to tourism. In the fourth volume, we look at the marine recreation sector, including surfing, sport fishing, and diving; the cruise industry, including port destinations; and the yachting and marina sector.

Each chapter in this volume contains an overview essay that provides context for a particular issue. Following these are case studies describing particular settings, activities, or businesses. Many include information on what has worked to provide an additional measure of resilience in the face of current and projected impacts of climate change in this region. Given the wide range of examples available to us, we have selected only a few for each issue, but we hope these serve to illustrate some of the innovative ways in which communities, businesses, NGOs, government agencies, and others are responding to climate change. The following is an overview of each chapter to help guide the reader to the issues that interest them most.

 

Chapter 2: Coral Reefs and Marine Ecosystems in the Face of Climate Change

To begin, we look at ocean health and marine resources as the basis for a vital tourism economy—not to mention a requirement of viable coastal and island communities. Climate change is having marked impacts on many parts of the ocean ecosystem, from the quality of water itself (including temperature, acidity, and oxygen levels) to specific habitats like coral reefs and seagrass beds, to individual species from seaweed to zooplankton to game fish. This chapter describes the kinds of changes now taking place, focusing on two critical biomes, coral reefs and mangroves, both of which are being severely impacted by climate change and other factors. The chapter concludes with a discussion of a new problem that may also be climate-related: masses of sargassum seaweed washing up on beaches and choking bays in recent years.

The chapter begins with an overview essay on the current state of coral reefs in the Caribbean, which are under enormous threat from a number of stressors, including climate change. The essay is excerpted from an IUCN report that involved the most comprehensive study to date of the various factors affecting coral reefs across the Caribbean. The authors, Rubén Torres and Jeremy Jackson, explain that most of the factors leading to recent dramatic declines in coral reef health are human-induced, including overfishing, population growth, rapid development of coastal areas, and invasive species. Warming ocean temperatures add to these stresses and make it more difficult for reefs to survive and recover when they are damaged by storms, disease, and other threats. As a result, coral reefs in the Caribbean, as in many places around the world, are facing an uncertain future, as are those who depend on them for food, storm protection, and tourism activities.

Turning toward more positive ideas, a case study by Victor Galvan and Jake Kheel looks at a successful coral reef restoration project that has incorporated local fishers and recreational divers as participants in coral gardening and replanting efforts. The project is a collaboration between several partners including the Grupo Puntacana Foundation, an offshoot of the Puntacana Resort and Club. A second case study, by Dieter Rothenberger and Aria St Louis, looks at restoration of mangroves, another vital ecosystem under threat from climate change and other factors. Their project in Telescope, Grenada, involves local community members and has resulted in the planting of over one thousand mangrove seedlings in just the first year.

The final case study in this chapter looks at a new and emerging threat in the Caribbean: the increasing waves of sargassum seaweed that have arrived on area beaches. This relatively new phenomenon, as described by Jake Kheel and Kreg Ettenger, may be related to climate change and specifically to warmer waters and shifting ocean currents that are bringing dense wracks of seaweed onto Caribbean beaches, affecting wildlife and tourists alike. This is just one example of how climate change may already be affecting the Caribbean, disrupting ecosystems and putting local economies at risk.

 

Chapter 3: Fisheries, Tourism, and Climate Change

Marine fisheries and tourism are connected in multiple ways, although those connections might not always be obvious. At the most immediate level, tourists have to eat, and many island and coastal visitors prefer to eat locally sourced seafood as part of their travel experience. A lack of ample fish and other marine-based foods in tourism destinations, the perception of diminished quality or selection, or the knowledge that such foods are imported from other areas can all detract from the visitor experience. In addition, local resorts and restaurants may find it more difficult and expensive to provide preferred seafood to customers, impacting their bottom line.

Sport fishing, spear fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and other marine recreation activities also rely on healthy and diverse fish populations, including game fish for anglers. Just as importantly, if not more so, the communities that support the tourism industry throughout the Caribbean and other island and coastal regions often depend heavily on locally harvested fish and other seafood for subsistence. In short, healthy fish populations in both nearshore and offshore areas are critical to a viable marine tourism industry, as well as to local communities. The authors in this chapter explore this issue and consider how climate change and other human factors are affecting world fisheries, and what impacts this could have on communities and the tourism industry.

The chapter begins with an overview by Dawn Martin of Ceres and Marida Hines of The Ocean Foundation. Their essay describes the current state of the world’s fisheries, how climate change is compounding other problems such as overfishing and pollution, and the role that tourism can play in raising awareness about these issues. As the authors point out, global per capita fish consumption is rising along with total population, placing increasing pressure on the world’s already dwindling fish stocks. In addition, climate change appears to be affecting the world’s fisheries in many ways, from damaging coral reefs and other important fish nurseries and habitats to changing where various species can live and how well they can reproduce.

Not all of the news is bad, however. The authors point out that the commercial fishing industry, as well as governments and NGOs, are taking steps to protect the future of fishing and fish stocks. The tourism industry is also beginning to take steps toward more sustainable fisheries, with some independent resorts and restaurants, as well as large corporations like Marriott, now offering sustainable seafood options on their menus. The authors conclude by arguing that tourism itself, by placing people in direct contact with marine and coastal areas and introducing them to critical habitats and species, can foster attitudes and behaviors that might help ensure the future viability of fisheries for both food and recreational uses.

The two case studies in this chapter are not from the Caribbean, but do show how local communities, NGOs, and industry partners can work together to help create more resilient fisheries that might better withstand current and projected threats. The first case study describes a nongovernmental organization called Masyarakat dan Perikanen Indonesia (Communities and Fisheries of Indonesia) Foundation, or MDPI. The foundation has created partnerships with local fishing communities, as well as with global and regional partners like Anova Foods and the Balinese restaurant industry, to create and develop markets for sustainable seafood. The second case study talks about the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland, Maine, USA. GMRI, a research and education organization, is working with commercial fishers, seafood buyers like grocery store chains, and the tourism industry to create a number of programs that help build more sustainable fisheries. MDPI and GMRI are on opposite sides of the globe but share many of the same goals, including creating demand for sustainably caught and processed seafood while supporting local fishing communities. They also employ similar strategies, especially forming partnerships between local fishing communities and the seafood and tourism industries.

 

Chapter 4: Marine Protected Areas as Climate Change Buffers and Tourism Magnets

The authors in Chapter 4 discuss the value of marine protected areas (MPAs) for preserving and restoring marine ecosystems, as well as their role in marine tourism. Chiara Zuccarino-Crowe of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) first provides an overview of the role that MPAs can play in protecting critical ecosystems like coral reefs, and their potential for helping to ameliorate the regional and local impacts of climate change. As she points out, there are already some 500 MPAs across 38 countries in the wider Caribbean region, protecting an estimated total of 115,000 km², or 4 percent of the region’s marine environments. Despite the relatively small proportion these protected areas represent geographically, they contribute significantly to the region’s marine tourism economy, since a great deal of Caribbean diving activity is now focused on reefs found in MPAs.

One highly popular diving area is Turneffe Atoll, located some 30 miles east of Belize City and part of the Mesoamerican Reef System. Authors Craig Hayes and Kristin Kovalik, both with the Turneffe Atoll Trust, describe the process of creating the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve, which at 325,412 acres (131,690 ha) is Belize’s largest marine reserve. Consultations about the reserve involved over 10,000 person-hours of meetings with local fishers and other stakeholders, many of whom were initially opposed to the reserve. Effective restrictions on commercial fishing, a stakeholder group with strong local representation, outsider funding support, and assistance from the tourism industry, especially Turneffe Flats Resort, have all helped turn local residents into supporters of the MPA.

One of the most successful marine protected areas is Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina Marine Reserve, the largest MPA in the Caribbean. Daria Siciliano of The Ocean Foundation describes how this reserve, established in 1996, has helped protect a significant area of coral reefs from overfishing and other forms of destructive use. It now attracts nearly 1,000 divers every year, which is the limit established by managers, along with 500 catch-and-release fishers. Jardines de la Reina is one of over 100 MPAs in Cuba that collectively protect roughly one-third of the country’s coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves. As Siciliano points out, however, the combination of climate-induced change and American-driven tourism development could undermine the progress made by Cuban MPAs over the past few decades.

The final case study looks at the Cabo Pulmo National Park in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Martin Goebel and his co-authors look at the relationship between this important marine park and the nearby community of Cabo Pulmo, where local fishing families made the decision in the 1990s to embrace conservation and tourism to replace a declining fishing industry. As a result, Cabo Pulmo Reef has become one of the foremost diving sites in this part of the world, described by conservationist Dr. Sylvia Earle as the “jewel in the crown” of the Gulf of California. The price of this success, however, has been a rapid growth of tourism interest in the area, leading to development pressure that threatens the very resources on which tourism depends. This story has been repeated throughout the Caribbean and around the world.

 

Goals of this Volume

Our hope is that the essays and case studies in this volume do two things. First, they should clearly illustrate the perilous state of ocean ecosystems and resources as we enter the era of significant human-induced climate change. Even without rising temperatures, increased ocean acidity, and the other effects of global warming, many of these critical habitats and the fish and other species they support would already be under threat, mainly from human factors such as overfishing, pollution, and destructive forms of development. With the added stresses from climate change, crucial habitats like coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds face a dire and uncertain future. Tourism has no doubt played a part in this unfortunate situation, especially in places like the Caribbean where visitors often outnumber local residents, use more resources, and have more impacts on the environment, including fragile marine ecosystems.

Secondly, and conversely, we hope that the case studies in particular show that tourism can play a more positive role with respect to climate change and the long-term survival of places like the Caribbean. From the coral reef nurseries of Puntacana to resort tourists eating locally sourced and sustainable seafood, the tourism industry can and must play a critical part in responding and adapting to the impacts of climate change, as well as other human-induced environmental impacts. Conservation measures like marine protected areas, especially when created with strong support from and involvement of local communities, can help ensure the protection of critical habitats like coral reefs, providing both food for local populations and income from the tourism activities that follow. These and other measures will be crucial to ensuring the futures of coastal communities in the Caribbean and beyond, many of which have come to depend as much or more on tourism as on traditional resources like fisheries. We hope, then, that the chapters in this volume provide as much room for optimism as they do fodder for despair as we face the uncertain, but clearly warmer, future that lies ahead.

CHAPTER 2

Coral Reefs and Marine Ecosystems in the Face of Climate Change

Overview—Coral Reef Decline in the Caribbean: Primary Causes and Implications for Management¹

Rubén E. Torres and Jeremy Jackson

Caribbean coral reefs have suffered massive losses since the early 1980s due to a wide range of human impacts, including explosive human population growth, overfishing, coastal pollution, global wa...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword and Acknowledgments
• Key Definitions
• List of Acronyms
• Map of the Caribbean
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Coral Reefs and Marine Ecosystems in the Face of Climate Change
• Chapter 3: Fisheries, Tourism, and Climate Change
• Chapter 4: Marine Protected Areas as Climate Change Buffers and Tourism Magnets
• Conclusion and Volume 2 Preview
• Contributing Authors
• Index