PANEL 8 Paradise under threat: Safeguarding and enhancing the local cultural economy in rural landscapes of Mallorca, Crete, and Samoa
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/015s-7c54
Biographical Information // Informations biographiques
Carla Chifos is Associate Professor of Sustainable Development and Urban Planning at the University of Cincinnati. She has also worked in Southeast Asia with USAID and multiple development agencies and consulting firms on issues of sustainable urban and regional development. At the USEPA, during the Clinton Administration, she was working with the integration of sustainable urban development into all the federal agencies. Her interest and work in rural cultural landscapes stems from years of summer teaching and research programs working on cultural and environmental protection juxtaposed with tourism in Crete, Santorini, Thailand, Indonesia and Brazil.
Bartomeu Deya is an economist and owner of Can Det SL, a company dedicated to managing the estates of his family in the Serra de Tramuntana, with the production of olive oil, the cultivation of citrus and almond trees, rental of holiday homes and guided tourist visits. Before that he was Director of the Consortium Serra de Tramuntana UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape. He also served for many years as Director of the Mallorca Tourist Board. He was responsible for the promotion strategy of the island and the necessary coordination with the tourist sector, the remaining stakeholders and the authorities.
Diane Menzies is affiliated to Ngāti Kahungunu. She is a past president (and Honorary Member) of IFLA, past president and Life Member of New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects, an expert voting member of the ICOMOS IFLA ISC Cultural Landscapes and executive member of ICOMOS NZ. Previously a member of the judiciary, her focus is research. She holds a Dip. Landscape Architecture; MBA, Masters of Business Administration (Mediation); and PhD. in Resource Management. Her ONZM is for services to the environment.
Dexell Aita has a BLA from Unitec, Auckland, New Zealand. He is aiming to be the first Masters in Landscape Architecture graduate for Samoa and to introduce landscape architecture to Samoa. He is currently a Masters’ candidate at Unitec, and was awarded the 2019 Pacific Masters Scholarship. His interest is in heritage and culture’s contribution to rural landscape management and resilience for his homeplace.
Keywords
agricultural landscapes; cultural landscapes; rural heritage; indigenous knowledge; local traditions
Abstract // Résumé
Islands with traditional villages and rural landscapes are major attractors to tourism. The heritage, local products and cultural landscapes are a significant part of the draw of visitors. However, it is these aspects of the island that, even if they are formally protected, often suffer from the high demands of tourism. Add the threats of climate change and you have places that suffer from unexpected interference with a way of life and a disturbance of a long lasting balance of human-nature relationships. Four themes run through the three papers and will be discussed from different angles – that of a stakeholder, a consultant, and a researcher. The first theme is that of the on-the-ground issues and losses that are caused by mass tourism overshadowing traditional local economies. Where are the opportunities to change this imbalance? The second theme is that of local-level decision-making in development projects. In most cases the voice of local stakeholders is weak or even non-existent. What can be done to reverse that reality? The third theme is that of land/nature disruptions caused by climate change, development decisions, or tourism pressures. How can the people-nature connection be better recognized and protected, especially with respect to livelihood? And the last theme is the current conflicts between the demands of the tourist/visitor and the needs of the local populations and local landscape. What needs to be done to benefit both the visitors and the local populations in a more equitable manner? The analysis of these four themes in three different landscapes is presented and several examples of local solutions are discussed. This session seeks to spark further discussion of possible solutions to the questions posed above.
Bibliographic References // Références Bibliographiques
Apostolopoulos, Y. and D. Gayle (eds) (2002) Island Tourism and Sustainable Development : Caribbean, Pacific, and Mediterranean Experiences. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.
Baldacchino, G. (ed.) (2012) Extreme Heritage Management: the practices and policies of densely populated islands. New York: Berghahn Books.
Bourdeau, Laurent, Maria Gravari-Barbas and Mike Robinson (eds) (2017) World Heritage Sites and Tourism: Global and Local Relations.London: Routledge.
Coccossis, Harry and Alexandra Mexa (eds) (2004) The Challenge of Tourism Carrying Capacity Assessment. Theory and PracticeRoutledge
Larsen, P. B. and William Logan (eds) (2018) World Heritage and Sustainable Development: New Directions in World Heritage Management.Boca Raton: Routledge.
Plieninger, Tobias and Claudia Bieling (eds) (2012) Resilience and the Cultural Landscape: Understanding and Managing Change in Human-Shaped Environments.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
PANEL 8 Paradise under threat: Safeguarding and enhancing the local cultural economy in rural landscapes of Mallorca, Crete, and Samoa
Islands with traditional villages and rural landscapes are major attractors to tourism. The heritage, local products and cultural landscapes are a significant part of the draw of visitors. However, it is these aspects of the island that, even if they are formally protected, often suffer from the high demands of tourism. Add the threats of climate change and you have places that suffer from unexpected interference with a way of life and a disturbance of a long lasting balance of human-nature relationships. Four themes run through the three papers and will be discussed from different angles – that of a stakeholder, a consultant, and a researcher. The first theme is that of the on-the-ground issues and losses that are caused by mass tourism overshadowing traditional local economies. Where are the opportunities to change this imbalance? The second theme is that of local-level decision-making in development projects. In most cases the voice of local stakeholders is weak or even non-existent. What can be done to reverse that reality? The third theme is that of land/nature disruptions caused by climate change, development decisions, or tourism pressures. How can the people-nature connection be better recognized and protected, especially with respect to livelihood? And the last theme is the current conflicts between the demands of the tourist/visitor and the needs of the local populations and local landscape. What needs to be done to benefit both the visitors and the local populations in a more equitable manner? The analysis of these four themes in three different landscapes is presented and several examples of local solutions are discussed. This session seeks to spark further discussion of possible solutions to the questions posed above.