Ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classification
Nature-based tourism is increasingly popular, with destination competitiveness tied to natural assets or protection status. While tourism often poses conservation challenges, limited research explores its potential ecological benefits when management aligns ecological and visitor experience goals. W...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425000782 |
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| author | Andrew Torsney Yvonne M. Buckley |
| author_facet | Andrew Torsney Yvonne M. Buckley |
| author_sort | Andrew Torsney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nature-based tourism is increasingly popular, with destination competitiveness tied to natural assets or protection status. While tourism often poses conservation challenges, limited research explores its potential ecological benefits when management aligns ecological and visitor experience goals. We examine how management practices intended to enhance tourism offerings affect plant diversity in a Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation. We also investigate how habitat classification influences conservation outcomes in two distinct habitat types: the more sensitive Machair Grassland and the less sensitive Fixed Dunes. Habitat classification criteria may affect biodiversity protection, site vulnerability, and the impact of tourism. Using a grazing exclosure experiment, we assess how grazing management influences plant diversity, measured by Simpson’s index. We compare the effects of grazing on biodiversity under the current Fixed Dune classification and an alternative classification as Machair, highlighting the impact of classification on conservation management outcomes. We demonstrate that appropriate grazing management significantly enhances plant diversity, providing evidence for the ecological benefits of managing for both tourism and conservation goals. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that habitat classification criteria can directly affect conservation management outcomes for protected habitats. This study challenges the prevailing 'war-on-tourism' narrative, supporting a synergistic management approach where tourism and conservation are jointly aligned, essential as nature-based tourism continues to grow. Emphasising the imperative of understanding habitat classification and ecological benefits for effective alignment of tourism and conservation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0afa4e4b677348f5a58880c3ed1d3074 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-0afa4e4b677348f5a58880c3ed1d30742025-08-20T02:02:01ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942025-04-0158e0347710.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03477Ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classificationAndrew Torsney0Yvonne M. Buckley1School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Corresponding author.School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandNature-based tourism is increasingly popular, with destination competitiveness tied to natural assets or protection status. While tourism often poses conservation challenges, limited research explores its potential ecological benefits when management aligns ecological and visitor experience goals. We examine how management practices intended to enhance tourism offerings affect plant diversity in a Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation. We also investigate how habitat classification influences conservation outcomes in two distinct habitat types: the more sensitive Machair Grassland and the less sensitive Fixed Dunes. Habitat classification criteria may affect biodiversity protection, site vulnerability, and the impact of tourism. Using a grazing exclosure experiment, we assess how grazing management influences plant diversity, measured by Simpson’s index. We compare the effects of grazing on biodiversity under the current Fixed Dune classification and an alternative classification as Machair, highlighting the impact of classification on conservation management outcomes. We demonstrate that appropriate grazing management significantly enhances plant diversity, providing evidence for the ecological benefits of managing for both tourism and conservation goals. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that habitat classification criteria can directly affect conservation management outcomes for protected habitats. This study challenges the prevailing 'war-on-tourism' narrative, supporting a synergistic management approach where tourism and conservation are jointly aligned, essential as nature-based tourism continues to grow. Emphasising the imperative of understanding habitat classification and ecological benefits for effective alignment of tourism and conservation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425000782Ecological benefits of tourismNature-based tourismEco-tourismTourism managementFloral diversityMachair |
| spellingShingle | Andrew Torsney Yvonne M. Buckley Ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classification Global Ecology and Conservation Ecological benefits of tourism Nature-based tourism Eco-tourism Tourism management Floral diversity Machair |
| title | Ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classification |
| title_full | Ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classification |
| title_fullStr | Ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classification |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classification |
| title_short | Ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classification |
| title_sort | ecological benefits of tourism management and the challenges of habitat classification |
| topic | Ecological benefits of tourism Nature-based tourism Eco-tourism Tourism management Floral diversity Machair |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425000782 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT andrewtorsney ecologicalbenefitsoftourismmanagementandthechallengesofhabitatclassification AT yvonnembuckley ecologicalbenefitsoftourismmanagementandthechallengesofhabitatclassification |