Community Issues on Kangaroo Island Tourism: Kangaroo Islands Flinders Chase National Park - Case Study Example

Community issues on Kangaroo Island tourism: Kangaroo Island’s Flinders Chase National Park Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Case study investigating and analyzing community issues on Kangaroo Island tourism: Kangaroo Island’s Flinders Chase National Park Introduction It is imperative to be cognizant of the fact that the concept of community involvement in tourism has gained increased attention in the recent decades. This has culminated in the concept being central in each level of formulation and implementation of tourism research agenda, based on the perception that the involvement of the community in tourism will be core in making this fundamental undertaking sustainable. Thus, the concept of ‘community based tourism’ has evolved to encompass and integrate diverse approaches and agendas (Pimrawee, 2005, p. 16). Thus, the involvement of the local communities in the planning and development of sustainable tourism has been core to the discourses in different levels of tourism governance. This is best epitomized by Scheyvens (2002, p. 10) who determined that the local community can have direct involvement in the community-based tourism ventures, which preferably provide an elevated level of control over the transpiring undertakings as well as a greater portion of the economic gains as opposed to more indirect forms of involvement. On the other hand, the local have been perceived to having the capacity of indirect involvement, for instance, being the recipients of the tourism’s distributed compensation revenue which they absolutely have no contact (for instance, in Adam & Infield, 2003). Lastly, the local community might be key in the collection of lease money from the tourism operators who are involved in the process of bringing tourists onto their land (Higginbottom, 2004, p. 128). All the above levels of community involvement among others in the tourism activities have resulted in the upsurge of community issues in diverse tourist destinations around the globe. Despite the perception by some proponents that the centrality of the community-driven tourism planning is infeasible based on the community’s attitude towards the development and growth of tourism (for instance, Jamal and Getz (1995); Kneafsey (2001), Pearce and Moscardo (cited in Pimrawee, 2005, p. 2) underpinned the centrality of research oriented towards community-based tourism in the future of tourism. This report will comprehensively investigate and analyze the community issues on Kangaroo Island (KI) tourism. This will be primarily focused on Flinders Chase National Park in Kangaroo Island. Background According to Tourism Australia (2009, p. 1), the term Kangaroo Island was coined by Matthew Flinders, who was an English explorer who landed on this rugged, expanse island which is located off the coast of South Australia in the early years of 1880s. Apart from the marsupials on this Island (commonly referred to as KI by the local community) that still out-number the human population of 4,400 in the contemporary world, this Island has also been revealed to have a peculiar human history. This is primarily evidenced by the stone tools and campsites in the Island which point to the fact that the Aboriginal people might have inhabited this Island dating as early as 16, 000 years ago. In terms of geographical expanse, Kangaroo Island covers approximately 155 km in length and 57 km at its broadest point. Thus, it covers a cumulative total area of 4, 405 sq. km with more than half of this area being native old-growth vegetation (Tourism Australia, 2009, p. 1). Today, above one-third of the entire area in Kangaroo Island has been proclaimed national park or conservation and it has a total of five considerable Wilderness protection Areas with the Flinders Chase National Park which is central to this study being one of the largest in Australia, covering a cumulative total of 74, 000 hectares (Tourism Australia, 2009, p. 1). This island has experienced heightened attention as an ideal destination for tourists, a phenomenon which has resulted in increased concerns by the stakeholders, most notably the planners and the local community. This culminated in the development of Tourism Optimization Management Model (TOMM) which is a primary collaborative venture between the tourism agencies, main conservation as well as the wider community, all of whom have the responsibility of managing the resources in this Island towards ensuring that there is development of sustainable tourism which is beneficial to all these stakeholders. The success of this model resulted in it being presented at International Conference of Sustainable Tourism Management at heritage sites. This conference was organized by the United Nations in partnership with the World Tourism Organization with the sole aim of this model being adopted by diverse tourism destinations at the global level (Tourism Australia, 2009, p. 2). Nonetheless, several community issues have emanated from Flinders Chase National Park in regard to the planning and management processes, for instance, in regard to the threat of some of the native species, for instance, the Green Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa Lestis) which practically disappeared from the mainland in South Australia around 50 years ago and are only found in the Kangaroo Island today (Australasian Science, 2012, p. 1). In addition, there has been the threat of destructive fire outbreaks which threaten the native vegetation as well as the animal species in Flinders Chase National Park among other issues. Against this background, the need for increased community involvement in the undertakings of this park to mitigate the effects of occurrences such as those outlined above is paramount. Discussion It is worth noting that in 2007, the entire Flinders Chase National Park was nearly completely burnt (Australasian Science, 2012, p. 1). This has increased the concerns over the preparedness of the stakeholders to this park over the mitigation of fire hazards in this park. According to the Department for Environment and Heritage (2009, p. 2), the community around this park as well as volunteers from Country Fire Service (CFS) have provided enormous contribution in terms of resources, time and energy in the containment of fire, not only at Flinders Chase National Park but also in the entire kangaroo Island. This has resulted to the inference that the cooperation of the local community will be integral in the execution of the Fire Management Plan at the park whereby the neighbors will need to implement risk mitigation activities around their own properties which will be essential in complimenting the activities being initiated by Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH). The recurrent outbreak of fire at Flinders Chase National Park is a major community concern since this poses detrimental impacts on the members of the population who either directly or indirectly depend on this park for their livelihood, for instance, tour guide among others. Thus, the community involvement in the prevention of fire hazards in this park is fundamental towards ensuring that future occurrences are curtailed. However, this calls for extensive consultation of the local community in the planning and development of the policies aimed at fire prevention in this park which can have negative impacts on their property as well as endangering the park as a tourist destination. This was evident during the formulation of the Fire Management Plan for Flinders Chase whereby the Department for Environment and Heritage (2009, p. 2) detailed that there was extensive invitation of public comments in the initial stages of the internal review process. Consequently, the submissions from the local community were assessed and incorporated in the plan where considered appropriate. In relation to the fire hazards discussed above, there is a great risk of the extinction of some species in this park, based on extensive fire outbreaks. Among these endangered species include the Green Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa Lestis) which is the largest species of native bees in South Australia. Prior to the 2007 fire, majority of the nest for this species of bees were found at Flinders Chase National Park (Australasian Science, 2012, p. 1). Against this background, there has been extensive request for funding by researchers from the federal government (amounting to around $19, 000) to conduct a research on this unique species of bees at Flinders Chase National Park and its surrounding. This program according to Australasian Science (2012, p. 1) will to a great extent involve the local community and other volunteers in the inspection of the flowering stalks for bee nests. On the other hand, Smith (2006, p. 67), detailed that Flinders Chase National Park, has extensive cultural heritage, mostly at West Bay, which is chiefly preserved in the physical remnants of material culture and has great archaeological significance. This are evidenced the Memorial cross of an unknown sailor as well as the Loch Vennachar anchor among others. Apart from having archeological significance, these artifacts and sites have cultural and religious meaning to the local population. The development activities aimed at enhancing this park can thus pose negative impacts on these cultural sites which can culminate to the resistance of the local community to the activities of tourism in this park and its surrounding. This is based on the inference by diverse proponents that in most cases, tourism usually poses negative impacts on the culture of the local communities, for instance, Sauraha and Ghandruk (1995). As a result, the current policies in the planning and management of the tourism activities in this region have not always been in culminating in outcomes which protect the valued landscapes in this region. Consequently, this ends up in increasing the level of community opposition to the development of tourism as well as having limited or no faith in the planning system (Urban & Regional Planning Solutions, 2006, p. 46). Lastly, based on the fact that Flinders Chase National Park has evolved into becoming an important host of cultural events, this has culminated in the entrenchment of the local community participation in the planning and hosting of these events which are central in not only exposing the socio-cultural wealth of this region but also in branding and marketing the tourism ventures in this park as well as the larger Australia. This importance of the involvement of the local community in these events is fortified in the Kangaroo Island Strategic Tourism Plan by Urban & Regional Planning Solutions (2006). Analysis At the heart of the community-based tourism theory, diverse scholars, for instance, Tosun (2006), Blackstock (2005) and Hall (2000) among others have supported the fact that community based tourism is premised on the exclusive inclusion of the local population in the development of tourism in their areas of residence. In actual sense, the characteristics of this theory entail the involvement of the community in planning, the control of the locals over development, equitability in the benefits flow as well as the incorporation of the values of the locals in these processes (Koster, 2007, p. 70). The rationale behind the above approach is that getting the perspective of the local community in the processes of tourism development and planning is integral based on the diverse levels at which the tourism industry diffuses into the daily existence of the local community in terms of land use, employment, infrastructural development, environment and social structure among other realms (Koster, 2007, p. 70). The following figure shows the community based tourism development planning model, which can be imperative in addressing the community issues at Flinders Chase National Park explored in the preceding section. Figure 1.0: Community based tourism development planning model Source: Reid (2003). One of the key provisions of the community-based tourism as mentioned above is the involvement of the local community in the planning process of policies affecting the viability of a tourism venture. This fact is supported by Gunn (2004, p. 6) who determined that one of the greatest necessity in the contemporary world is an utterly new plunge of planning as well as executing better tourism development policies at the community level with the utmost involvement of the local community. As aforementioned in the preceding section, fire hazards are a primary source of community concern at Flinders Chase National Park based on the diabolical impacts that they pose on the existence of the populations in this vicinity. It is imperative to be cognizant of the fact that the local community residing in and around this park possesses extensive knowledge in regard to the patterns of fire which includes the seasonality, intensity, frequency and the patchiness of these fires. Thus, their involvement in the formulation and implementation of fire management policies is integral in mitigating the occurrences of fire in this pack. As a result, there ought to be consistency in the knowledge and expectations of the local community with the fire management plans at Flinders Chase National Park if at all conflicting activities between these two parties are minimized. This fact is supported by Borges et. al (2011, p. 11) who determined that the public use plan and the site management plan ought to exhibit some consistency aimed at ensuring that there is not conflicting activities between them. Another key complaint that is usually posed by local communities in different tourist destinations, mostly those endowed with ecotourism opportunities like Flinders Chase National Park is the lack of community involvement in the development of the tourism facilities. This non-consultative approach usually presents a further danger to the destruction of the cultural heritage in these sites which the developer now little or absolutely nothing about, but have extensive cultural significance to the local communities. This is bound to increase the level of community resistance to the development of tourism venture in their local areas. Thus, community capacity building has been widely recognized as an imperative tourism development strategy. This is based on the fact that the community capacity building programs greatly assists in the empowerment of the local communities through enhancing their ability to participate in the decision making processes. Consequently, the local communities are encouraged to be involved in developing tourism sites as well as providing them with the tools which are chief in enabling them to participate in these processes (Aref & Redzuan, 2009, p. 21). This is to a large extent applicable at Flinders Chase National Park in the efforts to conserve the cultural heritage. This is whereby the entrenchment of the members of the local population in the decision making processes after the capacity building processes will culminate in them assisting in making profound decisions by the management of this park in regard to the areas where further developments are to be instigated. This is a great stride towards preserving the sites which have cultural significance to the local people which will increase their cooperation in the development of this tourism venture. Lastly, the local knowledge of the local communities which is central to the community-based tourism approach is integral in the conservation of the endangered species at Flinders Chase National Park like the Koalas and the Green Carpenter Bee among others previously mentioned. This is based on the fact that the members of the local community living around this park have for a long time interacted with these animals like the Koalas and the Platypus which were introduced in this park in 1923 and 1928 respectively. Thus, the locals have extensive knowledge of the migration and mating patterns of these animals, their habitants and their diverse threats endangering their existence. The input from the local community in regard to the preservation of these animals based on these facts can prove extremely useful in the efforts towards their conservation, not only at Flinders Chase National Park but also in other parks in Australia. Conclusion In conclusion, it is apparent thatFlinders Chase National Park which is entrenched at Kangaroo Island plays a central in promoting tourism in this region. Nonetheless, different community issues related to fire hazards, cultural sensitivity and endangerment of some native species in this park poses detrimental impacts on the viability of the activities at Flinders Chase National Park. While management models like Tourism Optimization Management Model (TOMM) have been chief in empowering the involvement of the local community in the undertakings of this park, there is much which needs to be done to ensure that the activities in this park align with the provisions in the community-based tourism theory. Some of these interventions are expounded in the preceding section. References Adam, W & Infield, M. 2003, ‘Who’s on the Gorilla’s? Claims on Tourist revenue from a Ugandan national Park’, World Development, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 177-190. Aref, F. & Redzuan, M., 2009, ‘Community Capacity Building for Tourism Development’, Journal of Human Ecology, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 21-25. Australasian Science, 2012, ‘Battle to save endangered bee’, retrieved 15th October 2012, < http://www.australasianscience.com.au/news/october-2012/battle-save-endangered-bee.html>. Blackstock, K. 2005 ‘A critical look at community based tourism’ Community Development Journal, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 39-49. Borges, MA., et. al, 2011, ‘Sustainable tourism and natural World Heritage: Priorities for action’, retrieved 15th October 2012, . Department for Environment and Heritage, 2009, Fire Management Plan: Flinders Chase Fire Management Plan 2009-2014, Department for Environment and Heritage, Kadina. Gunn, CA., 2004, ‘Prospects forTourismPlanning:Issues and Concerns’, The Journal of Tourism Studies, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 3-7. Hall, CM. 2000, Tourism Planning: Policies, Processes, and Relationships, Prentice Hall, New York. Higginbottom, K., 2004, Wildlife Tourism: Impacts, Management and Planning, Common Ground Publishing Pty Limited, Altona, VIC. Jamal TB & Getz, D., 1995, ‘Collaboration Theory and Community Tourism Planning’, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 186-204. Koster, RL., 2007, ‘An evaluation of community-based tourism development: how theory intersects with practice’, Prairie Perspectives, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 67-88. Kneafsey, M., 2001, ‘Rural Cultural Economy: Tourism and Social Relations’, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 762-783. Pimrawee, R., 2005, ‘Community-based tourism: perspectives and future possibilities’, PhD Thesis, James Cook University. Reid, D. 2003, Tourism, Globalization and Development: Responsible Tourism Planning, Pluto Press, London. Scheyvens, R., 2002, Tourism for Development: Empowering Communities, Prentice Hall, Essex. Sauraha, C. & Ghandruk, P., 1995, Case study on the effects of tourism on culture and the environment, Nepal, UNESCO, Bangkok. Smith, A., 2006, ‘The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Kangaroo Island, South Australia: A study of Kingscote and West Bay’, BA Thesis, Flinders University, South Australia. Tosun, C. 2006 ‘Expected nature of community participation in tourism development’ Tourism Management, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 493-504 Tourism Australia, 2009, ‘National Landscapes Fact Sheet: Kangaroo Island’, retrieved 15th October 2012, . Urban & Regional Planning Solutions, 2006, Kangaroo Island Strategic Tourism Plan, Urban & Regional Planning Solutions, Norwood SA Appendix 1. Community based tourism development planning model Read More