Text and photographs © Dominika Zaręba
Human economic activity would prove far less profitable if Mother Nature were to send us a bill for the use of her resources. As early as 1997, an international group of economists and environmental scientists published a groundbreaking report in the journal Nature, estimating the value of the services provided by nature at more than twice the total annual value of all goods produced and services provided by humans [1]. Humanity would have to pay USD 125 trillion annually for the use of various components of the natural environment — meadows, forests, rivers and lakes, wetlands, the open oceans and coastal areas (Costanza et al., 1997, 2014, 2017).
The monetary valuation of ecosystem services and natural capital is intended primarily to raise awareness of the scale of these services in comparison with those provided by human-made capital. It helps create a more precise and comprehensive picture of the natural resources that support human prosperity and well-being, while also highlighting humanity’s dependence on the condition and well-being of all ecosystems — the “forms of life on our planet.” These ecosystems are regarded as a public good, providing services that are fundamental to human prosperity, health and survival (Costanza et al., 1997, 2014, 2017; Zaręba, 2020).
Of all the natural resources mentioned above — rivers, lakes, meadows, forests, wetlands, agricultural land, open oceans and coastal areas (including coral reefs, river estuaries, etc.) — tourism operators and tourists make extensive use of these resources. Without them, the tourism economy would have no foundation. Natural assets often form the core of a tourism product and determine the value and attractiveness of leisure and travel experiences.
Tourism operators need to recognise the direct relationship between the depletion of a region’s natural resources and the deterioration of its tourism assets. It is essential for all tourism market stakeholders to develop a thorough understanding of the deep and multifaceted relationships between tourism and the natural, social and cultural environment.
Unsustainable tourism that destroys the environmental resources necessary for its own continued development is inevitably heading towards self-destruction. The paradox is that tourism becomes both the “culprit” and the “victim”at the same time. It is a destructive force that directly threatens the destinations it penetrates, while also becoming a “victim” of environmental degradation, which reduces their attractiveness and, consequently, the value of leisure and travel experiences.
The negative impacts of tourism on the natural, social and cultural environment were first consciously recognised in the 1950s, when travel was becoming a mass phenomenon. The factors that stimulated people’s curiosity about the world — such as the rapid development of transport and communications, rising living standards in many countries, shorter working hours, urbanisation and industrialisation, improved access to education, and the growing influence of the mass media — also turned tourism into another major economic sector.
In Europe, the first signs of the adverse impacts of the tourism economy were observed in the Alps and along the Mediterranean coast. It became clear that the unsustainable, uncontrolled and unplanned development of tourism was contributing to significant air and water pollution, soil degradation, destruction of vegetation and depletion of wildlife, impoverishment of natural landscapes, and the erosion of cultural heritage values, among other impacts.
As a result of poor tourism management and overinvestment, many valuable recreational areas lost their tourist attractiveness.
In the 1970s, international criticism of the negative impacts of tourism on the natural, cultural and social environment intensified. The younger generation’s rejection of irresponsible human activities that were destroying natural and social values was also reflected in a new approach to tourism. Young people sought alternative destinations and new ways of exploring the world. They expected travel to provide profound experiences and opportunities to gain a genuine understanding of different parts of the world and the people who lived there.
In the following decade, the 1980s, the first international discussions took place on the need to change the approach to tourism development. The term “sustainable tourism” emerged during this period. However, these new concepts only became mature enough for practical implementation in the 1990s. The first concrete measures were then undertaken to develop and implement environmental policies in tourism at global, national, regional and local levels (Zaręba, D., 2000).
The turn of the 20th and 21st centuries brought numerous international declarations, conventions and strategies addressing tourism and the environment, which began to set a new direction for the development of the tourism economy. Among them was the Quebec Declaration on Ecotourism, adopted in connection with the International Year of Ecotourism in 2002.
One of the leading advocates of sustainable tourism at the global level was Taleb Rifai, former Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). He believed that tourism development must go hand in hand with environmental protection, and that sustainable tourism contributes to combating poverty, climate change and environmental challenges, while also supporting local communities.
In 2017, the UNWTO celebrated the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, highlighting the role of tourism in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNWTO resolution emphasised that tourism at the global level should contribute to environmental protection, improving quality of life and creating new jobs, with particular attention to the economic empowerment of women and young people (Zaręba, D., 2018).
New trends in tourism, driven, among other factors, by growing environmental awareness among tourists and increasing expectations regarding the quality of services and attractive, unpolluted natural surroundings at travel and holiday destinations, are becoming a foundation for the tourism industry’s long-term policy and development strategies.
In the global context of economic development, there is a need for policies based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We must seek ways to achieve much more integrated, dynamic and non-linear forms of governance that bring together natural and human systems.
As economists such as Robert Costanza emphasise, if we are to succeed as a society, we must move beyond the current model of “growth at any cost” and measuring prosperity solely through GDP indicators. A new approach and a shared vision of a world are essential — a world in which we not only want to, but must, address ecological and social crises in order to achieve well-being and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come (Costanza, R., 2017).
Understanding the depth of the interrelationships between tourism and the natural, social and cultural environment lies at the heart of the sustainable tourism paradigm. The contemporary role of the tourism economy is to use both the tangible and intangible resources of the environment in a way that maintains balance not only in ecological terms, but also across the social, economic and spatial dimensions.
The most important outcome of environmentally responsible tourism development is an improvement in people’s quality of life and well-being, both for residents of tourism destinations and for tourists. As numerous examples from around the world demonstrate, planning and developing tourism in harmony with nature and the values of local cultural heritage has not only social, environmental and ethical justification, but also a strong economic rationale, as it ensures the secure investment of capital and the long-term viability of investments and tourism initiatives.
[1] In 2011, the scientists made a renewed attempt to estimate the value of the benefits derived from nature, using the same methodology but updated data, including data on changes in land use. The new report, published in 2014, covered the period 1997–2011. The total value of global ecosystem services in 2011 was estimated at USD 125 trillion per year.
References
Costanza, R. (2023). Addicted to Growth: Societal Therapy for a Sustainable Wellbeing Future. Routledge/EarthScan.
Costanza, R., de Groot, R., Sutton, P., van der Ploeg, S., Anderson, S. J., Kubiszewski, I., Farber, S., & Turner, R. K. (2014). Changes in the global value of ecosystem services. Global Environmental Change, 26, 152–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.04.002
Costanza, R., de Groot, R., Braat, L., Kubiszewski, I., Fioramonti, L., Sutton, P., Farber, S., & Grasso, M. (2017). Twenty years of ecosystem services: How far have we come and how far do we still need to go? Ecosystem Services, 28, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.09.008
Costanza, R., d’Arge, R., de Groot, R., Farber, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., Limburg, K., Naeem, S., O’Neill, R. V., Paruelo, J., Raskin, R. G., Sutton, P., & van den Belt, M. (1997). The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 387, 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1038/387253a0
Zaręba, D. (2000, 2008, 2020). Ekoturystyka. PWN, Warsaw.