What are the real environmental impacts of Antarctic tourism? Unveiling their importance through a comprehensive meta-analysis
Entidad
UAM. Departamento de EcologíaEditor
ElsevierFecha de edición
2022-02-09Cita
10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114634
Journal of Environmental Management 308 (2022): 114634
ISSN
0301-4797(online)DOI
10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114634Financiado por
This research was supported by ANTECO project (Ref. CGL2017- 89820-P), funded by the Spanish State Research Agency. This paper also contributes to the AC21 Project: Developing a Collaborative Research Network for Antarctic Tourism, supported by the Special Project Fund of the Academic Consortium for the 21st Century (AC21)Proyecto
Gobierno de España. CGL2017- 89820-PVersión del editor
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114634Materias
Adaptive Management; Bibliometric analysis; Cumulative impacts; Monitoring; Natural protected areas; Strategic conservation; Medio AmbienteDerechos
© 2022 The AuthorsEsta obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 4.0 Internacional.
Resumen
Human activities in Antarctica were increasing before the COVID-19 pandemic, and tourism was not an exception. The growth and diversification of Antarctic tourism over the last few decades have been extensively studied. However, environmental impacts associated with this activity have received less attention despite an increasing body of scholarship examining environmental issues related to Antarctic tourism. Aside from raising important research questions, the potential negative effects of tourist visits in Antarctica are also an issue discussed by Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties. This study presents the results of a meta-analysis of scholarly publications that synthesizes and updates our current knowledge of environmental impacts resulting from Antarctic tourism. A first publication database containing 233 records that focussed on this topic was compiled and subjected to a general bibliometric and content analysis. Further, an in-depth content analysis was performed on a subset of 75 records, which were focussed on showing specific research on Antarctic tourism impacts. The main topic, methods, management proposals, and research gaps highlighted by the respective authors of these 75 publications were assessed. The range of research topics addressed, the methods used – including the application of established research designs from the field of environmental impact assessment –, and the conclusions reached by the study authors are discussed. Interestingly, almost one third of the studies did not detect a direct relationship between tourism and significant negative effects on the environment. Cumulative impacts of tourism have received little attention, and long-term and comprehensive monitoring programs have been discussed only rarely, leading us to assume that such long-term programs are scarce. More importantly, connections between research and policy or management do not always exist. This analysis highlights the need for a comprehensive strategy to investigate and monitor the environmental impacts of tourism in Antarctica. A first specific research and monitoring programme to stimulate a debate among members of the Antarctic scientific and policy communities is proposed, with the ultimate goal of advancing the regulation and management of Antarctic tourism collaboratively.
Lista de ficheros
Google Scholar:Tejedo, P.
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Benayas del Álamo, Fco. Javier
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Cajiao, D.
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Leung, Y. F.
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De Filippo, D.
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Liggett, D.
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