Can tourism development enhance conservation?

A University of Queensland (UQ) study is investigating how the Iran Government can develop the eco-tourism industry and avoid damage created by more conventional tourism developments.

UQ researcher Mr Hamidreza Rastegar is investigating the impact of tourism development on local people’s attitudes towards tourism, the environment and protected area management in his native country of Iran.

Mr Rastegar believes tourism development can enhance the economic and socio-cultural condition of regional areas while also improving community awareness and environmental conservation.

He was motivated to explore this topic while undertaking previous research on the conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah in central Iran, after he visited protected areas and discovered several issues.

“Despite possessing a wealth of natural resources and significant eco-tourism potential, the villages were in poor conservation condition and local communities struggled to survive,” Mr Rastegar said.

“The villagers were aware of the endangered wild animals but continued to participate in illegal hunting or as guides for poachers to earn money.”

Mr Rastegar said that some communities had found alternative sources of income by developing viable tourism activities, which improved the village’s livelihood.

“Although some communities have many similarities in terms of natural attractions and economic problems, just some of them have been successful in developing tourism and they are still in the early stages of development,” he said.

“This situation provides an ideal opportunity to investigate tourism development in its very early stages by studying villages at two different stages - pre and early tourism development.”

In late 2011 Mr Rastegar travelled to Yazd Province, central Iran to undertake data collection.

He interviewed representatives from the Iranian government’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization and Department of Environment, two key organisations responsible for tourism development and conservation of natural resources in the selected areas, as well as local community members.

In one village, tourism plays a key role attracting income and business, but has also contributed towards problems such as environmental degradation, cultural clash and the rise of prices.

The second village offers richer fauna yet has not attracted the attention of visitors and suffers a lack of job opportunities, small scale agriculture which does not provide enough income, and protected area rules that have banned access of local herders to pastures and migration of youths to cities.

Mr Rastegar is currently analysing the data which he anticipates will confirm the attitude of local people towards the environment is positively affected by tourism development.

Mr Rastegar was awarded a Bachelor of Science (Animal Science) at Azad University, Iran in 2005 before completing a Master of Science (Environmental Science) at the University of Pune, India in 2008.

He has published several journal articles and is currently completing his PhD in tourism management under the supervision of Dr Sally Driml and Dr Noreen Breakey.

Media: Claire Shuter, (07) 3346 9259 or c.shuter@uq.edu.au