1.Front section - IUCN

A taxonomy of support: how and why new constituencies are supporting protected areas 1
protection of the source population. The same pattern
is true for local communities whose cooperation is
often essential to maintain the wildlife populations. In
both cases, hunting and fishing organizations are
important new constituencies in ensuring both
sustainable businesses and conservation, in protected
area categories where such use is permitted
(Categories IV, V and VI) (Lewis and Alpert, 1997).
Forestry
In many parts of the world, protected areas are
surrounded by forest lands designated for logging or
being logged. In most of these forests the practices
used by forestry companies are actively detrimental to
the conservation values of the neighbouring protected
area, either through interruption of ecological
processes such as waterflow and stream pollution,
direct loss of animal species through hunting, or
cutting and/or destroying of trees essential for feeding
and nesting of animals with essential resources
located beyond park boundaries (Putz et al., 2000).
With the rise of forest certification, logging
companies may have the incentives to modify their
practices so as to lessen threats to neighbouring
protected areas (Rametsteiner and Simula, 2001)
Tourism
Tourism is arguably the world’s largest industry,
generating more than $4 trillion per year and
providing employment for nearly 250 million people
worldwide. While all segments of the industry are
rapidly expanding, nature-based tourism in areas with
significant levels of biodiversity in or near protected
areas is increasing at a much faster rate than the
industry as a whole. This rapid expansion represents
both a threat to fragile ecosystems and an opportunity
to harness resources for biodiversity conservation and
community development.
Large-scale tourism development involves the
construction of major infrastructure, increased
demands for water, energy and waste disposal, and an
influx of new people, ideas and cultures into an area
(Tour Operators Initiative and Conservation
International, 2002). This increased activity can lead
to widespread habitat conversion, pollution and
resource degradation. However, when planned and
© Jeffrey A. McNeely
Chitwan National Park, Nepal.
managed effectively, tourism development can have
minimal negative impact on natural environments and
can act as a catalyst for social development and
biodiversity conservation.
Perhaps more than any other industry, the tourism
sector has a vested interest in protecting the natural
and cultural resources of the areas in which they
operate. These resources are often what attract
travellers to a destination in the first place. In an area
blessed with rich biodiversity, it is even more likely
that tourists are seeking natural and cultural attractions
(Sweeting and Wayne, 2003).
Involving public utilities
One of the most important ecological services
provided by protected areas is the stabilizing of
hydrological functions. This is particularly important
in view of the major investments in water resource
management being made in much of the world. As an
example of the economic costs of poorly-managed
watersheds, about 880 million tons of agricultural
soils are deposited into reservoirs and aquatic systems
each year in the USA alone. This reduces their floodcontrol
benefits, increasing operating costs of water
treatment facilities, and shortening the effective lives
of dams (Pimentel et al., 1995). Watersheds stabilized
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