Siting and Design of Hotels and Resorts: Principles - IUCN

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lighting, renewable energy systems and other measures
to limit energy and water consumption are considered
to avoid biodiversity and ecosystem impacts during the
operational phases. In addition, consideration is given
to the potential impacts of increased visitation to the
surrounding area during the operation of the hotel.
To the maximum extent possible, native or naturalized
plant and animal species are used in landscaping and
gardening. One of the major threats to biodiversity is the
use of non-native species: when introduced to a site,
they can propagate quickly and overwhelm, and in some
cases even eliminate, native wild species. The net effect
is the destabilization of ecosystems and direct threats to
local species, with resulting environmental and economic
consequences. Indigenous (native) vegetation is the
most cost-effective landscaping approach, because it is
adapted to the climatic conditions, uses local knowledge
and is culturally appropriate.
The following three case studies illustrate Principle 3 in
the next section:
• Bay of Fires, Australia
• Soneva Fushi, Maldives
• Maho Bay and Concordia, US Virgin Islands
14
Principle
4
Respect, involve and
support local communities
Hotel and resort developments contribute positively to
local community development, respect land rights and
land-use rights of local stakeholders and involve them in
decision making.
There are many examples of local communities being
marginalized from their traditional uses, occupations
and enjoyment of land and resources as a result of
hotel and resort development. Beginning at the earliest
planning stages, and continuing through all phases of
the development, developers assess social impacts on
neighbouring communities; this is not only a matter of
good corporate citizenship but also vital to ensure a
social license to operate.
The principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)
recognizes a community’s inherent and prior right to the
land and resources and respects its legitimate authority,
requiring that any third party enter into an equal and
respectful relationship with the community. Therefore,
communities are informed about and consulted on any
proposed hotel or resort, provided with information on
its likely impacts and involved in meaningful participatory
planning processes from the earliest planning stages and
during the development process.
Governments are transparent in their decision-making
process and establish clear procedures and sufficient
time for stakeholder participation. Local stakeholders
are involved in assessing and identifying alternatives
and in natural resource management decisions, such
as through multi-stakeholder bodies that include local
stakeholder representation.
The following two case studies illustrate Principle 4 in
the next section:
• Misool Ecoresort, Indonesia
• Campi ya Kanzi, Kenya