Market Segment for LANDSCAPE BEAUTY: Preserving nature’s bounty
L
ANDSCAPE BEAUTY SERVICES are dependent on the preservation of nature and the beauty of intact
and uninterrupted landscapes. Tese services may involve the protection of natural heritage sites, coral reefs, cultural sanc- tuaries or traditional livelihoods (Mayrand and Paquin 2004).
Payments for landscape beauty are better established than payment schemes for most other environmental services, yet are hard to define and characterise and the market re- mains immature (Landell-Mills and Porras 2002; Biénabe and Hearne 2006). People have long been used to paying for non- consumerist recreation activities such as bird watching and boating and consumerist activities such as fishing and hunt- ing. More recently, ecotourism – responsible travel to natu- ral areas which aims to conserve the environment and local culture – has played a key role in this fast expanding market.
Tourism, oſten described as the world’s largest industry, is growing at more than 4 per cent per year: within these figures, ecotourism is believed to be growing at three times that rate (UNWTO 2011; Milder et al. 2010).
Tere is international demand for these services and tour- ism related PES can be a sustainable financing mechanism for conservation. Te key is to ensure that the stewards, whether management agencies and/or local communities receive prop- er compensation – whether in cash or other non-monetary re- wards – for their efforts to preserve the landscape and scenic beauty.
Tere are four main groups within this market – providers, beneficiaries, intermediaries and facilitators (Groot 2011). In the past a large part of the provision of such services has been carried out by governments through the creation of protect- ed areas and heritage sites. More recently local communities have also been substantial providers of these services, which can include cultural practices, traditional land uses or archi- tectural features (Mayrand and Paquin 2004). Farming com- munities can also provide landscape beauty services through the preservation of agricultural landscapes and practices.
PES schemes are not bound to protected areas and are oſten seen as a way of encouraging nature conservation outside strictly controlled zones. Payments for preserving biodiversi- ty and landscape beauty oſten come from conservation NGOs or local businesses involved in ecotourism. Most payments are based on site-specific negotiations or reformed entrance fees, while many countries impose indirect taxes on tourists and tourism facilities. Governments might also raise revenue through the sale of licences and concessions to private tour- ism operators. However, it is important to note that in theory if the revenues are not used directly for management and con- servation, it is not a true PES mechanism but a tax. In some, though not all, cases a proportion of revenues gained are used for conservation. It is also important to ensure that the bulk of fees raised through ecotourism projects remains within local communities (Landell-Mills and Porras 2002).
Globally, investment in the protection of natural habitats is shrinking. Government budget constraints mean that less funds are going to the upkeep of protected areas (Landell- Mills and Ford 1999; Brown 2001). As the overall tourism sector continues to grow, it is important that sustainable tour- ism and ecotourism practices, which contribute to raising incomes and preserving biodiversity are further replicated. Tese sectoral investments, when managed correctly, can assist in the otherwise declining global protection of intact landscapes, and in some cases the regeneration of cultural and natural areas.
52 VITAL GRAPHICS ON PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES