1. “Sustaining marine wildlife tourism through linking Limits of acceptable change and zoning in the Wildlife Tourism Model” Julia Bentz – Fernando Lopes – Helena Calado – Philip Dearden

2. Marine Wildlife Tourism
Whale watching

3. Shark tracking

4. Cinereous Bunting - Lesvos
Bird watching
Cinereous Bunting - Lesvos
Amazon Parrot

5. Manatees swimming

6. Diving

7. * Marine wildlife tourism has the potential to provide significant benefits to both local communities and conservation when it is carefully managed * Coastal and marine tourism remain one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the global tourism market *Conservation can benefit from the income derived from coastal and marine tourism activities as fishing dependent communities turn to less extractive, tourism based sources of income generation

8. Aspects of improving Management and identifying Sustainability
Wildlife Tourism Model (WTM) – by Duffus & Dearden
- Limits of Acceptable Change model (LAC)
- Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS)
Ecotourism Opportunity Spectrum (ECOS) – by Boyd & Butler

9. Wildlife Tourism Model (WTM)
How a wildlife attraction can pass through several stages as use grows?
How the increasing impacts of visitation can lead to the demise of a particular attraction?

10. Limits of Acceptance Changes (LAC)
The LAC model is used to monitor nature-based tourism activities by identifying standards of quality and placing emphasis on positive planning and management anticipating over-use
The key to effective management is to determine explicit objectives .for the site i.e. -The smaller target market of participants – the higher paying (A) A resilient site that can accommodate large number of participants (C) Somewhere between the above (B)

11. The challenge is to determine the right Limits of Acceptable Change
Focus on setting targets for the amount of change allowed
Determination of appropriate limits – according to monitoring programs

12. 9 steps of LAC
Identification of the area of concern and related issues
Definition of the opportunity classes or zones
Selection of indicators of resource and social conditions (as they apply to classes & zones)
Inventory of resource conditions
Specification of standards for resource indicators
Identification of alternative opportunity class allocations
Identification of managements actions for each alternative
Evaluation and selection of an alternative
Implementation of actions and the monitoring of conditions

14. The model of LAC is used in The Azores Islands for a relatively new and quickly growing dive industry.
Only Roman have previously used LAC in scuba diving management applications and their application was at a very site specific level.

15. Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS)
In the absence of management interventions wildlife tourism sites will progress along the curve and foster increased displacement of specialists by generalists. In many cases, as suggested, this may not be desirable and it may be beneficial to retain the full range of recreational opportunities within a site or region. An early manifestation of this variation in settings, infrastructure, access, social attributes and management needs was the ROS
Divide a landscape into zones along a continuum from ”primitive“ through to developed settings

16. Ecotourism Opportunity Spectrum (ECOS)
This model classifies zones or activities into eco-specialists and eco-generalists based on access, other resource related activities, attractions offered, existing infrastructure, social interaction, level of skill and knowledge and acceptance of visitor impact and ECOS forms the basis of the zoning methodology used in this study.

17. The Azores method
A combination of LAC & ECOS for the management of scuba diving 1. Assess the main concerns of stakeholders associated with diving 2. Define and subscribe diving conditions and resources according to opportunity classes 3. Select indicators that represent specific elements of the biophysical and social setting conditions 4. Measure the indicators identified in the previous step and identify management zones 5. Provide input for sustainable diving management in each management zone.

19. The Azores Islands
Tourism is becoming an important economic sector - Coastal recreation - Sailing - Boat tours - Cruise tourism - Scuba diving - Diving with Blue Sharks - Whale & Dolphin watching - Swimming with Dolphins - Sport fishing - Hiking

20. Stakeholder Groups Tourism operators Regional Government Institutions
Maritime Police
Fisheries associations
Universities
Professional Divers

21. Main axes of questionnaire for Diving Activity
Strengths
Weaknesses
Problems
Conflicts

22. The Problems Illegal fishery has increased
Lack of cooperation between fishermen and government agencies
Waste and pollution by human habits
Fishing in fish nursery areas
Lack of experienced diving staff

27. Sao Miguel - Eco-generalist zone – DOS II
Potential managements interventions in this zone should foster conservation, as nature related activities constitute the major travel motivation to this island : - appropriate marketing - improved fisheries - focus on diving practices - provision of rich experiences to encourage higher specialization - effective education programs

28. Sta. Maria – Graciosa – Pico – Faial Eco-Specialist zones – DOS I
Due to the difficult access – expensive
Limited infrastructure
Better attraction for more specialized clients

29. Conclusion
Marine Wildlife Tourism can provide an important livelihood support for coastal communities and also benefit conservation.
It is essential that the activities been managed effectively. Use of the WTM is one way to assess the potential sustainability of marine tourism.
Further empirical work along the same lines, can help strengthen the applicability of the model to a wider range of situations and help improve the effectiveness of management interventions
The application of LAC framework and link to the ECOS model can provide useful input for sustainable management practices of marine wildlife activities

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32. Βιβλιογραφία
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33. http://www. visitflorida
places-to-see-florida-manatees.html
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