David Newsome

Geoheritage and geotourism are two important aspects of human appreciation of the Earth’s geological resources. Geoheritage refers to the elements of the Earth that we value, whereas geotourism is a type of tourism that is based on various aspects of the Earth’s geological and/or geomorphological heritage. Geotourism may have either positive (beneficial) or negative (adverse) impacts on geoheritage. At best geotourism fosters an understanding of, and a connection with, geological features through visitation, interpretation and education. However, if not planned and developed appropriately, geotourism may cause adverse impacts on geoheritage because of ineffective management of visitor and geological attractions. This chapter describes the relationships between geoheritage and geotourism and outlines the tourism link between the two through a series of examples of geotourism in selected geological settings.

This chapter examines the social impacts of hosting sporting events in natural areas, focusing on the potential conflicts between environmental conservation and recreational use. It discusses the challenges of balancing the economic benefits of such events with the need to protect natural landscapes and biodiversity. The chapter calls for more comprehensive planning and management strategies to ensure that sporting events do not compromise the ecological integrity of natural areas. It highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement and sustainable tourism practices to address these issues.

This chapter explores the complexities of hosting motorised events in green spaces, highlighting the conflicting values involved. It uses social capital theory and environmental science to examine the social, political, and ecological impacts of these events. The chapter emphasises the need for a nuanced understanding of value conflicts and the importance of adopting sustainable event planning practices. It calls for a more critical approach to evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of motorised events in protected areas, considering issues of diversity, equity, and environmental sustainability.

Inadequacies in public protected area networks dictates that private land will play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity in the coming decades. Household gardens are a key example of private lands that can serve as refuges for biodiversity, with birds as a popular flagship for garden biodiversity. Discussion has focused heavily on the species of plant a resident might select to attract birds to their garden. In this paper, we describe additional and important factors that should form part of this broader conversation on gardens for birds and biodiversity, with a specific aim of drawing attention to species that are at risk of localised extinctions in modern urban landscapes – urban adaptors. We present our commentary in two themes: (a) mitigating threats to birds in the urban environment and (b) enhancing the habitat value of the urban environment for a broader range of bird species. We provide a synthesis of the research of recent years that has explored the urban environment and its ability to support birds, but importantly, we extend on this by bringing together topics that have been somewhat lacking in the discussion to date. In a new approach to this conversation, this paper brings together key topics that can no longer be considered in isolation if we are to make significant conservation gains in the environments were most Australians now reside.

The ecology of tourism refers to the importance of understanding ecology in the context of tourism. In this case, tourism is referred to as the activity of people traveling to destinations for various reasons. Such travel may involve short- or long-haul flights, car journeys, visits to places of interest, organized tours, and a range of recreational activities. Ecotourism is particularly important to consider where the focus is specific to the natural environment. When managed carefully and coupled with interpretive components, ecotourism is environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Animal behavior is influenced by tourism in a multitude of ways and depends on the species as well as various tourism scenarios. Accordingly, the way humans interact with wildlife in tourism settings can be clearly understood via the wildlife tourism paradigm which particularly explores observing, feeding and photographing wildlife. While the management of these key wildlife tourism activities calls for scientific evidence-based approaches we further prioritize animal welfare, visitor education, the establishment of ethical guidelines and codes of conduct. We further suggest implementing management strategies that balance conservation goals with visitor satisfaction in fostering sustainable wildlife tourism futures.

This study focused on visitors undertaking recreational activities at two important wetland conservation reserves with two main aims: to understand if visitors recognize the significant role of wetlands as vital bird habitat, and to understand the importance of birds as part of the visitor experience. We surveyed 511 visitors at two internationally significant urban wetlands in Perth, Western Australia. Results indicated that respondents valued wetland areas for exercising, aesthetic values, utility of infrastructure and general amenity, as well as the presence of birds. Some respondents perceived that the wetlands were important for birds and the presence of birds was generally rated highly. Results further indicated that while birds were generally not the focus of visitor experience, birds were an important component of that experience. We conclude that most visitors will generally support management actions aimed at conserving the wetlands and birdlife, and management actions do not need to consider a range of differing views across different recreational activities. Thus, understanding the extent that different recreational users of urban wetlands value birds and bird habitat provides vital insights into management approaches for conservation.

This chapter provides an overview of the tourism environment relationship set against the context of declining nature. Furthermore, at the same time an increasing number of people wish to enjoy and benefit from what the natural world has to offer. While global environmental degradation is a concerning trajectory, tourism can offer solutions if managed sustainably. The current tourism in nature scenario is reviewed and actual and potential problems identified. With greater awareness, there is room for a re-imagined tourism, but this depends on action at all levels in human society. Governments and agencies can play a pivotal role in designating more protected areas and in the provision of management effectiveness. The role of individuals and the way people think about their relationship with nature will determine the quality and success of nature tourism into the future.

It is widely accepted that best practice nature-based tourism can bring economic, social, and environmental benefits. Nature-based tourism worldwide enjoyed an active period of growth prior to COVID-19, with heavy tourist pressure causing environmental degradation and disturbance to fauna, especially in protected areas, being reported as a common phenomenon in many destinations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted travel across and within countries, causing the nature-based tourism industry to be severely disrupted on an unprecedented scale. On the other hand, lack of income due to the absence of visitors has negatively impacted management and conservation efforts at many nature-based destinations, including protected areas. At the same time, the pandemic provided much-needed space for nature-based destinations to rejuvenate while opening a window of opportunity for policymakers and destination managers to rethink and build a more resilient post-pandemic tourism in natural areas. In this light, this chapter discusses the need for a new direction in nature-based tourism and consolidates the transition to a more sustainable path in the post-pandemic era. The collective responsibilities of public and private sector actors, host communities, and academia in 'building back better' nature-based tourism are further discussed.