PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 76: Estuary and Coastal Management
Wednesday, August 10, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 514 A, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Bridging biodiversity and tourism towards sustainable development of sandy beaches.

Jedrzejczak, Marcin^*,1, Chelazzi, Lorenzo², Colombini, Isabella^{3, 3}, Scapini, Felicita, Weslawski, Jan Marcin, ¹ Academy of Ecology and Management, Warsaw, Poland² Centre of Study of Tropical Faunistics and Ecology, CNR, Florence, Italy³ Dept. of Animal Biology and Genetics, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

ABSTRACT- The biodiversity of, and the impact of tourism on sandy beaches is a subject currently generating great scientific interest in Europe. To meet the challenge of progressing ICZM and governance, baseline interdisciplinary research is required. Present understanding of the pressures exerted by tourism on beach biodiversity is difficult to apply. Baseline figures have been collected through surveys and questionnaires filled in by tourists. These reveal that, from the tourist's point of view, only a clearly visible fraction of biodiversity counts: charismatic species and landscapes (few travel far to enjoy the beauty of biodiversity indices). For local users only the visible part of biodiversity counts that directly supports personal needs. A study of the coastal ecology in the Baltic and Thyrrenian revealed a discrepancy between public perception, declarations, expressed will etc, and actual activity. Approximately 80% of the people surveyed answered that their ideal mode of recreation on the sandy shore was to have "long, undisturbed, secluded coastlines, to share only with birds and waves, rather than other people". Although the quest for isolation was overwhelming in the questionnaires, on-site study showed that 90% of tourists stay within 200m of the parking lot. In effect they need facilities to enjoy the safe distance, and they exploit indirectly the resources, most often in a very devastating way. This remark leaves us with a single question: what gaps are there in our knowledge of biodiversity (including humans and human ecology) that must be filled to allow us, tourists in our millions, to enjoy our holidays on beaches in a way that our living world can sustain? As to knowledge gaps, more sociological studies are needed, mainly of the E.O. Wilson, science-oriented type, about the relations of developed populations and nature/biodiversity. This paper focuses on adaptation of communities and populations along the coasts and it highlights the need of common protocols and frequent exchanges between the partners of the research network on beaches. It also intends to sensitize public opinion about scientific and social issues connected to beach biodiversity in Europe, and to link beach biodiversity to tourist impacts, using both a descriptive and an experimental approach.

Key words: sandy beach biodiversity, coastal tourism, public opinion / perception, sociological studies