Coastal Zones in SubSaharan Africa

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Coastal Zones in Sub-Saharan Africa
A scientific review of the priority issues
influencing sustainability and vulnerability in
coastal communities WSSD follow-up and NEPAD The
Natural History Museum Royal Society London
27/28 May 2003
PRESENTATION TOURISM COASTAL DEVELOPMENT
Terry Jones Ministry of Tourism
Transport Seychelles
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Tourism WSSD

• Para 41 - Promote sustainable tourism
  development, including non-consumptive and
  eco-tourism .. in order to increase the benefits
  from tourism resources for the population in host
  communities while maintaining the cultural and
  environmental integrity of the host communities
  and enhancing the protection of ecologically
  sensitive areas and natural heritage

Tourism hardly mentioned in Agenda 21
2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development
Makes a number of specific references to the
tourism industry
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• Para 64 - Support Africas efforts to attain
  sustainable tourism that contributes to social,
  economic and infrastructure development through
  the following measures

(d) Assisting host communities in managing
their tourism projects for maximum benefit, while
limiting negative impact on their traditions,
culture and environment
(a) Implementing projects at the local,
national and sub-regional levels, with specific
emphasis on marketing African tourism products,
such as adventure tourism, eco-tourism and
cultural tourism
(b) Establishing and supporting national and
cross-border conservation areas to promote
ecosystem conservation according to the ecosystem
approach, and to promote sustainable tourism
(c) Respecting local traditions and cultures and
promoting the use of indigenous knowledge in
natural resource management and eco-tourism
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Benefits of tourism to developing countries

• Can be especially effective in -

Socially Alleviating poverty Creating youth
employment Promoting gender equality
Economically Generating employment Attracting
investment Generating Foreign Exchange
Environmentally Giving value to environmental
resources Preservation of environmental
cultural heritage
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Current Project Tourism Growth in Sub-Saharan
Africa
According to WTO
1990-95 Average annual growth - 6.2 (Southern
Africa 24.2 / Eastern Africa 10.8)
Projected annual growth to 2020 / Africa 5.5
Total tourist arrivals in Sub-Saharan Africa to
increase from 27 million (2000) to 47 Million
(2010) to 77 million (2020)
Africas share of global arrivals to increase
from 3.6 to 5.0
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Tourism in Sub-Saharan AfricaPositive Negative
Features

• Negative
• Environmental impacts (pollution, coastal
  erosion, habitat loss modification, etc.)
• Social impacts (loss of culture, values
  heritage, etc.)

• Positive
• Contribution to socio-economic development
• Investment promotion
• Economic growth
• Employment creation
• Poverty alleviation

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Impacts of tourism on the coastal marine
environment
Causal Factor - Waste
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Impacts of tourism on the coastal marine
environment continued
Causal Factor - Recreation
Causal Factor - Resource Over-use/ Misuse
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Impacts of tourism on the coastal marine
environment continued
Causal Factor - Mechanical Action/ Physical Change
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Impacts of tourism on the coastal marine
environment continued
Causal Factor - Beach Management
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National Reports of Phase 1 of the African Process

• Identified tourism as one of the sectors
  impacting on the marine coastal environment

• Impacts will increase with projected growth of
  the tourism industry

• Tourism identified as important tool to achieve
  national development goals and to alleviate
  poverty

• Tourism industry largely dependent on a healthy
  environment

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Seychelles
Generally good environmental management policies
in place tourism development strategy document,
Vision 21, places emphasis on sustainable
tourism, but
Sale of coral shells to tourists
Increased organic pollution in the vicinity of
coastal hotels
Beach erosion caused by hard structures of hotels
Danger of carrying capacity being exceeded in
some areas (La Digue, Beau Vallon, etc.)
Tourism one of the main root causes of
modification loss of habitats
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Mauritius
Accelerated tourism development along coastal
regions contributes to pressures aggravated by
scarcity of land
Unplanned development resulting in extensive
ecosystem modification, over-exploitation of
natural resources shoreline change
Land-based (illegal construction of hard
structures) sea-based activities (sport
activities)
Constraints to addressing issues include
inadequate institutional, policy legislative
framework
Pressure for further development of tourism
infrastructure has put addition pressure on
already fragile ecosystem
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Kenya
Damage to coral reefs as result of boating, reef
walking collection of shells ornamental fish
for the tourist market
With the exception of protected areas, most coral
reef areas along the coast are under pressure
from over-exploitation
Pollution from coastal urban centres, including
Mombassa, due to poor waste management and
inadequate or non-existent waste disposal
facilities infrastructure
Unplanned development of coastal hotels with
major impacts on shorelines coastal habitats
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Tanzania
Limited impacts so far - but recent construction
of large coastal resort hotels resulting in
greater pressure on resources (i.e. drinking
water bathing beaches
Garbage accumulating on beaches due to inadequate
waste disposal systems
Ocean disposal of sewage from hotels threatens
resources tourists have come to enjoy
contamination of seafood
With anticipated further growth of coastal
tourism - future development of infrastructure
must be well-planned regulated
Critical issues- need for EIAs control limit
development in sensitive areas establishment of
setbacks buffer zones
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Mozambique
Tourism - one of fastest-recovering sectors of
the economy - but poor development of
infrastructure unsustainable tourism practices
pose a major threat
Many areas in southern Mozambique experiencing
pressure due to uncontrolled tourism development
Sites of natural beauty important biodiversity
resources - Inhaca Island Matutuine - plans for
developing a large tourism industry that could
threaten endemism
Bazaruto Archipelago- tourism development may
exceed carrying capacity / Marromeu Zambezi
Delta wetlands-important sites in tourism areas
Conflicts over natural resource utilization -
where corals mangroves under threat from
tourism development
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Senegal
Tourism industry annual growth rate of about
10 over past 30 years - ranks as the 2nd
industry in terms of foreign exchange earnings
contributes about 3 to GDP
Most tourism development based on the coastal
zone, but there has been limited environmental
management
An urgent need for improved planning
diversification of the tourism sector
While attention is being given to the development
of tourism, especially in coastal areas, far less
attention is being given to social
environmental impacts.
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Gambia

• Tourism industry - a leading sector in the
  economy, - direct indirect benefits estimated
  at 12 of GDP

• Increased pressure on coastal beaches as result
  of rapid expansion intensification of the
  tourist industry

• Most hotels ( beach bars/restaurants) - situated
  along coastal area north of Serekunda - with
  around 20 hotels along a 10km stretch of beach

• Tourism/related activities impact on coastal
  vegetation due to construction of
  lodges/tourist camps along estuaries large
  areas of mangrove being removed

• Tourism development has changed much of the
  natural habitat from Cape Point South to Bijilo
  Nuimi National Park (proposed Ramsar site)
  under pressure.

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Ghana
Tourism - emergent industry contributing an est.
US400m to GDP - poor sanitation management of
human wastes in coastal settlements could
adversely affect patronage of beaches by tourists
Sewage pollution from major cities (e.g. Abidjan)
has resulted in algal blooms on the western coast
of Ghana - creating serious problems for
artisanal fishermen reduces the aesthetic value
of the beaches
Historic city of Ada - a major tourist attraction
- lost 150m of land as result of coastal erosion
over the past 45 years
Government projects contribution of tourism to
gross GDP to rise from 3.9 in 2000 to 7.4 in
2010 - further coastal degradation could put
tourists at risk result in non-achievement of
targets.
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South Africa
Tourism industry - more developed than elsewhere
in SSA - visitor arrivals over 6m in 2000 -
generating R 53 b employment of around 574,000
people domestic tourists estimated at 17m per
year
Tourism industry diversified- but coastal
marine areas a major attraction - resources under
threat severely degraded in many areas - mainly
a result of over harvesting rapid urban
development / population growth
Loss of ecosystem integrity - result of
deteriorating marine water quality/pollution
resource decline due to over-exploitation,
habitat loss, fragmentation reduced freshwater
flow into estuaries
With increase in coastal resort development since
the end of apartheid - pressure will increase as
Government focusing on job creation by targeting
sectors such as tourism.
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The Need for Policy Responses
Negative impacts of tourism on the coastal
marine environment result from, or exacerbated by
a combination of factors -

• Inadequate policy and/or legislative frameworks
• Inadequate /or ineffective planning /or
  monitoring systems
• Inadequate institutional capacity and
• Low sensitivity and/or low level of awareness of
  resource users.

Need for a comprehensive and effective regulatory
framework highlighted in a number of countries -
in countries that have started to develop a
framework for sustainable tourism, the need to
strengthen such polices and strategies a key
priority
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African Process - Priorities for Action
(b) Promotion of environmental sustainability
within the tourism industry through
public-private partnerships for voluntary
introduction of environmental management systems
by coastal hotels
(a) National policy and strategy frameworks to
promote environmental sustainability in the
tourism industry within the wider context of
coastal zone management
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Priorities for Action / continued
(c) Policy strategy frameworks to guide
ecotourism development that (a) ensures the
maintenance of the structure functioning of
ecosystems (b) integrates interrelates with
other developments in areas where they take
place and (c) provides fair equitable sharing
of benefits
(d) Development of management strategies for
sustainable reef recreation
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Portfolio of Project Proposals
Four Tourism Projects
PDF B Project Proposal Integrates these 4
projects
Reduction of Environmental Impact from Coastal
Tourism through Introduction of Policy Changes
and Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships
Will identify demonstration pilot projects to be
implemented during a full project phase in the
participating countries in East and West Africa,
according to regional specificities and
priorities.
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Why is all this Important ?

• Tourism, while being one of the causes of
  environmental degradation, can if managed in a
  sustainable manner, also be one of the solutions
  and at the same time also contribute towards
  economic and social development, and most
  crucially in Sub-Saharan Africa, towards the
  alleviation and elimination of poverty.