FS 3.212: Tourism in mountain protected areas

In recent years, many protected areas experienced an increase in the number of tourists and their attractiveness for leisure activities. However, as cornerstones for biodiversity conservation, the challenge is how to find a balance between conservation goals and local development perspectives. Mountains attract visitors with their outstanding landscapes, rich biodiversity, and vibrant local cultures. The new report from the UN agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Mountain Partnership (MP), clearly states that mountain tourism exerts increasingly relevant pressure on ecosystems, despite the scarce data on the number of tourists and dimension of impact. This session is looking for contributions to highlight the discussion on mountain tourism inclusive collective efforts, involving public and private stakeholders, contributing towards the comprehensive assessment and understanding of mountain tourism in Protected areas, suggesting the following questions: Is protected nature area status used as a tool for regional/local development? What are the benefits/downsides/challenges of developing a business tourism activity inside a mountain-protected area? What are the forms of interactions/collaborations between protected area representatives and local stakeholders to promote sustainable tourism? What is the role of tourism stakeholders in stimulating pro-environmental behaviour among tourists? What is the of tourism activities in sustaining livelihoods and the local economy?