Corporate responsibility Tourism and sustainability Nature tourism or ecotourism Ecotourism – an opportunity for sustainable development Cooperation Mundo Azul and DoubleTree Hotel Paracas The role of natural protected areas in sustainable development

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The Peruvian National Council for the Environment (CONAM) proposed in 2001 a vision for the development of sustainable tourism in Peru, as being part of the “National Strategy for the Tourism development with emphasis on sustainable development”:

“Tourism in Peru is an economic activity of national interest, with quality standards in infrastructure, services and human resources that guarantee the satisfaction of the client. Sustainable tourism includes the participation of local people, giving value and respect to their natural and cultural heritage and includes permanent improvement by supporting science, training and education, in order to be competitive and sustainable.”

The areas contained within the National System of Natural Protected Areas (SINANPE) and the Biosphere Reserves play an important role in the implementation of this vision.

Biosphere Reserves:

The Strategy of Sevilla for Biosphere Reserves defined the role of such areas as to promote:

• The conservation of genetic resources, species, ecosystems and landscapes.
• Human and economic sustainable development.

The main objective number two of the Strategy of Sevilla is the use Biosphere Reserves as model areas for the land planning and in order to experiment activities and measures of sustainable development.  

The main objective number three of the Strategy of Sevilla is to use Biosphere Reserves for scientific investigation, permanent monitoring, education and training.

Objective Nr 3.2 specifies that Biosphere reserves should be used as an experimental area for the development of monitoring methods concerning the state of biodiversity conservation, sustainability, life quality of its inhabitants. In order to do so indicators to measure sustainability (ecologic, economic, social and institucional) must be eveloped for each economical activity implemented within the areas and in its buffer zones.

National Protected areas:

The “Directive Plan” (Plan Director) of the National Strategy for Protected Areas demands that the management of the National System of Natural Areas protected by the State (Sistema Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado - SINANPE) “must be in line with the present and future tourism demand.  Tourism must be an opportunity to support the objectives of the Natural Protected Areas (ANP) in the framework of sustainable development and for the generation of social, economic and cultural benefits of the local populations. The tourism development must be adapted to the main objectives of conservation of each specific area, promoting to minimize negative  environmental and socioeconomic impacts, in order to generate a sustainable development.”

Marine Protected Areas are a new opportunity for Peru in order to create ecotourism attractions, such as observation of marine species and coastal landscapes, sea kayaking and scuba diving. Ecotourism in Marine Protected Areas has the potential to:

• Increase local employment Generate income for local business.
• Be a potential for cultural exchange
• Diversify local industries
• Improve local health services, education and Basic infrastructure development, which can be used by both, visitors and locals.
• Generate money for conservation
• Create interest in locals to protect their natural environment (as economic benefits are starting to come in).