Oslo, 11th – 12th Nov. 2015

Protection of natural and cultural heritage: Tools and challenges to promote tourism and local development in the Sierra Nevada (Spain)

Andreas Voth 1. Regionalized area protection policy in Andalusia

2. The protected area of Sierra Nevada

3. Public use and visitor management

4. Protection, tourism and local development Natura-2000 protected areas in Spain

Source: Atlas Temático de España, Vol. 3, (2010) The regionalDas network andalusischeof protected Schutzgebietsnetzareas of Andalusia (RENPA) Protected natural and cultural heritage in Andalusia

Protected cultural Protected heritage: natural heritage: Number of objects Protected areas

Sources: Consejería de Medio Ambiente; Instituto Andaluz de Patrimonio Histórico; own design GDRU (Univ. Sevilla), 2007 Evolution of population number (1991-2006) in %

Great disparities between park municipalities

 Determining factors: distance from coastlines and from agglomerations Source: grupo GDRU (2007) Evolution of hotel capacities (1991-2005) in %

The growth rates in park municipalities are above the regional mean

Quelle: grupo GDRU (2007) Setting of priorities in the activities in protected areas of Andalusia

Nature National Natural Periurban Activities Reserve Park Park Park

environmental education X X scientific research X X X divulgation, leisure X X X public participation X X strict protection of ecosystems X X

long term establishment of X ecological-economic systems

Integration of sectoral policies X Fixing of rural population X

Source: after Consejería de Medio Ambiente (1998) 1. Regionalized area protection policy in Andalusia 2. The protected area of Sierra Nevada 3. Public use and visitor management 4. Protection, tourism and local development

 short distances to important centres of mass tourism The protected area of Sierra Nevada: General data

1986: Biosphere Reserve 172.000 ha (Nature Park + National Park) 1989: Nature Park Altitude: up to 3.481 m 1999: National Park 2 provinces (Granada + Almeria) 60 counties in area of socioeconomic influence

Source: PDS Sierra Nevada, 2004 Regionalization of tourist destinations in the provinces of Granada and Almería

Protected area of Sierra Nevada

Source: Voth (2015), in press Ski resort Ski station & road excluded Zonification suburbanization

pressure of pressure of tourism intensive agriculture

NATIONAL PARK NATURAL PARK Nature reserves Restricted use Moderate use Special use

Plan de Ordenación de Recursos Naturales (PORN), Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada Exclusion of intensive uses from Sierra Nevada National Park

Urbanized areas Mining Lakes Riparian vegetation Dryland agriculture Irrigation agriculture Mixed crops Conifer forests Disperse conifers Quercus trees Mixed forests Other trees Pastures Rocks Border of Natural Park Border of National Park

Source: Atlas de Andalucía, 2006 Landscapes and land use change in the Sierra Nevada

1956 2006 scrublands, grasslands agricultural crops forests, reforestation others

Source: Jiménez Olivencia et al. (2015) Land use change on the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada

Situation in 1956

Situation in 2006

Deciduous forest Scrublands dec.forests Rocks, bare soils, erosion Conifers Scrublands mixed Irrigated agriculture Mixed forests Scrublands conifers Agricultural crops Gallery forests Scrublands, pastures Settlements

Source: Jiménez Olivencia et al. (2015) Conclusion of recent research activities on land use change in Sierra Nevada:

“Sierra Nevada today not only provides the basic living conditions for the local population, but also assumes a new role as a source of water resources, biodiversity area, space for recreation and refuge of an exceptional cultural heritage. Demands exerted on these spaces are growing, multiplying the interests and functions that they attend. Moreover, the territorial management of Sierra Nevada no longer depends on the decisions of local people, but increasingly on the responsibility of the administration and responds to non-local interests.” Source: Jiménez Olivencia et al. (2015), p. 229

 The increasing number of functions and divergent interests ask for more coordination of management! 1. Regionalized area protection policy in Andalusia 2. The protected area of Sierra Nevada 3. Public use and visitor management 4. Protection, tourism and local development Principles for the management of public use in the RENPA 1. Entailment to the general RENPA-strategy • Linking of visions (environmental, administrative, territorial, sociocultural, etc.) • Consideration of the regional and local scale • Coordination between departments of the Ministry of Environment 2. Contribution to sustainable rural tourism • Tourism development based on natural and cultural heritage • Mechanisms for public participation and coordination of interests 3. Quality and adaptation to the natural and cultural conditions • Promotion of public use under a management framework to minimize impacts • Norms for personal security of visitors • Guarantee of basic services and quality 4. Contribution to local economic development • Management of services and incentives to favour local participation • Promotion of local products and services 5. Interaction with the visitor • Formation of public consciousness about values of natural and cultural heritage • Image diffusion about Andalusia and the RENPA • Promote the knowledge of local population on environmental management Source: compiled after Consejería de Medio Ambiente (2003) Nature Parks in Andalusia have reached different degrees of tourism development Which have been the main influencing factors up to now?, and which will be the most decisive factors in future? (results from a Delphi analysis)

Actual factors of influence Future factors of influence conjunction of factors (synergy effects) Promotion in Internet, agencies, etc. contrasts of mountain landscapes conjunction of factors (synergy effects) Sociocultural heritage capacitation of the stuff abundance of water resources quality level expected by tourists localization of the protected area public use equipment good access to the protected area sociocultural heritage mild climate agencies that create service products experience with tourism coord. between public administrations fidelity of tourist implication of public administration variety and category of gastronomy environmental consciousness of visitors hospitality of local population planning of tourism implication of public administration diversity of complementary activities

Source: own compilation after Flores & Barroso (2009) Public use infrastructure offered in the protected areas of Sierra Nevada

Source: O.A. Parques Nacionales (ed., 2012) Spatial concentration of visitors

Source: Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada, Memoria 2013 Fotos: Voth Source: own elaboration; Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada Fotos: Voth Fotos: Voth The National Park attracts visitors

Source: Voth (2015, in press) Visitors very interested in staying near to a National Park differ from visitors less interested:

• Many of them are inhabitants of the region of Andalucia • They stay for more than one day • They enjoy sports in the mountains • They have visited more places in the area • They like quiet places and relax • They enjoy short walks around the villages • They like to contemplate the landscape • They give more importance to gastronomy • They give more importance to culture and Handcrafts • They give more importance to social contacts • They are attracted by flowing water

Source: Voth (2014/2015) Visitors reject mass tourism and changes of landscape

Source: Voth (2015, in press) 1. Regionalized area protection policy in Andalusia

2. The protected area of Sierra Nevada

3. Public use and visitor management

4. Protection, tourism and local development Plan for Sustainable Development of the Nature Park Sierra Nevada (PDS)

1. Diagnosis of the Park and its Area of Socioeconomic influence  Natural environment  Population, economy  Uses of resources  Infrastructure and regional planning  Institutional context and social perception 2. Identification of problems and objectives 3. Programs and actions of the PDS 4. Management model of the PDS 5. Evaluation and monitoring of the PDS Identification of problems and objectives

Problems: 1. Low level of valorisation of the natural environment as a resource for development 2. Low level of valorisation of the cultural heritage 3. Deficiencies in the local production system 4. Low qualification level of human resources and deficiencies the research and development 5. Deficiencies in infrastructure and basic equipment 6. Deficiencies in institutional management of development 7. Low dynamics of social participation

Objectives Identification of problems and objectives

Objective 3: Fortification of local production system

3.1 Transformation and diversification of production 3.2 Commercialization and quality of local products 3.3 Better management of enterprises 3.4 Better regional offer of services to enterprises

 about 50 sub-objectives are specified local concentration of tourism

Fotos: Voth Fotos: Voth “Naturbanization” processes in the Barranco de Poqueira

Foto: Voth Growth of touristic urbanizations and protection of rural heritage

Village in 1975 Amplification up to 2014 Traditional gardens

Source: Voth (2015), in press Overlapping protection and local development initiatives in Sierra Nevada

Source: Voth (2015, in press) Alpujarra Cultural Landscape: Proposal for an UNESCO World Heritage Site

Proposed heritage zone Additional protection zone Landscape units Heritage villages Areas of agriculture County boundaries Historical trails Water channels

Source: Voth (2015), in press Protection of natural and cultural heritage: Tools and challenges to promote tourism and Andreas Voth local development in the Sierra Nevada (Spain)