Human attitudes are the greatest worry of the world's largest diver-training organisation, RICK GREGORY covers the PADI perspective on nature-based tourism in marine ecosystems.

Written by Rick Gregory on 30 Mar 2005 with 0 comments. Be the first!

"Humans aren't the only species on Earth; we just act like it," says Al Hornsby of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, better known as PADI. This attitude is probably the greatest worry of the world's largest diver-training organisation. Nature-based tourism is still on the rise and more participants mean better infrastructure is needed to keep successes from turning sour.

Diving is big business. American residents will spend more than $1 billion on dive and snorkelling travel in 2004. Diving quality is the #1 factor in choosing a destination and viewing sea life is by far the most preferred activity. This is enough to tell us that preserving the marine environment is the single most important requirement for successful marine ecotourism.

PADI recognises that habitat and marine life conservation must be balanced against traditional uses and against growth and development. To achieve this outcome, local residents may need to alter traditional activities or avoid certain sites altogether. But traditional sources of livelihood must be replaced by tourism-related opportunities.

Governments also need to support training and education programmes to assist local residents. Ultimately, they are responsible for creating and protecting preserves and preventing damaging practices such as poaching, dynamite fishing and using cyanide for aquarium fish collections.

There are many good examples. In Malaysia, the government pays for scuba instructor and divemaster training for some residents to be employable by resorts. Traditional turtle egg collectors are employed to harvest eggs for relocation to hatcheries and dive resorts hire local fishermen as boat captains with extensive knowledge of reefs.

In the Cayman Islands, fishermen, dive operators and the government agreed to make most of the reefs as marine preserves. This positive action not only created diving's #1 destination, but also increased the economy for others. The most productive dive site in the world is Stingray City. In a three- to ten-foot deep protected sand patch, 75 stingrays swarm side-by-side with tourists. Each day hundreds of snorkellers and divers get a thrill of a lifetime that generates $2.5 million per year.

Contributing to the economy is a plus, but what about the environmental damage done by divers? From a global perspective, divers contribute less than 1% of the total. But the real consequences happen on a local scale. If managed properly, the impact of marine tourism on coral reefs should be inconsequential. In theory, you should account for tourist numbers and visits, encourage appropriate behaviour and keep water quality high for rapid ecosystem recovery.

In reality, large numbers of poorly managed visitors have led to physical damage, sewage pollution and degraded water quality. Hence fewer reefs are now recovering.

Is it really smart for PADI to talk openly about these issues? Of course it is; our credibility is at stake if we insist that nothing is wrong. And besides, divers care just as much as others if the environment is damaged, and they are the customers!

What do we really know about diver behaviour? Most studies to date indicate that, at present levels, divers don't cause enough damage to compromise ecological functions. But divers can quickly degrade the aesthetics of a reef.

Coral cover was not found to be different between dive and non-dive areas; however, species composition changed. The proportion of old and slow-growing massive corals were fewer, as 'weedy' branching corals proliferated. We don't know whether this change is due to diver contact or other stresses.

Divers intentionally or inadvertently touch corals an average of 10 times per dive. Fins are the primary culprit. Hence branching corals are the most susceptible to diver damage. Most divers are okay, it's a small minority that cause the problem. In a study by Rouphael Inglis, he observed that 84% of the divers did no damage, while a mere 4% accounted for over 70% of the destruction. Poor buoyancy is the single biggest factor on why divers negatively impact reefs.

Gloved divers touch the reef more than those who do not. And women touch the reef far less than men. The environmental impact from snorkelling has yet to be studied, but it is probably greater than that from scuba diving.

The biggest culprits causing direct damage to reefs are anchors. Proper mooring of dive boats is essential to minimise the damage from a maximum number of visitors. And how many is too many?

Carrying capacities relate to both ecological functions and resource management options. The former depends on how many organisms an area can support, while the latter refers to how many people can use a site without unacceptable changes in the physical environment and quality of experience. PADI does not believe fixed numbers will work; rather that education plays a prominent role.

Researchers consistently conclude that education largely determines the level of interaction with coral reefs, and one's attitude toward conservation. Two studies highlight the importance of briefing divers. First, Medio (1996) observed that non-briefed divers make contact with the reef eight times per dive with 80% of those contacts causing damage. After a short talk, contact fell to an average of only 1.5 times per dive with less than 30% damaging. Townsend (2000) counted an average of 26 touches per dive for a control group with no briefing. In contrast, a treatment group - with a proper briefing - averaged less than eight touches per dive.

In the underwater world there is a role for everyone.

The tourism industry must support the establishment of marine protected areas. Resorts must provide a thorough environmental briefing to all of its guests, especially on how to avoid reef contact. Inform customers of your operations and expectations in advance. And support your staff to not only enforce the rules, but train them well first and foremost.

And for every diver in the deep and snorkeller swaying on the surface: No touching.

Adapted from the presentation "Community, conservation and commerce: the underwater view." Presented by Al Hornsby at the Asia-Pacific Ecotourism Conference 2004, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

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