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157 Does Absence of Charismatic Species Impact the Ecotourism Potential of Central Mediterranean Islands?

also organised in an attempt to watch turtles in the wild. an alternative. Other suggestions included to capital-
Operators emphasised that excursions offered to eco- ise on natural aspects offered by the islands such as the
tourists do not have the sole aim to observe marine spe- scenery and the various volcanic phenomena found on
cies but also seek to raise awareness on the need to pro- the island of Linosa and more so on Pantelleria. Other
tect such species. In fact, one should note that fail- lines of thought included to make less emphasis on the
ure to observe charismatic species did not leave a com- terrestrial environment and rather than just focus on
plete negative impact on ecotourists visiting the Pela- botanical aspects put more emphasis on marine and
gian Islands. Such ecotourists did not manage to see coastal environment. Others reiterated this point on the
turtles in the wild and only had the chance to visit proviso that islands had to capitalise more on the wa-
turtle nests on beaches being monitored by NGOs and ter surrounding them and the relatively bigger marine
observe injured turtles in rescue centres on Lampedusa protected areas in comparison to terrestrial areas. In ad-
and Linosa. Meanwhile, ecotourists still contributed fin- dition, academics explained that marine life was so rich
ancially towards related conservation projects. that one could also observe a variety of species including
Conservation was considered by ecotourists as an im- charismatic/appealing ones in shallow water. Another
portant element of ecotourism and one which influences approach was to develop ecotourism products that in-
them when choosing a destination to visit. Further- corporate related niches that overlap with ecotourism
more, it was also considered an important element of the including adventure tourism, agri/rural tourism, pesca-
ecotourism experience by ecotourists. Ecotourists also tourism, volunteering and cultural tourism. This would
requested operators and NGOs involved more inform- not only overcome the limitation of limited/absence of
ation on how their participation in the ecotour would charismatic terrestrial fauna but also enhance the eco-
support conservation initiatives including those related tourism experience per se. In another proposed ap-
to flagship species such as turtles. The importance of proach, stakeholders including academics recommended
conservation for ecotourists can be further confirmed by archipelago tourism also known as island hopping to
the dissatisfaction expressed by participants of ecotours maximise the ecotourism experience and experience the
visiting a store selling natural sponges, a traditional different nature related opportunities provided by dif-
trade on the island of Lampedusa. Concerns have been ferent islands. Such services are already being offered
raised by managers of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the area of study. This was of particular interest
since ecotourism activity targeting charismatic species due to the relation that exists between islands through
on Lampedusa were disregarding ethical considerations the presence of sub-endemic species (species unique to a
due to close encounters with such species possibly leav- number of islands) in the area of study, case in point
ing an impact on their behaviour. reptile and snails. One example is the lacertid liz-
Various approaches were proposed by stakeholders to ard (Podarcis filfolensis) endemic to the Maltese and
overcome the challenge of absence of terrestrial charis- Pelagian archipelago (found on Linosa and Lampione)
matic species (see Table 2). The first was to consider (Scalera et al., 2004).
smaller, including non-mammal species such as inver-
tebrates and flora as charismatic species which are of in-
terest to ecotourists. In this regard emphasis was made Table 2: Approaches proposed for the ecotourism experience in
on endemic species, species with a limited geograph- the central Mediterranean region.
ical distribution and species which are considered to be
rare/threatened or appealing. Species reflecting one or How to overcome lack of terrestrial mega-fauna
more of these characteristics and outlined by stakehold-
ers included the fresh water crab, the painted frog (Dis- • Target smaller non-mammal species
coglossus pictus), the Mediterranean killifish (Aphanius • Put more emphasis on flowering plants due to
fasciatus), the hedgehog (Erinaceus algirus), the weasel their rich biodiveristy
(Mustela nivalis), the Sandarac Gum tree (Tetraclinis • Capitalise on the geologic and volcanic phenom-
articulata), the Maltese rock centaury (Cheirolophus ena
crassifolius), orchids and birds such as the blue rock • Give more importance to coastal and marine en-
thrush (Monticola solitarius). NGOs, academics and vironments
ecotourism operators pointed out that entomology and • Include overlapping niches including volunteer-
herpetology excursions focusing on insects and reptiles ing, adventure, cultural, agritourism/rural tour-
respectively could be organised on the islands. Ow- ism, pescatourism
ing to the rich diversity of flowering plants in a con- • Introduce archipelago tourism/island hopping
fined area excursions focusing on flower gazing, ethno- and focus on endemicity and sub-endemic spe-
botany and nature photography could be organised as cies

10.7423/XJENZA.2018.2.08 www.xjenza.org