Page 2 - Small_islands_2019

Karl Agius et al.

Introduction

Small islands, characterized by small population size and/or land area, are important tourist
destinations (Weaver, 2017). According to OTIE (2008), islands are considered ‘small’ when
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their area is between 1000 and 5000 km , with smaller islands being classified as ‘micro-islands’.
Bertram and Poirine (2007) consider islands to be small when their populations are below 1 million.
Across the Mediterranean region, such islands are mostly associated with Sun, Sea, and Sand (3S)
tourism, but this does not reflect the whole picture (Rigas, 2012; Ruggieri, 2015). Such islands
are individually distinct and are regarded as hotspots of biodiversity on a global scale as they exhibit
high species richness in terms of marine biota and host unique terrestrial flora and fauna as a
result of endemicity (Davis et al, 1997; Médail & Quézel, 1999; Myers et al, 2000; Vogiatzakis
et al, 2008). They also have special geological features and attractive landscapes. This may make
Mediterranean islands ideal locations for ecotourism and highlights the vast potential of the
marine environment as a resource for ecotourism activity (Cater & Cater, 2007; Fotiou et al, 2002).
Since its inception, the concept of ‘ecotourism’ has been a contested one, and at least 85
variations have been identified (Fennell, 2001), with the number still on the rise (Goeldner &
Brent Ritchie, 2009). Whereas there is no agreement on a standard or precise definition for
ecotourism (Black & Crabtree, 2007; Weaver, 2008), there is near consensus among stakeholders
that genuine ecotourism should effectively fulfil three main core principles: it must be nature
based, oriented towards sustainable development, and educational/interpretative (Beaumont,
1998; Blamey, 1995; Blamey, 2001; Garrod & Wilson, 2004; Weaver, 2008). Meanwhile, the
practical implementation of the concept’s theoretical underpinnings has been questioned (Ross
& Wall, 1999), and in some cases ecotourism’s contribution to achieving such objectives has
been deemed limited at best (Kiss, 2004), to the extent that some islands have been entangled
in what Grydehøj and Kelman (2017) call ‘the eco‐island trap’.
Since ecotourism focuses on nature (Beaumont, 2011; Rogerson, 2006), the natural
environment is an essential element for ecotourism’s development and practice. The
environments of Mediterranean islands have experienced extensive negative impacts as a result
of intense human activity, which has caused habitat fragmentation (Vogiatzakis et al, 2008).
Furthermore, tourism, which dominates the economies of most Mediterranean islands, has led
to intense pressure and detrimental impact on islands’ limited and fragile terrestrial, coastal, and
marine environments, either through tourism itself or through developments undertaken to
accommodate tourists (Carlsen & Butler, 2011; Pipinos & Fokiali, 2009). As a result, tourism
has led to landscape degradation in Mediterranean coastal areas in general, but effects have been
more pronounced in the case of islands. In fact, the ecotourism potential and landscape value of
some islands in the Mediterranean has been put at risk due to tourism’s tremendous negative
environmental impact (Lockhart, 2002). For instance, it has been argued that mass tourism
activities at the marine site of Scandola, Corsica mean that this UNESCO site is no longer an
ecotourism destination due to the dire environmental consequences it has suffered, including on
its flagship species. Similarly, this sensitive Mediterranean island’s natural heritage has
experienced negative environmental impacts (Monti et al, 2018). Tourism-related activity and
dramatic ecological effects, such as trampling on beaches, have also contributed to the population
crash of species such as sea turtles, which previously sustained breeding populations on
Mediterranean islands (Davenport & Davenport, 2006).

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