Snowdonia: Case study of tourism in an upland area.
Background: Snowdonia is a region in the north west of Wales, within which there is the Snowdonia National Park and Snowdon, the largest mountain in England and Wales. The landscapes of Snowdonia are mainly a result of glacial processes that occurred during the last glacial maximum. Due to the spectacular scenery Snowdonia is very popular with tourists, attracting around 8 million a year.
The attraction: Tourists visit Snowdonia for a number of reasons:
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Benefits of tourism to Snowdonia
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Problems resulting from tourism
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Managing the impact of tourism
Within Snowdonia there is a number of strategies that are used to manage the impact of tourism.
Within Snowdonia there is a number of strategies that are used to manage the impact of tourism.
- Snowdonia National Park - by being granted National Park status the conservation of this area is enshrined in law. New developments are heavily restricted within park boundaries and measures to protect it's ecosystems are put in place.
- Managing traffic - Park authorities are against the construction of new roads and car parks and try to promote the use of public transport. They have subsidised the 'Sherpa' bus services for a number of years which can be used to get to various locations around the Park.
- Education - National Park authorities believe that by promoting understanding and awareness of issues around the park this will help reduce some of the negative impacts of tourism. Tactics include having an informative and up to date website, visitor centres and an education team that run various activities with visitors, schools and other groups.
- Footpaths and bridleways - by ensuring that paths are well maintained and clearly signposted this prevents visitors straying off them and increasing erosion and damage in other areas.
- There are also 14 built conservation areas and 362 listed monuments within park boundaries.
Oil exploration in the Arctic
Oil exploration in the Arctic has taken place since the 1960's, but full blown production has been limited to a number of sites mainly in North Alaska. Although oil has been found in other areas it has proven either too expensive or too difficult to access. In 2009 The US Geological Survey estimated that within the Arctic region there are natural gas reserves of 1,670 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and oil reserves of around 90 billion barrels. This equates to 30 percent of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13 percent of oil. |
Within the last decade a number of factors have made the Arctic a more attractive and viable site for fossil fuel production, leading to territorial claims and conflict between those countries that surround the region - Canada, USA, Russia, Norway and Greenland/Denmark.
Factors include:
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Barrow, Alaska, USA.
Barrow is the most northerly city in America and was the closest settlement to the site of recent oil exploration by Shell in the Chukchi sea. The town has a population of around 4,500 with over half being indigenous Inupiat Eskimo. Due to isolated location of Barrow most of its residents still live a subsistence lifestyle, dependent on local food sources including whale, seal and caribou. Oil exploration is a contentious issue within the town with residents both for and against Shell's venture into the region. |
Potential risks
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Potential benefits
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After continued protests by indigenous groups, Greenpeace and others against Shell's operations in the Arctic, along with unimpressive results from explorative drill sites the company decided in September 2015 to scale back its oil exploration in the region for now. The reduction in the price of oil also played a role in the company's decision.