Conservation and nature tourism bring economic boost

The RSPB have just published an important new report showing how valuable conservation and nature tourism is to the economy.

Here are a few extracts from the press release accompanying the report:

More and more people are enjoying nature in the UK, bringing economic benefits to local communities.
These are the findings of a new study from the RSPB looking at how conservation and nature tourism create jobs and bring money into local areas. The effects are being felt across the UK, from far flung rural areas to urban fringes.

The RSPB’s 200 reserves now attract two million visits a year. They help bring £66million into their local communities, supporting 1,872 local jobs – an 87 per cent increase since 2002.
These findings complement the Government’s recent National Ecosystems Assessment (NEA) which highlighted the economic benefits conservation delivers through clean air and water, flood defence, carbon storage and wellbeing. The NEA shows that the natural environment is worth billions to our economy every year and conserving it makes sound economic sense.
The rare wildlife habitats that are protected on nature reserves are often found in some very remote places – so the benefits they bring to rural communities can be very important.

Research by Natural England shows that people travelling within England to enjoy nature increased by 10 per cent between 2005 and 2009, despite general tourism trips declining by 9 per cent in this period. The most recent figures showed nature tourism visits reached nearly 3 billion last year with visitors spending an estimated £20.4billion in the local area.
Similar research by Scottish Natural Heritage has revealed that nature-based tourism supports spending of £1.4 billion per year, and 39,000 jobs in Scotland.
Visits to RSPB reserves grew 38 per cent, from around 1.5 million to almost 2 million in the last five years. Over 1,000 local jobs were supported by tourism to RSPB reserves in 2009, three times the number that were supported in 2002.
Reintroductions of charismatic species can also be a big draw for nature tourism. The return of the once extinct white-tailed eagle to the Isles of Mull and Skye now supports more than 150 local jobs while the reintroduction of red kites to Dumfries and Galloway has brought 20 new jobs to the area.
As well as local businesses servicing tourists, like pubs, hotels and restaurants, nature reserves create direct jobs on reserves, support local industry in the construction of visitor facilities and habitat management, and play host to farming lets where cattle and sheep graze reserve land.

"Nature-based Tourism worth £1.4billion to Scotland" says SNH report

Nature-based tourism is worth at least £1.4bn a year to the Scottish economy and supports the equivalent of 39,000 full time jobs. Walking and landscape enjoyment nets £900 million for Scotland each year. These are some of the findings in a new report commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Wildlife tourism brings in £127m and is the main driver behind more than one million trips to Scotland each year. Activities include bird watching, whale watching, guided walks and practical conservation holidays. Among the contributors is dolphin watching on the east coast, which generates at least £4m a year to the local economy, while sea eagles on Mull bring in around £2m.
Adventure activities, such as mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking, are worth £178m. This category also includes surfing, sub aqua, sailing, extreme snow sports, horse riding and adventure activities such as gorge walking, rafting and paragliding. Surfing in particular is growing by around 20% a year, and there are now around 3,000 surfers in Scotland.
Carrying out these kind of studies is very complex, particularly for activities such as walking and enjoying the landscape. But, using information from other studies, this research estimates that walking and landscape are thought to be worth at least £900m between them.
This includes hill walking, mountaineering and climbing, as well as gentler walks of more than one mile. Examples include the 110,000 people who tackle to the summit of Ben Nevis; the 30,000 who complete the whole route of the West Highland Way and the further 60,000 others who trek part of it. It also includes income from those who tour and enjoy Scotland’s landscapes and scenery, such as the 400,000 people a year who visit Glen Nevis.
SNH commissioned the study, called ‘valuing nature-based tourism in Scotland’, as part of wider research to quantify the value of Scotland’s nature to the economy. It follows a previous report which found that sustainable management of natural resources was worth £17.2bn a year to Scotland.
Commenting on the findings, Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said: “Scotland’s wonderful natural environment and fascinating wildlife have so much to offer and it’s exciting that there are visitors coming here to appreciate our world-class landscape.
“Tourists obviously enjoy what they see and there’s such a wide variety of activities on offer, whether it’s walking in the glens, spotting some of Scotland’s iconic species or getting involved in conservation.
"Nature based tourism generates significant benefits for the economy, including thousands of jobs. It’s vital that work on the conservation and enhancement of our natural environment continues to ensure we can deliver these benefits for generations to come.”
Ian Jardine, SNH chief executive, added: “We have always known that landscapes and wildlife are one of the main reasons why visitors come to Scotland. We also know that enjoying nature is one of the key activities they like to do when they get here. Now we know just how important that is to the economy of Scotland. With spending on nature activities worth nearly 40% of all tourism spending, nature based tourism can generate significant benefits for the economy.
“These findings underline the need to recognise the role of nature in supporting the economy, to ensure it is managed sustainably, and to make certain that we make the best use of nature as an economic resource.”