Diverse group collaboratively paints a landscape representing blended values.

Nature's Balancing Act: How Understanding Local Values Can Save Tourism

Lena Kashyap in Climate & Environment June 2025 • 3 min read.

"Discover how mapping local perspectives transforms tourism, blending visitor experiences with community well-being and environmental care."

Imagine a world where visiting a stunning national park not only thrills you but also uplifts the local community and protects the environment. This vision is increasingly vital as nature-based tourism surges, creating both opportunities and challenges for protected areas.

For years, these areas were managed with a focus on preserving wilderness, sometimes overlooking the needs and traditions of local residents. Today, the goal is to balance conservation with community benefits, a delicate act that requires understanding and respecting diverse values.

A groundbreaking study in Norway's Jotunheimen National Park and Utladalen Protected Landscape offers a roadmap for achieving this balance. By mapping the values of locals, domestic tourists, and international visitors, researchers have uncovered key insights for managing tourism sustainably and minimizing conflicts.

Why Mapping Local Values is a Game Changer for Tourism

Diverse group collaboratively paints a landscape representing blended values.

The traditional approach to managing protected areas often fell short by neglecting the deep connections local communities had with the land. Modern conservation recognizes that these areas are not just about preserving scenic views, but also about safeguarding cultural heritage, traditional practices, and community livelihoods.

The Norwegian study leveraged a powerful tool called Public Participatory Geographic Information System (PPGIS) to capture these diverse values. Here’s why this approach is revolutionary:

Unveiling Hidden Priorities: PPGIS allows locals, domestic tourists, and international visitors to pinpoint what matters most to them in the park, from scenic spots to hunting grounds.
Spotting Potential Conflicts: By mapping these values, managers can identify areas where different user groups might clash, such as overlapping interests in fishing spots or hiking trails.
Informed Decision-Making: With a clear understanding of spatial values, managers can develop targeted strategies that minimize conflicts and enhance the experience for everyone.
Protecting Biodiversity: Spatial data is combined with biophysical info to protect environment and potential threats to biodiversity.

This approach moves beyond generic surveys by grounding values in specific locations, providing a nuanced understanding of how people interact with and appreciate the landscape.

Tourism That Benefits Everyone

By embracing approaches like PPGIS, protected area managers can create tourism strategies that are not only sustainable but also equitable, ensuring that the benefits of tourism are shared by all, while respecting the unique values and traditions of local communities. This is how we turn tourism into a force for good, preserving nature and culture for generations to come.

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Everything You Need To Know

Why is it important to balance tourism with local values in protected areas?

Balancing tourism with local values is crucial for ensuring long-term sustainability. Protected areas should not only focus on preserving wilderness but also on safeguarding cultural heritage, traditional practices, and community livelihoods. Neglecting local values can lead to conflicts and undermine the very sustainability that nature-based tourism depends on. The goal is to ensure that tourism benefits everyone involved, preserving both nature and culture for future generations.

How does the Public Participatory Geographic Information System (PPGIS) revolutionize the management of protected areas?

The Public Participatory Geographic Information System (PPGIS) revolutionizes protected area management by allowing managers to capture the diverse values of locals, domestic tourists, and international visitors, pinpointing what matters most to them in the park. This includes identifying scenic spots, hunting grounds, and other areas of significance. By mapping these values, managers can spot potential conflicts, such as overlapping interests in fishing spots or hiking trails. This enables informed decision-making, minimizing conflicts and enhancing the experience for everyone. Additionally, spatial data is combined with biophysical data to protect the environment and potential threats to biodiversity.

What are the key benefits of using Public Participatory Geographic Information System (PPGIS) in managing tourism within protected areas?

The Public Participatory Geographic Information System (PPGIS) offers several key benefits, including revealing hidden priorities by allowing locals and tourists to pinpoint what matters most to them spatially. It helps in spotting potential conflicts between different user groups by mapping overlapping interests. This leads to informed decision-making, where managers can develop targeted strategies that minimize conflicts and enhance the experience for everyone. Furthermore, Public Participatory Geographic Information System (PPGIS) aids in protecting biodiversity by combining spatial data with biophysical data to identify and mitigate potential environmental threats.

How does mapping local values contribute to creating tourism strategies that are both sustainable and equitable?

Mapping local values contributes to sustainable and equitable tourism strategies by ensuring the benefits of tourism are shared by all stakeholders. When protected area managers understand the values and traditions of local communities, they can develop tourism initiatives that respect and support these aspects. This involves incorporating local knowledge and practices into tourism offerings, providing economic opportunities for residents, and protecting cultural heritage sites. The Public Participatory Geographic Information System (PPGIS) enables managers to create strategies that minimize negative impacts on local communities and maximize the positive contributions of tourism.

What is the implication of the traditional approach to managing protected areas?

The traditional approach to managing protected areas often focused on preserving wilderness while overlooking the needs and traditions of local residents. This could lead to a disconnection between conservation efforts and the well-being of communities living in or near these areas. It frequently resulted in conflicts over resource use, restricted access to traditional lands, and a lack of economic opportunities for locals. The shift towards modern conservation recognizes the importance of integrating local values and ensuring that protected areas benefit both the environment and the people who depend on it.