Environment General Courses (ENVIRON)

graduate level, taught in Durham

275S. Protected Areas, Tourism, and Local Development.

Spring 2008    MW  2:50-4:15    (March 3-April 16)   2 units

Investigates issues of establishing and managing national parks, biosphere reserves, and other protected areas in situations where local populations compete for the same resources. Tourism is considered as a possible source of negative impacts on the protected area and as a source of local economic development. Includes consideration of tourism policy, resource protection strategies, microenterprise development, sustainable agriculture, and forestry.  Instructor:  Healy

This course is a revised version of a course I had taught for several years before my retirement from the Nicholas School.  It was formerly a 3 unit course, with mostly social science content, but a little material on biological aspects of protected area establishment and management.  This semester, I’ve teamed up with Jennifer Swenson to make what we think will be an improved approach.  Jennifer will teach ENV 298.48  Ecology & Management of Protected Areas  MW 2:50-4:30 (1/9-2/27).  This is a two unit course that will cover (in much more depth) the biological topics formerly covered in ENV 275S.  We think that the combination of natural science and social science expertise will make for offerings that take better advantage of the area’s of our training and experience.

The courses may be taken separately or sequentially.  But we recommend that if you are really interested in protected areas, you should take both courses.  Jennifer and I are working together to make the courses fit together.   For those taking both parts, we will work with you to do a coordinated term paper that will integrate both natural and social science aspects.  Jennifer has the permission numbers and SHE WILL BE GIVING PREFERENCE TO STUDENTS WHO WANT TO TAKE BOTH HALVES OF THE COURSE.  If you have a strong reason for only being interested in my half,  I can probably make arrangements later in the semester for you to audit.

Also, I will be giving two lectures during Jennifer’s part of the course, and she will be lecturing in my part.  Because of my travel schedule, and how Spring Break falls this year, I have fewer class sessions than are normally required for a 2 unit offering.  Therefore, MY LECTURES IN JENNIFER’S PART OF THE COURSE WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THOSE TAKING ENV 275S.  Moreover I may have additional course meetings during the evening or during reading week.  So be prepared to be a bit flexible.

I have just returned from six weeks in Argentina, and have some new and relevant material to share with you on the interrelation of local agriculture and tourism.

ENV 275S  Spring 2008 

Tentative List of Course Sessions

Sessions #1 and #2 will most likely be offered in Jan-Feb. as part of Jennifer Swenson’s ENV 298 course.

History, Rationale and Typology of World Protected Areas

Marine Protected Areas:  How do they Differ from Terrestrial Parks?

Some of the following sessions may be offered at night or during reading week:

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People and Protected Areas: Introduction to the Issues and World Overview

PAs and People in Mexico               

PAs and People in Canada and the U.S.

Case Study: Logging vs. Tourism in the Northwest

Tourism in PAs--History and Issues

Ecotourism in Protected Areas

Case Study:  Managing Tourism at Niagara Falls             

Tourism and Regional Economic Development

Fees and ICDPs (Integrated Conservation and Development Projects) as Benefit Mechanisms

Tourist Merchandise as a Benefit Mechanism                   

Case Study:  Galapagos

Case Study:  Managing the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Issues of Scale)

Working Landscapes: North American and European Experience           

Case Study: Development of Tourism in the Mexican Caribbean

Case Study: Tourism and the Inuit