Mount Desert Island tourism can use participatory planning to address climate change impacts, UMaine research shows

Excerpt from umaine.edu

A study from the University of Maine shows that bringing together academics and tourism developers on Mount Desert Island (MDI) is an effective way to identify climate change impacts and determine what can be done to address them given a community’s strengths, limitations and resources. Now, thanks to the work of a transdisciplinary group of UMaine graduate researchers and community stakeholders, MDI might have further information on a path forward to keeping the destination sustainable.

Nature-based tourism destinations, like so many throughout Maine, face unique challenges resulting from the impacts of climate change. Climate and weather determine the timing, length and quality of tourism seasons, as well as the risks associated with recreational activities.

Participatory planning — bringing together a variety of stakeholders to analyze complex issues by applying local knowledge — is an approach communities can use to anticipate climate change impacts and prepare suitable solutions. For nature-based tourism destinations, this could mean diversifying recreational opportunities, for example, or developing sustainable transportation plans focused on tourist movements.