Perspectives of sustainable development in Rhodes Island, Greece

Transcription

1 Perspectives of sustainable development in Rhodes Island, Greece K. Kyriakou, E. Sourianos and D. Vagiona * Department of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Agia Varvara, Veria, 59100, Greece *Corresponding author: dimvag@auth.gr, Tel Abstract Rhodes island is one of the most popular Greek tourist destinations, but the lack of tourism development planning has led to overexploitation of resources and to gradual environmental degradation. The aim of this paper is to promote a framework of proposals towards the sustainable development of the island. A general analysis of the area is performed and certain problems and opportunities are revealed through a SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats) analysis of the region. Public participation is also incorporated through a questionnaire survey, which investigates public opinions and perceptions concerning problems and development opportunities in Rhodes island. Integrating SWOT analysis and the survey s results, a general framework of proposals is provided and is further evaluated by an expert group. The final outcome is an aggregation of infrastructures, constructions and actions that are expected to be more effectively implemented aiming at the sustainable development of this coastal area. Keywords: Integrated management; public participation; Rhodes Island; sustainable development 1. INTRODUCTION The concept of sustainable development has been an issue of great concern for many years and has been promoted at global, EU, regional, national and local level. Many definitions of sustainable development can be found in the literature and there is an agreement that sustainable development implies linking what to be sustained (nature, life support, community) with what is to be developed (people, economy, society) and the emphasis has often differed from extremes of sustain only to develop mostly to various forms of and/or [1]. The Greek National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSSD), which had been approved in 2002, aims at a balanced approach of all parameters (economic, social, environmental) that define social prosperity in harmony with natural environment [2]. In the above document, several sectors of action and various measures for the reduction of environmental pressures are highlighted and the elaboration of integrated sectoral policies is promoted. The general guidelines provided by NSSD can also be adopted in local management plans and adjusted according to the special features and needs of the area under study. Furthermore, at local scale, the contribution of local stakeholders is suggested as they reveal useful information for the assessment of the existing situation. The consultation of local stakeholders and their involvement in the definition of strategies for development helps to highlight new perspectives about local situation and to assure that all the priorities of different actors and their opinion about Proceedings of the 3 rd International CEMEPE & SECOTOX Conference Skiathos, June 19-24, 2011, ISBN

2 possible measures of intervention are well known and taken into account for the evaluation of scenarios and the definition of a strategy for local development [3, 4, 5, 6]. The aim of this study is to provide an integrated and systematic approach towards sustainable development, which will be implemented in a Greek coastal area (Rhode s Island). The case study selected, consists the top choice of Greek tourism destinations and is expected to encounter the already known problems of coastal areas (widespread coastal erosion, habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, contamination of soil and water resources, water quality and water quantity problems, unemployment and social instability, mass seasonal tourism). 2. METHODOLOGY The methodology presented in this paper is specifically developed and implemented in order to investigate the perspectives of sustainable development in the study area. The process is inspired by the Deming cycle [7] and consists of the five phases presented below: 1. Economic, social, cultural and environmental diagnoses, to highlight the objective strengths and weaknesses of the territory 2. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of the area under study to evaluate the problems and opportunities and to provide general guidelines 3. Public participation through a questionnaire survey, to investigate public opinions and perceptions concerning existing problems and development opportunities (participatory process) 4. Consultation of local stakeholders, to compare objective results with a subjective and common perceptions of the local situation [6]. The expert s group evaluation of a general framework of proposals leads to an even integrated and adaptable development scenario 5. Production of a strategy for sustainable development, linked with an action plan based on the results of previous phases 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1. Diagnoses of the study area Rhodes Island is the biggest island in Dodecanese with a total surface of km 2 and a coastline of 253 km. The percentage of Rhodes natural coastline (87%) is higher than Greece s (67%). The main area of Rhodes Island is flat and is covered either by forest and semi natural areas (51%) or by agriculture areas (45%), which has been gradually abandoned because of water quantity problems. 22,75% of total area is covered by protected areas while the relevant percentage in Greece approximates 18%. The population is about (2001) and most of them (48%) are residents of Rhodes town, which is the most high density area on the island (2.828 inhabitants per 100 km 2 on 2001). During peak season the population reaches about habitats and the maximum density for 2010 approaches almost 160 habitats per km 2. The economy of the island depends mainly on the tourism sector, posing great risks to Rhode s welfare as there are plenty of agriculture areas. The island has an outstanding history and the old town of Rhodes is protected by UNESCO. However, there are many crucial problems concerning the technical and social infrastructures which are identified through the detailed analysis of the study area. The central port of Rhodes is incapable to accommodate all the arriving ships, especially during summer. On the contrary, the recent amelioration of the airport Diagoras increased its capacity and is capable to accommodate more than passengers per day. The degradation of road s infrastructure is obvious creating traffic congestion problems and severe shortages exist also in the health system. Inadequate waste and water waste treatment and management evokes urgent issues especially in the northern part of the 1172

3 island. Although, the energy demand issues have been predominantly covered by non-renewable resources, there is an increasing interest towards renewable energy sources and especially wind farms and photovoltaic parks. Despite Rhode s Island is one of the most popular Greek destinations, its tourism development has been so far performed without planning. Last years arrivals reach about , while the average staying duration has been decreased. The average ratio tourist per habitat for 2010 is about SWOT Analysis The result of the evaluation of the thorough analysis of the study area can be summarized in the following table (Table 1). Table 1. SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses Location in Mediterranean Sea Important natural environment Distance from Athens Lack of planning Protected areas Inadequate waste treatment and Physical coastline management Airport "Diagoras" International tourist destination Many tourist saturated areas Mass seasonal tourism Opportunities Threats Development of renewable energy Water quality problems sources Building without planning Development of the primary and Abandonment of agriculture areas secondary sector Development of alternative tourism Attracting investors Economic problems because of the dependence on tourism Other tourist destinations Prevailing of the all inclusive model in the tourism sector 3.3. Public Participation Public opinions and perceptions should be incorporated at every development and management plan in order to have one integrated and acceptable result. For this reason, the perceptions of Rhode s habitats have been investigated through a questionnaire survey. 613 residents of the island participated in the survey either through personal interview (350) or through internet (263). The questionnaire consists of three parts. The first part includes "General Questions", where the social characteristics of the sample (gender, age, education, residence and occupation) are defined. In the second part, through several questions, their perception concerning sustainable development as well as their consciousness towards certain environmental issues (renewable energy resources, water quality and quantity issues, solid and waste water management, degraded beaches, protected areas, tourism saturated areas etc) are investigated. In this part, residents view on potential projects and actions that should contribute to sustainable development is also explored. In the last part, there is a group of open-ended questions through which respondents can freely note the strong and weak points of the island and express their vision for the island. According to respondents opinion, it is of utmost importance to focus on tourism management and exploitation of renewable energy resources in order to achieve the goal of sustainable development (Figure 1). On the contrary, the last priority area is the creation of a network of green areas, as the island has already been characterized by its natural beauty. 1173

4 Figure 1. Priority areas for sustainability of Rhode s Island Recognizing the importance of renewable energy sources (RES), most of the respondents strongly agree with the idea of constructing appropriate infrastructures in order to exploit such sources (Figure 2). Only a small percentage of them assume that it is not necessary. The main reason of disagreement (27%) is landscape degradation (Figure 3). Figure 2. Construction of RES s infrastructure Figure 3. Impact of RES s infrastructure on landscape Concerning the impact of tourism, 61% of respondents believe that many saturated coastal areas exist because of unregulated tourism development (Figure 4). In addition most of them insist on an expansion of the tourism season (Figure 5). 1174

5 Figure 4. Tourism saturated coastal areas Figure 5. Expansion of the tourism period Water quantity problems are encountered (19%) mainly during peak season and in mountain villages, while half of the sample admits good water quality (Figure 6). Figure 6. Water quality 3.4 Expert s group evaluation Integrating SWOT analysis and survey s results, a general framework of proposals is provided which has been further assessed by an expert group. Five local stakeholders evaluated the general framework giving priorities to the sectors which should be managed in order to achieve the desirable level of sustainability. The ability for Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to enhance the evaluation and choice phase of decision-making is well known. The AHP requires pairwise comparisons to assess the priorities of different levels [8]. In this application, the whole process is implemented through a Decision Support System (DSS) based on AHP, widely known as Expert Choice. The hierarchy of sectors (goals) is provided in the first level of analysis (Figure 7), while specific actions satisfying the eight goals are further analyzed and provide an essential input in the integrated process implemented in the study area. Figure 7. First level of analysis of AHP 1175

6 4. CONCLUSION-PROPOSALS Sustainable development is a very complicated task and there is no general agreement on how to achieve developing sustainable development plans. In this paper, an integrated methodology is described and its final outcome is a framework of proposals intervening at each important sector which could contribute to the sustainable development of Rhodes Island. At the table below (Table 2), the final plan for the sustainable development is presented, where the necessary actions and programs and the appropriate infrastructures are defined. Furthermore, the proposals are hierarchical set according to their importance taking into account the SWOT analysis, the survey s results and the expert group evaluation. Table 2. Proposals for sustainable development of the Rhode s Island Actions/Constructions/Infrastructures 1. Reuse of rainwater for irrigation, artificial lakes, toilettes of public buildings 2. Develop information and education programs in co-operation with local stakeholders 3. Extension of touristic period 4. Development of alternative types of tourism (eco-tourism, cultural, sport, agricultural, conference and treatment tourism) 5. Enhancement of public transport infrastructure 6. Applying bioclimatic design at all new buildings and hotels 7. Use ecological materials in all new constructions and buildings 8. Development of renewable energy sources (offshore wind farms, exploitation of biomass) 9. Environmental education park 10. Amelioration of route system 11. Pricing policy (Higher prices during peak season) 12. Protection of non-built areas 13. Establishing a local stakeholder for managing coastal areas 14. Establishing a local stakeholder for managing protected areas 15. Demolition of buildings from coastline 16. Composting promotion 17. Recycle-Material Market (sale glass, paper, aluminum by habitats) 18. Cycling route creation 19. Promotion of electrical vehicles References 1. Kates W.R., Parris M.T., Leiserowitz A.A, What is sustainable development? Goals, indicators, values and practice. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 47 (3), MEPPPW, National Strategy for Sustainable Development. Hellenic Republic, Ministry for the environment, physical planning and public works, Greece, Athens Logar I., Sustainable tourism management in Crikvenica, Croatia: an assessment of policy instruments. Tourism Management, 31(1), Stagl S., Multicriteria evaluation and public participation: the case of UK energy policy. Land Use Policy, 23, Tosun C., Limits to community participation in the tourism development process in developing countries. Tourism Management, 21, Castellani V., Sala S., Sustainable performance index for tourism policy development. Tourism Management, 31, Deming W.E., The new economics: For industry, government, education. Cambridge: MIT CAES. 8. Saaty T.L., The analytic hierarchy process. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1176