Kitemark can be a winner for nature

Print article for the West Briton newspaper February 21, 2013 [link to original article]

SOON our streets will teem with 14 million day trippers, beaches will bulge with families, and quiet estuaries fill with pleasure craft. Tourists oil the biggest cog in Cornwall’s economic clockwork and we need them.

Spare a thought however for those who have spent the winter looking after our wild spaces — hardy types sat on clifftops with binoculars and thick gloves; volunteers repairing footpaths on sand dunes; kayakers cleaning up river banks in December. Not all visitors will be content to laze on the beach, so these gentle tree-huggers will be forced to watch as seabird colonies are disturbed by coasteerers, dune systems get trampled and grey seals are pestered by hordes of paddle-boarders — won’t they?

It’s tempting to see tourists as something of an economic intrusion into an ecological gem, with conservationists as the horrified spectators. The truth is we all want to preserve this iconic landscape with its amazing wildlife, a third of which is a protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). We must rely on the people that provide the most direct access to our treasures, the activity providers — giving the kayaking courses, the climbing lessons and guided walks.

With their help, can we find some harmony between the demands of the more adventurous visitors and our wildlife? The new Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI), based at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall campus in Penryn, recently hosted a conference to find out. There were delegates from 23 Cornish activity providers, six environmental NGOs and a sprinkling of academics.

When it comes to tourism and wildlife, the activity industry is relatively unregulated. The proposal on the table at ESI is that Cornwall as a whole would benefit from an agreed code of conduct. Self-regulating activity providers would work together to collectively raise standards on environmental practice. Such a move could help brand Cornwall as an environmentally responsible and unspoilt destination, keeping tourism flourishing long term. Lessening the impact on wildlife and habitats would please us woolly-hatted conservationists too.

Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum is such an independent organisation bringing together activity providers and environmental groups. It has also provided a platform for airing concerns from the public. The resulting Pembrokeshire’s Charter contributed to their coastline being top-rated in National Geographic’s article, 50 Tours Of A Lifetime. Most of Cornwall’s activity providers already work to extremely high standards, run by people with a passion for this beautiful landscape who want to keep it perfect. They are outdoors every day, and part of what they do is educating visitors about our habitats and how to keep them pristine.

However a highly visible set of environmental standards might help raise the profile and reputation of the industry, and lend kudos to companies which sign up to such a voluntary code. A group championing environmental standards could apply for funding to invest back into the environment, and could also increase the respect and understanding of their work by local communities. A well-promoted, ecological kitemark might also deter lower-quality businesses (so-called ‘cowboys’) from entering the market in Cornwall too; in short, everybody benefits.

In a room full of activity providers and conservationists, it’s pretty hard to tell the tribes apart. They all look rather weather-beaten and both groups want exactly the same thing — conservation and access. If we’re going to give this code of conduct a go then the industry itself must take up the challenge. Organisations like the AONB can’t impose it; the code must be developed and supported from within. It’s a proven concept just waiting to be launched here. So, when shall we get this kitemark flying?