What is Geopark?
This proposal mainly reflects about the main attributes and the importance of the geopark. There is a detail explanation about the Kaikoura geopark. Its method of sustainability and the important features which makes the geopark complete (Qin, 2016). There are some legal initiation taken by the people of kaikoura to have a enrich geopark. There are so suggestions given to the director of the conservation department. There is also matrix and graphs which identifies the policies and recommendations more prominently. There is thorough legal structure, which suggests the National Park Act and other acts. Kaikoura is such a place where geopark is enhanced by the rich marine life, landscapes and has historical significance.
A geopark is considered as the territory or a place which is inclusive of a particular geographical heritage, a sustainable territorial development policies It must also contain geological sites of specific significance of their scientific quality, rarity, aesthetic value or educational value (Dowling , 2015). Geopark enhance the economy of the country through enhancement of a general image, which is linked to the geological heritage of the country (Abraham et al., 2014). The Geological heritage of the Kaikoura community includes archaeological, historical which brings cultural pride of the territory. Geopark is also concerned with the process for the sustaining of the geological heritage. It can be considered that according to the Unesco global geoparks are single unified geographical areas where the territory and the landscapes of the geological sites are supervised and managed by protection, sustainable development and education. A Unesco connects its geological heritage with the place’s natural and cultural heritage. It enables everyone to understand and become aware of the prime issues faced by the society. The prime issues includes sustainability of ecological balance and reduction of the risks of the natural disaster. Unesco tries to link the geological heritage with the common people. This awareness helps the local people to be proud of their territory and they become more conscious of their own self identity (Komac, Oberhaensli & Mc Keever, 2016). The construction of innovative local enterprises, new jobs and high quality training courses is stimulated as new sources of revenue are generated through the occupation of geotourism if the geological resources of the area are protected. This can be linked to the Kaikoura geotourism. Kaikoura is a town in New Zealand, which has its own enriched history, and it is also famous for its archaeological remains. Archaeological remains indicate that Moa hunters resided the peninsula 900 years ago. The Kaikoura peninsula extends into the of the Kaikoura town and the upwelling currents of the peninsula bring an abundance of marine life from the depths of the Hikurangi Trench . It can be considered that remaining of the Maori and European settlement of the area and Kaikoura’s whaling history are one of the major attraction today because these can be found in the Kaikoura Museum and the historic Fyffe House. The Whales also share part of this ocean with dusky dolphins, fur seals, and albatross amongst other. Migrating species for example the rare hector’s dolphin, humpback whales and orca visit every year. So it can be considered that the Kaikoura is both enriched with a rich ecological life and also it has historical and cultural heritage.
Establishing Protection of the Geopark
It can be analyzed that Kaikoura is the first community in New Zealand and second in the world to achieve Benchmark status in 2002 and certification status in 2004 with the help of the Earth check program. Hence, it can be said that the Earth check is the world’s tourism certification standard , basically it is the criterion under which all the environment steps has taken place. EarthCheck delivers an infrastructure into which they can be appropriate that identifies that Kaikoura’s community cares about its environment and is taking steps to protect it. Kaikoura has reached this position by following certain steps to reach this criterion . The first is the policy of zero waste . It is about the agenda to reduce waste in the town. In order to proceed this step the rubbish collection was restricted and the methods of recycling was adopted. These methods were food waste collections, public place recycling and also searching markets for the reused goods. Another thing is energy efficiency initiatives. Energy has been prevented from the waste in the community. This has enabled the small businesspersons to attain greater energy efficiency ( Farsani et al., 2014). Another important step is the Kaikoura district council has adopted certain initiatives like a action plan to curtail the carbon emissions. There are certain initiatives like street lightning, solar street light traits, adopting the strategy of district walking and cycling strategy which helps for climate protection. The strategy of trees for travelers is also very helpful for the Kaikoura town. Once a study has been found that, there is a need for 2 million trees to reduce the green house carbon emission (Suggate, 2016) . At that time the trees for travelers project was founded. The native trees were planted , then it is sold to tourist and it was planted locally (Han et al., 2017). These procedures help the environment to be purified and health so that the people can live there. There is a group named Lyell Creek Stream Care Group which is working with the landowners along with the Kaikoura’s inland waterways so that it can safeguard and uplift the waterways with the help of the planting, fencing and bridging and consequently it enabled to increase the biodiversity of the waterways and the biodiversity (Pianosi & Wagener, 2017). There is another group of people called Te Korowai o Te Tai o Marokura that mainly looks after and protects the marine life. This group is form of the recreational and commercial fishers. These members are interested in fishing and they also have the responsibility of looking after the environmental problems and they also take advice and suggestions from the government (Mun et al., 2014) . Both of them have developed a coastal management strategy to maintain the biodiversity of the marine life. The biodiversity project allows the extension of the indigenous biodiversity by following certain initiatives. The first one is the relief policy and there is also a policy for the people which ensures their right over their land. Another policy is the appointment of a Biodiversity officer who works with private landowners and suggests them number of ways in which they canmanage and protect significant areas of indigenous biodiversity on their land and gradually increase the district’s biodiversity. It can be said that the plastic pollution is one of the important criterion for the pollution in a place. Hence, it can be said that in Kaikoura there is prohibition of using plastic bags (Mendes, Hoeberechts and Albu, 2015) . Kaikoura use a recycled shopping bag for buying things. It also enables to reduce waste and helps to protect the unique marine mammals from the wastage.
Geopark attracts Tourist attraction
In this proposal, it is found that the Kaikoura is mentioned as the geopark. Kaikoura is successful in maintaining its ecological balance both in terms of marine life and overall sustainability of the environment. Moreover, the biodiversity of this place also includes the rights of the indigenous people. Kaikoura has enriched history and archaeological remains. It has traditional arts, crafts and jwellery and historical buildings, which provides resources to the geopark of the Kaikoura. Another important factor is that it has a rich marine life consist of whales, which is the main attraction of the territory. Moreover it has other other marine lives which also substantiates the economy of the people of the Kaikoura because many people of Kaikoura is also involved in the fishing industry. Kaikoura attracts a huge number of tourists. There are local tour operators who gives the option to watch dolphins, whales, and many other species on a routine basis. In the air, visitors can view the Kaikoura Mountains from above, and fly over the rocky peninsula and seaside township (Wearing et al. 2014) . Scuba diving is another thing done by the tourists in the undersea world for some of the best reef diving in the country.
Geopark is not at all a problem, it is one of the process of the sustainable development of the environment (Pagliarulo, 2015). It is true that at present geopark is not only confined to the development of the proper ecosystem and the protection of the marine lives but it has extended its approach to prohibition of the use of the waste energy, plastics, sustaining the rights of the indigenous people. This include various steps, strategies and initiatives to fulfill the criterion of the geopark (Hidalg , & Thiel, 2015) . So, definitely it is not easy to achieve these goals there must be need of patience and potential to develop a proper geopark. Finally, it cannot be considered as problems to build a geopark.
Geoparks are areas that provide protection to geological heritage and promote the sustainable economic development of the people living in the parks. There are geoparks which are international importance and their wellbeing have impact on the world environment. The following are the importance of the geoparks:
A geopark exists around an area which has geological and natural heritage like mineral deposits and a rich collection of fauna and flora. The geoparks promote the natural heritage of the area to attract companies to carry out sustainable operations which creates employment for the people dependent on the park. They hold records on environmental records like past history of earthquake and past climate change. The people and the companies who wish to exploit the resources of the area can use the knowledge to plan their activities. For example, Kaikoura experienced earthquake of 7.8 magnitudes which caused movement in the tectonic plates. The geoparks maintain data regarding these occurrences and help the firm investing in the area form proper strategies (Cook, 2017).
The geoparks informs the interested firms about the natural resources and promote their sustainable economic exploitation. Kaikaoura is rich in natural resources like marine animals and attracts firms involved in fishing and whaling. The Kaukoura local authorities and the geoparks promote sustainable exploitation of these natural resources to prevent degeneration of the natural surroundings. They educate the local people and the foreigners about the importance to conserve natural habitats and use natural resources sustainably (kaikoura.co.nz, 2017). Thus, they help the international and national organizations like the United Nations to spread awareness about natural environment among the local people and the firms.
The district of Kaikoura is rich in natural resources like a huge cattle population, teeming varieties of wildlife and mineral resources. The area has minerals like magnetite and commercially important rocks like quartz. The firms from the mining companies should be allowed to carrying out mining in Kaikoura district which will provide employment to the local population (Hill, 2017).
Figure 1. Figure showing New Zealand’s trade of goods
(Source:stats.govt.nz, 2017)
The figure above shows New Zealand’s export in trade which is dominated by the mining by the mining industry. Hence, development of mining activities will allow commercial exploitation of resources of the Kaikoura National park. This will promote employment for the people in the area which will encourage economic development. However, it is proposed that the minerals should be exploited in an environment friendly way to prevent depletion of the mineral resources and pollution due to mining.
The matrix above shows two axes, the X axis shows the income and the Y axis shows sustainability. The graph shows that with development of the sustainable mining industry in the region of Kaikoura will lead to economic development. The taxes collected from the mining companies would increase the income of the local government. They will be able to provide more facilities to the residents of the area.
The region of Kaikoura has a rich population of cattle like sheep, cows and horses. The government with the money earned from the taxes from the big mining companies can set up cooperatives for the farmers. This will encourage dairy industry development in the area which will once help in economic development and employment generation. Thus, development of mining can set a chain of development activities and rural economic development. The dairy farms will produce high quality milk and other organic products to the industries like chocolate and cosmetic.
The state of Kaikoura has beautiful beaches that meet the mountain which provide a beautiful view. The chart below shows the increase in the number of tourist visits in New Zealand. The district of Kaikoura can be used to develop eco tourism which will generate income for the government.
Figure 2. New Zealand tourist arrival graph
(Source: Tradingeconomics.com, 2017)
Langoya and Long (2016) in their work state that eco tourism can help in bringing about rural development which aims to provide better standard of living for the local. The local government can collaborate with the local tourist companies to develop the area as a tourist destination. Chirozva (2015) in his work cites example how eco tourism development in an area encourages entrepreneurial ventures. This justifies that development and flourishing of the eco tourism in Kaikoura will encourage entrepreneurial ventures. It wills catalyze economic development in the area which will increase the revenue generation of the government bodies in New Zealand. The fund raised can be used to promote maintenance work around the beaches which will attract more marine animals. This will in turn make the holidays of the tourists more enjoyable and help in gaining a loyal tourists.
The matrix shows two axes, the X axis shows the income and the Y axis shows growth of eco tourism. The graph shows that growth of eco tourism in the area will lead to attraction of more tourists by the region. Visits of tourists will attract tourist companies in the area. The area can also attract hotels and restaurant chains in the area which will employ the local people. The local government can generate more income from the restaurant chains and hotels. The government can use the revenue to better the infrastructure of the area like roads and bridges. The government bodies can improve the sea beaches which would attract more marine animals. The government can also spend money to develop the local varieties of the animals and birds. Thus, development of eco tourism policy as indicated in the matrix can result in the all round development of the region of Kaikoura. This can encourage sustenance and co.nservation of the wild life, bird life and marine of the region. This can increase in inflow of tourists from all round the world.
Vasile, Surugiu and Login (2016) in work state that local business can contribute towards preservation of cultural heritage. For example, development of eco tourism will attract a large number of tourists. This will increase the revenue earned by the government from them that can used in further development of tourism. The local government body can use the money to maintain the local heritage sites like churches and monasteries. These renovated churches can be promoted to attract more tourists. The amount of money generated can be used to maintain the sea beaches and the forests. Structures like watch towers can also be constructed to make watching birds and animals more enjoyable. Thus, it will set a circle of benefits and encourage economic development in the area (Er & Simon, 2015).
National Parks Act 1980 mandate maintenance of the natural parks in natural state and approval entry of the public. The act oversees the maintenance of national parks and reserves within New Zealand. The act requires the public to maintain the quality of soil, water and forest conservation. The act mandates the visitors to take care of the native plants and animals and not make any attempt to disturb or distract them. The act also has provisions of introduction of biological control organisms in the national parks to control pests or wild animals. Introduction of organisms will require proper advice from a practitioner or expert with experience in the activities (legislation.govt.nz, 2017).
The EPA advices the ministers on the environment related matters or regarding an environment act. The act functions according to the powers delegated to it by the constitution. The act also has provisions of delegation of power to the only with the consent of the concerned minister.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 deals with eight matters. They are world heritage properties, national heritage sites, marshlands listed under the Ramsar Conservation, migratory species of birds and animals, Commonwealth marine areas, the Great Barrier Reefs and nuclear actions. The act requires the companies seeking to start commercial ventures to get approval of the Australian government. The act aims to provide protection to natural environment and promote sustainable economic development (environment.gov.au, 2017).
The international geoparks are under the control of UNESCO, the environment protection of the United Nations. The body works to spread awareness about the importance of the geparks and natural regions. The organization works towards educating people about importance of maintenance of natural heritage and their impact on the human beings (unesco.org, 2017).
Conclusion:
The study shows that development of geopark in Kaikoura will bring about an array of developments in the region. The region is rich in minerals which can be exploited sustainably and economically to generate income. Development of eco tourism will lead to development of the economic conditions of the place and its people. It can also be used to promote sustainability.
References:
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