Eighteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

While the concept of sustainability has been around for a very long time, it was in 1987 when the Bruntland report coined the term “sustainable development” giving impetus to economic conditions and opportunities to protect the environment and meet the needs of current and future generations. However, for the past three decades economic systems of valuation focused on short-term growth and profit maximization have fallen short in accounting for the true value of a healthy planet and the wellbeing of humanity over the long term. The result is, we are currently pushing up against the limits of a finite planet. Where do we go from here? In the context of nature based tourism, bringing together the cultural, social, economic, environmental and political aspects of sustainability is challenging, but necessary. While the political dimension of sustainability is not highlighted in the literature, it is an important consideration if we are serious about pursuing sustainability as a framework for the future. The political decisions made today about safeguarding wilderness at a local level have future implications at a global level. While the pandemic has curtailed international visitors in wilderness spaces, the local interest and engagement with natural landscapes has increased. This paper focuses on nature based tourism in British Columbia, Canada to frame the discussion of politics and partnerships in maintaining the carrying capacity of intact wilderness.