Tourism and sustainability at a crossroads in Shiretoko UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Japan

Sensitive natural environments of World Natural Heritage Sites (WNHS) are prone to damage from anthropogenic stressors including tourism. This article analyzes the case of Shiretoko Peninsula in Japan and identifies several challenges for natural heritage tourism. Shiretoko Peninsula is known for the connectivity between rich marine and terrestrial ecosystems symbolized by the formation of seasonal sea ice and the occurrence of several endangered species. However, the natural environment remains fragmented and visitor increase creates new pressure on the fragile ecosystems. Based on a visitor survey, multiple stakeholder interviews, and participant observation, this study identified problems such as low stakeholder awareness of ongoing environmental change and fragmentation of ecosystems in the WNHS area, emergence of tourism and ocular consumption of wildlife as novel stressors, lack of effective science communication skills in guides, and inadequate utilization of visitor centers. In addition, inadequate legal protection of endangered species, prevalence of a species control approach in the local management, and a lack of multilingual skills among local guides affect the site. This situation necessitates an open and critical dialogue between ecological experts, heritage managers, local inhabitants, and tourists, as well as a holistic understanding of the complex challenges affecting the natural environment of the place.