Using a Participatory Integrated Watershed Management Approach for Tourism

Often the approach to protect a watershed is about addressing threats to the ecosystem or limiting development, mainly focusing on agriculture or large-scale development. This paper uses a participatory integrated watershed management approach (PIWM) for both tourism managers as well as environmental organizations and governing agencies to move toward more sustainable recreation and tourism. Examining the Lake Simcoe Watershed in Canada, this mixed method approach of surveys, interviews and a workshop found that adopting a PIWM approach for tourism managers can ensure environmental considerations are put in the forefront of tourism development and that reviewing tourism impacts may be also beneficial to environmental governance.