Environment and tourism in fragile territories: The case of humid zones in Sardinia

Abstract

During the 20th century two main interventions have been intended for coastal wetlands in Sardinia. Throughout the first part of the century Sardinian wetlands have been targeted for drainage to obtain productive agricultural land. At the end of the forties, wetlands were drained in order to eradicate malaria. From the second half of the 20th century ponds become significant also for nature conservation and tourism development (see the case of Doñana in Spain and the Camargue in France). In Sardinia wetlands are important as avifauna habitats (see the Ramsar Convention), tourism attractions and environmental conservation sites. In this paper we will present the process of tourist promotion of wetlands, the opportunities and the risks of this process with some empirical cases.