Thomas Jones

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Verified

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• PhD
• Professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Findings indicated the likelihood of climbers to comply with the LNT code tends to increase depending on their habitual climbing frequencies with repeat experience as significant covariates. This study reiterates the need for park management to adopt holistic outreach approaches to ensure LNT practices could be conveyed effectively to reduce irresp...

One of the major concerns for mountainous Protected Area management is the disposal of trash triggered by the influx of visitors. Providing on-site waste collection facilities, such as trash cans, could encourage visitors to stop littering. However, providing such facilities poses logistical challenges especially in altitude destinations due to the...

The year 2022 marked the fiftieth anniversary of UNESCO’s World Heritage (WH) program, with 1,157 cultural and natural sites listed based on 10 criteria. The list has earned global conservation kudos, but unfortunately the WH sites’ effectiveness in endorsing heritage has resulted in increased visitor numbers, placing more pressure on already envir...

Protected areas (PAs) such as national parks face funding issues that undermine effective management. Therefore, many PAs are exploring new financial instruments, such as visitor donations, to supplement their conservation budgets. This paper investigates visitor perceptions of one such system, a new conservation donation under consideration in Aso...

One of the main concerns for mountainous national park management is the generation of waste triggered by the influx of visitors. One of the most effective ways to combat this issue is by providing waste disposal facilities in the form of trash bins to encourage visitors to stop littering. However, for altitude destinations such as mountains, simpl...

This chapter focuses on feral rabbits on Ōkunoshima, Japan’s ‘Rabbit Island’ that is located inside Seto Naikai National Park. The humble rabbit is often overlooked by researchers and remain a polarising topic in a nature-based tourism (NBT) debate that often seeks ‘win-win’ solutions to maximise economic impact while simultaneously maintaining con...

山岳の保護区管理における主要な懸念事項のひとつに、訪問者の増加によって引き起こされる廃棄物やポイ捨ての発生がある。そのため、看板表示やその他の情報案内手段で適切な情報を提供することで、訪問者の意識を高め、ポイ捨てをやめるよう促すことができる。しかし、保護区内でより良いコミュニケーション戦略を構築するための大きな課題として、スチュワードシップ、言語や社会規範の違いがしばしば挙げられる。本研究では、富士山で採用されている看板やその他の情報共有の現状と課題について、現地視察や管理者のインタビューを通じて検証する。一方、現在の取り組みの有効性をよりよく理解するために、富士山の廃棄物やポイ捨て管理に対する訪問者の認識と意識を調査するために、訪問者を対象にアンケートを実施する。本研究で得られた知見は、富...

Purpose As UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) are integrated across Asia-Pacific Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), the purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study is to investigate undergraduates’ own self-stated commitment to the SDGs and their perceived feasibility by the 2030 target. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methodolog...

Purpose As UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) are integrated across Asia-Pacific Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), the purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study is to investigate undergraduates’ own self-stated commitment to the SDGs and their perceived feasibility by the 2030 target. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methodolog...

Global waste continues to grow exponentially, but the “Zero Waste” concept has emerged as one innovative counter-strategy. Japanese waste management relies mostly on incineration, but rural Kamikatsu in Shikoku has pioneered a different approach since 2001 when the town decided against building a new incineration plant. With the aim of becoming “wa...

This chapter deals with mountain peaks - a major sub-segment of nature-based tourism (NBT). Through the case study of Mount Fuji climbers past and present, the core research aim is to investigate whether re-designing sustainable experiences can support site managers’ efforts to infuse historical aspects of pilgrimage into the current trend toward p...

This chapter focuses on feral rabbits on Ōkunoshima, Japan’s ‘Rabbit Island’ that is located inside Seto Naikai National Park. The humble rabbit is often overlooked by researchers and remain a polarising topic in a nature-based tourism (NBT) debate that often seeks ‘win-win’ solutions to maximise economic impact while simultaneously maintaining con...

This research contributes to prior literature by analysing the complex relationship between tourism and conservation from a holistic socio-physical perspective, whereby the evaluation of Hoi An’s spatial zoning is considered inseparable from the concurrent renovation of traditional houses, and the transformation in socio-economic conditions. Eviden...

Products made from animal fur and skin have been a major part of human civilization. However, in modern society, the unsustainable consumption of these products – often considered luxury goods – has many negative environmental impacts. This study explores how people’s perceptions of biodiversity affect their attitudes and behaviors toward consumpti...

近年、ウサギ、ネコ、ブタなど保全の対象にない比較的身近な動物が観光客の人気を集めている一方で、こうした動物の観光利用と管理のあり方についてはあまり議論がなされていない。本研究は、動物を鑑賞することを目的としたワイルドライフ・ツーリズムの発展の背景を踏まえ、大久野島（広島県）のウサギ観光を例に、その位置付けを図り、管理の方向性を提案することを目的とした。大久野島を訪問する観光客は、餌やりを通して、可愛いウサギと近くで触れ合うという「触れ合い動物園」的な経験を楽しんでおり、一般的な大自然の中で野生動物を鑑賞するワイルドライフ・ツーリズムとは性格が異なること分かった。

Many mountain destinations around the world are struggling to cope with the emerging solid waste issue. With the increasing trend of “nature-based tourism” in recent years, there have been various efforts to turn protected areas (PA) including mountains into tourist destinations. Mount Fuji is one of the classic examples of this “transition” especi...

The rapidly declining biosphere integrity, representing one of the core planetary boundaries, is alarming. In particular, the global numbers of mammals, birds, fishes, and plants declined by 68% from 1970 to 2016. One of the most widely accepted measures to halt the rate of biodiversity loss is to maintain and expand protected areas that are effect...

One of the main concerns for many park management on mountain is the generation of waste triggered by the influx of visitors. One of the most effective way to combat this issue is by providing waste disposal facilities in the form of trash bins to encourage visitors to stop littering. However, for altitude destination such as mountains, simply prov...

Biodiversity loss is happening at an unprecedented rate, especially in countries like Vietnam, with rich biodiversity and a high population growth rate. One of the main causes of biodiversity loss in Vietnam is the unsustainable bushmeat consumption rate in urban areas. To help mitigate the demand for bushmeat, this study aims to examine the associ...

Products made from animal fur and skin have been a major part of human civilization. However, in modern society, the unsustainable consumption of these products – often considered luxury goods – has many negative environmental impacts. This study explores how people’s perceptions of biodiversity affect their attitudes and behaviors toward consumpti...

The report (in Japanese) is found in Journal of Japan Institute of Tourism Research [The Tourism Studies, 2022.9/Vol.34/No.1 pp.97-98.

： Questionnaire surveys were conducted to grasp trekkers' attitudes toward responsibilities and roles that trekkers, managers, guides and mountain huts should be accountable for related to cause factors of mountaineering incidents. We dealt with altitude sickness; danger spots on mountain trails; route guidance; volcanic eruption; severe weather; i...

This chapter reviews the concept of 'outstanding universal value,' outlining the World Heritage (WH)'s list establishment and success as a conservation brand. Although the list's 'tourism-inducing effect' remains contested, public and private sector interests often converge around monetization of the inscribed properties, creating a 'heritage indus...

Each year, millions of tourists visit Himalayas. Sensitive to outside influences, the Himalayan environment of mountain areas has been abruptly exposed to it. The authorities of the Himalayan countries try to conserve them and currently, there are 126 areas under protection. However, due to economic and social reasons in the Himalayan countries, th...

The rapidly declining biosphere integrity, representing one of the core planetary boundaries, is alarming. One of the most widely accepted measures to halt the rate of biodiversity loss is to maintain and expand protected areas that are effectively managed. However, it requires substantial finance derived from nature-based tourism, specifically vis...

This book is a unique work offering an emic view of tourism in Vietnam. Thirteen chapters in the book cover a broad range of tourism development issues with reference to the historical, political, cultural and economic background of the country. This book also provides a comprehensive review of tourism development in Vietnam. Part I of the volume i...

This book is a unique work offering an emic view of tourism in Vietnam. Thirteen chapters in the book cover a broad range of tourism development issues with reference to the historical, political, cultural and economic background of the country. This book also provides a comprehensive review of tourism development in Vietnam. Part I of the volume i...

Mountains are popular sites for tourism and annually, multitudes of hikers, trekkers, and climbers converge on these areas. The Himalayas, a delicate ecosystem is being invaded by increasing levels of tourism activity. As a consequence of the increase in tourism, the pressure on naturally fragile ecosystems is growing and can lead to a serious conf...

Mountains are popular sites for tourism and annually, multitudes of hikers, trekkers, and climbers converge on these areas. The Himalayas, a delicate ecosystem is being invaded by increasing levels of tourism activity. As a consequence of the increase in tourism, the pressure on naturally fragile ecosystems is growing and can lead to a serious conf...

Biodiversity loss is happening at an unprecedented rate, especially in countries like Vietnam with rich biodiversity and high population growth rate. One of the main causes of biodiversity loss in Vietnam is increasing bushmeat consumption in urban areas. This study aims to examine the associations between biodiversity loss perceptions, attitude to...

Biodiversity loss is occurring at unprecedented rate. Understanding the mental constructs of the public can help implement more effective programs and regulations for decelerating the loss. Although many studies have been conducted to study the biodiversity mental constructs of the public, little is known about those of urban residents in an Asian...

This report is in Japanese. Contact the authors for a PDF copy.

Tourists put their trust in maps and guidebooks and they expect information within to be accurate. Unfortunately, vital information can often be incorrect such as the accuracy of altitude above sea level. Cartographic misrepresentations and the impact on tourism is the focus of this study. Altitude data from maps, guidebooks and summit signs were c...

The Philippines is Southeast Asia’s second biggest archipelago. From coral reefs to tropical, forested mountains, the country is a biodiversity hotspot under threat from the rapid rate of environmental degradation. The establishment and expansion of protected areas (PAs) has been one of the major biodiversity conservation counterstrategies. The Nat...

This chapter focuses on Japan’s national parks, created via a 1931 act and amalgamated in 1957 into the top rung of a three-tiered nature park system. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) uses a spectrum of core and buffer zones to administer the 34 national parks’ multi-purpose objectives including conservation and nature-based tourism (NBT). However...

In Indonesia, state forests are divided into conservation, protected, and production forest categories according to management objectives. Contained within conservation forests are the 54 national parks, of which nine are predominantly marine, six are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and five are Ramsar wetland sites. This chapter investigates Indonesi...

Conservation of protected areas (PAs) in Vietnam received scant attention until the early 1990s. The current system of PA governance contributes to the protection of biodiversity, albeit in an overlapping and complicated manner. The greatest contribution of policy towards PAs is the decentralization and delegation of additional powers to provincial...

Taiwan consists of one main and 165 smaller islands covering a total terrestrial area of 36,193km². Four fundamental conservation acts shape the legal landscape of Taiwan’s Protected Areas (PAs), including the Forestry Law (1932); National Parks Law (1972); Cultural Heritage Preservation Law (1982); and Wildlife Conservation Law (1989). Two governm...

A quarter of global land surface is occupied by mountains. These fragile ecosystems have remained relatively isolated, resulting in rich biodiversity but some of the poorest and most marginal communities in the world. In the recent rush to develop these inaccessible highland ‘frontiers,’ Asia’s mountainous Protected Areas (PAs) symbolize the trade-...

This chapter explores the status quo of China’s Protected Areas (PA) network and the challenges faced in an era of rapid increases in tourism. PAs encapsulate the sustainable tourism debate not least due to their rapid recent increase. China’s 3,392 Forest Parks are designated in theory for their significant landscapes and ecology, but in reality f...

This chapter offers a trans-regional synthesis of various aspects that emerged from the 12 countries and case study destinations from across Asia’s mountainous Protected Areas (PAs). Intra-regional syntheses of Northeast Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia are presented in terms of regional characteristics, and trends in nature-based tourism (NBT)...

Nepal covers less than 1% of global land area, but 3.3% and 1.1% of the world's known flora and fauna are found respectively in its forest ecosystem. The enactment of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (1973) paved the way for the establishment of Nepal's first national park. With 20 Protected Areas (PAs), Nepal has 23.4% (34,419 km 2...

Purpose – Different countries have responded to the pandemic with distinct domestic and international travel restrictions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the stringency of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) countermeasures in Japan against their G20 cohorts. Primary data were monitored at a ski resort in Kyushu regarding the social...

The rapid post-millennial internationalisation of Japan’s tourism sector and the influx of international visitors have quickly increased visitor motivations’ heterogeneity, thereby posing challenges for management. Given the lack of prior research, we aimed to identify nature-based tourism (NBT) push-factor motivation domains of visitors in a Japan...

This book provides holistic insights into management of protected areas across East Asia and identifies current trends in mountain tourism within the broader field of human geography and nature conservation. The book describes the diversification in visitors and expanding protected areas territories in different Asian countries during recent years....

This chapter investigates sustainable tourism in Malaysia via a case study of stewardship in Malaysia’s Langkawi archipelago. Few destinations better epitomize the meteoric rise of tourism in Southeast Asia, or the challenges that coastal resorts face in coping with unprecedented visitation. Ineffective management has led to a wide-ranging lack of...

The “Zero Waste” concept has emerged as one many innovative solutions to tackle waste since its introduction in 1973 by Dr. Paul Palme. In Japan, this concept was first introduced by Kamikatsu Town in 2004 after the town decided against building a new incineration facility. With the aim of becoming a “waste-free” town by 2020, Kamikatsu zero waste...

Since listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1999, Hoi An Ancient Town in Vietnam has been transformed by tourism development with visitor numbers increasing more than sixteen-fold. Beyond positive economic impacts, tourism has generated considerable funds for conservation, with revenue assisting authentic restoration of the town’s histor...

This article analyzed a living cultural heritage destination’s adaptive resilience from the perspective of social-ecological systems (SES). The aim was to test the SES framework at Hoi An Ancient Town, a cultural World Heritage Site in central Viet Nam by (1) delineating the adaptive renewal cycle in the historical context of destination developmen...

： Mountaineering incidents usually proceed from the interaction of various, sometimes scattered causes or contributory factors sequentially. This study examined the relations between main causes and background / indirect factors in near misses or incidents recognized by Japanese mountaineers. In addition, we examined what situation of incidents and...

UNESCO’s World Heritage inscription is considered to positively influence tourism demand. However, relevant econometric research has yielded inconsistent results. In this study, we used a meta-analysis to synthesize the effects of World Heritage Site (WHS) status across 344 econometric estimates from 43 studies. Meta-regression results reveal sever...

In Indonesia, the existence of preserved forest is threatened by the high rate of deforestation associated with poor quality of governance. This study aims to evaluate the applying of good governance principles in preserved forest at South Sumatera and its effect on deforestation. This study is a qualitative research. Good governance principles ref...

Iconic Mount Fuji has symbolized the fragmented state of Japan’s ‘multi-purpose’ national park administration. Although the Ministry of Environment (MOE) is the legal administrator, the national parkland is predominantly owned by the Forestry Agency, with many services provided by local governments. This complex combination can result in stakeholde...

This chapter describes Mount Fuji, which at 3776 m asl forms the highest point in Japan, as a composite heritage. Fuji was registered in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 2013 as a Cultural Property, but the mountain and its surrounding landscapes also represent a significant natural heritage. The steep, conically shaped mountain we see today...

Due to their ease of installation and use, durability, and low cost, the use of passive infrared counters has increased rapidly in protected areas. This study investigated the calibration of a beam sensor using a parallel count system as control. Analysis of secondary data revealed the degree or error between 6th and 8th stations to fluctuate tempo...

This study examined the economic accessibility of Mount Kinabalu perceived by the local people of Sabah. Specifically, this study i) examined the concept of willingness to pay (WTP) in light of its association with perceived fee fairness, spending support and place attachment; and ii) analysed the economic and non-economic variables that could pote...

This study evaluates the longitudinal impact of world heritage site (WHS) inscription on the recreational value of Mount Fuji. Using a zonal travel cost model (ZTCM), the recreational value is estimated during consecutive summer climbing seasons (2008-2013). Per capita visit rates from 21 zones are used to calibrate the longitudinal ZTCM with panel...

Protected areas have been established under the premise of static distribution of different ecosystems and species, but this assumption is becoming invalid due to climate change. Under non-static conditions, some adaptable nonnative species will enter into protected areas, while some native species will no longer be able to sustain ecological funct...

The UNDP’s 2012 Biodiversity Framework included Signature Programme No. 2 to balance the conservation potential of protected areas (PAs) with sustainable development, via nature-based tourism (NBT). PAs had already been bolstered by the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, wherein Target No. 11 sought territorial expansion to 17% (terrestrial and inland wat...

The numbers of postmillennium international tourists to Japan have increased exponentially, and behavioral differences compared to domestic visitors pose challenges for management. Despite this practical need, few studies have focused on expenditure comparison of existing and emerging visitor segments. This analysis of Mount Fuji's 2008 summer seas...

The "National Parks in Time and Space" collection is part of Arcadia, a collaboration of the Rachel Carson Center and the European Society of Environmental History that publishes short, peer-reviewed environmental histories. http://www.environmentandsociety.org/arcadia/most-beautiful-valley-japan-kamikochi-japan-alps-and-national-parks-japan

Sandakan Memorial Park was established to commemorate the suffering and death of British and Australian soldiers and other civilians that were imprisoned in Sandakan by the Japanese army during the Second World War between 1942 until 1945. Using Sandakan Memorial Park as a case study, this paper seeks to contribute to the literature on dark tourism...

This study presents an operational example of Toya-Usu's recovery strategy from a volcanic eruption in 2000, focussing particularly on the geopark movement which symbolizes the long-term recovery. Findings showed that Toya's millennial response differed significantly from the 1977 eruption, as a cross-section of local residents, tourism operators a...

Background: Few studies have investigated climbing-related acute mountain sickness (AMS) on Mt Fuji. Although several studies of AMS have been conducted elsewhere, Mt Fuji is unique because there are many mountain lodges between the fifth station (a common starting point for climbers at an altitude of 2305 m) and the summit (3776 m), and many climb...

The trade-off between conservation and development in protected areas (PAs) such as national parks is well documented. Yet a separate trade-off sometimes sees PA mechanisms overlap or even compete with each other as different management institutions seek to assert administrative control. This paper investigates the case study of Shikotsu-Toya, the...

Nature-based tourism (NBT), including visits to protected areas such as national parks, is said to rank among the tourism sector’s fastest growing segments. However, protected area visitation statistics can be inaccurate or unreliable, leading to mixed messages when trends are extrapolated to national level. This paper examines one such case using...

UNESCO’s World Heritage Site (WHS) list aims to mobilize resources for conservation. After inscription in 2013, a new pilot system was introduced at Mount Fuji encouraging climbers to donate ￥1000 towards improved environmental conservation. This paper reports the results of a questionnaire survey conducted in the summer 2013 season. Fuji climber s...

This chapter provides a critical analysis of the Shin Nihon Hakkei (hereafter Hakkei), a canon of eight ?new? landscape sites that were nominated in 1927 following an opinion poll jointly conducted by two newspaper companies, the Tokyo Nichinichi Shinbunsha and Osaka Mainichi Shinbunsha. At first glance, the Hakkei?s ostensible aim of showcasing th...

Despite heightened awareness of sustainability issues, annual per capita waste generation continues to grow around the globe. Japan's solid waste management (SWM) policy is relevant as one of the few exceptions where levels of waste have peaked and are now in decline, mainly through the dissemination of a 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) policy. The...

The national parks of England and Wales seek to provide public access and conservation concurrently despite being largely composed of 'protected landscapes' that consist largely of private land situated in upland areas. This paper employs secondary sources to review evolving access and conservation mechanisms in the parks through five pivotal polic...

The announcement that Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympic Games echoes economic upswings that could signal an end to Japan’s ‘lost decades’. Prime Minister Abe’s quantitative easing has increased corporate earnings and consumer spending, with the stock market posting large gains. However, even as Abe was reassuring IOC members of Tokyo’s safety, TEPCO...

Objective Few studies exist on climbing-related incidents at Fujisan, although it is Japan’s highest peak at 3776 m, and attracts dense crowds of summer climbers. A retrospective review was thus conducted to analyze the types of incidents and the demographics of climbers involved. Methods Police reports of summer climbing incidents occurring along...

In June 2013, Mount Fuji was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Subsequently, a new system was piloted encouraging climbers to make a donation of 1000 JPY to help improve environmental conservation. This research is part of a larger study from 2008 to 2014 monitoring the characteristics and behaviour of Fuji climbers. Specifically, this pap...

Despite being a one-party system, the Lao People's Democratic Republic has witnessed varying degrees of decentralization since 1975. Recent policies have focused on administrative decentralization or deconcentration, as when the Ministry of Education transferred certain Lower Secondary School responsibilities from provincial to district level autho...

This paper uses Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model to track the rise and fall of nature-based tourism (NBT) in Japan through six stages of nature park visitation from “Exploration” to the post-stagnation stages of either “Decline” or “Rejuvenation”. First, “Exploration” examines the marriage of indigenous travel culture with Westernized...

Trends from Japan and other post-industrial countries suggest visitor demand for nature-based tourism (NBT) destinations such as national parks, which rocketed in the post-war period, has peaked and is now in decline. This has adverse implications for funding and natural resource management. One suggested counter strategy is targeted marketing base...

Japan's rural peripheries have suffered dramatic depopulation in the postwar period as a result of urbanization driven by education and employment. Subsequent attempts at regional revitalization have seen corporate branding techniques increasingly used in regional public diplomacy, although the intangible nature of place branding has undermined att...

In order to investigate visitor demand for nature-based tourism (NBT) at a Japanese national park (NP), Kamikochi was selected as a representative case study. As well as being a renowned NBT destination, unique circumstances ensure that this honeypot gateway is a good barometer of visitor demand in Japanese NPs. Kamikochi visitors were subjected to...