Many border areas are adjacent to or cross through parks and nature preserves, often because they are isolated, sparsely populated areas located at the periphery of the country. In various border areas in the world, border tourism attractions develop here because of their proximity to unique natural resources as well as to one or both sides of the border line. A Transboundary Protected Area, as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is a protected area that spans the boundaries of multiple countries, and in
which the political borders enclosed within its area are abolished. This includes the removal of all forms of physical boundaries allowing free movement of people and animals within the area. A boundary around the area may be maintained, however, to prevent unauthorized border crossing. Such areas are also known as Peace Parks (McNeil, 1990). Peace Parks are trans-boundary protected areas that are formally dedicated to the protection and management of biological diversity, natural and associated cultural resources, and the promotion of peace and cooperation. The parks encourage regulated tourism, sustainable development and goodwill between neighbouring countries (Kliot, 2002).
A trans-boundary park is a territory encompassing parts of at least two countries and managed by a joint authority established for this purpose with no connection to political boundaries. Such parks bear various names: trans- border frontier parks, trans-boundary parks, trans-border protected areas, conservation areas or peace parks. In unique border areas of protected ecological and cultural heritage systems, national parks are established. They often become highly attractive to tourists, as can be illustrated by a few of the most outstanding of them: Waterton Glacier Park (USA–Canada), Iguazu Falls Fig. 6.4. Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin as a tourism attraction.
(Argentina–Brazil) and Victoria Falls (Zambia–Zimbabwe). Such parks attract mainly local tourists, followed in quantitative terms by tourists from neighbouring countries and from countries further afield (Kliot, 2002).
Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park on the USA–Canadian border was established in 1932 by unifying areas of Lake Waterton in Alberta, Canada and Glacier National Park in Montana, USA (Timothy, 2001). This was the first park to be called a peace park and was intended to promote peace ties, symbolize existing peaceful relations between neighbouring countries and preserve natural ecosystems on both sides of the border. This early event led to the establishment of dozens of other trans-boundary parks throughout the 20th century (Timothy, 2000). Waterton–Glacier Peace Park is rich in breathtaking glaciers and different types of wildlife in danger of extinction. Tourists can visit the Canadian Rockies in adjacent nature reserves and towns such as Banff and Jasper, and the fascinating Lake Louise, which was created by ice melting in the mountains surrounding it. In Glacier National Park, tourists can hear explanations from the park rangers as they sail across the border and see where the border between the two countries lies in the water. From Waterton Park, hikers can cross over to the American side – Glacier Park – with its huge glaciers and massive cliffs of stone. Glacier Park has breathtaking virgin landscapes of a glacier valley, meadows, forests, rivers (more than 1600) and lakes (about 2000). The area is blessed with clear mountain air, some of its peaks are snow-capped even in summer, and the park is a veritable paradise for trekkers who like cliff edges and the chance to meet grizzlies up close. The park is considered among the most beautiful in North America.
When bilateral relations between two neighbouring countries are good, crossing the borders in either direction is relatively easy, allowing the communities on both sides to profit economically from income generated by tourists from the neighbouring country. This income would not have been earned without the countries’ good relations and the easy border passage.
Tourists can be exposed to the ecological environment more holistically, and for some of them the border crossing experience within the shared park may be a high point of the visit. Border crossings usually require formal procedures, but there are parks such as the International Peace Garden (USA–Canada) in which the border can be crossed with no delays and without the usual formal passport control. The area within the International Peace Garden (established in 1932) has a tax-free status for goods used within the park. The park is located on the border as a gateway to each of the countries, so that the two customs posts supervise only those goods that are brought into the neighbouring country when exiting the park. The entire park is devoted to the issue of peace and its meaning to the neighbouring countries, so that the ‘border walk’ is presented as a route that allows visitors to ‘experience the feeling of peace between neighbouring countries’ (Fig. 6.5). Visitors can stand with one leg in the USA and the other in Canada, an experience that evokes great excitement among visitors (Timothy, 2001).
There are also border areas adjacent to important natural sites but which were completely closed to passage because of prolonged political conflicts.
Some of these areas have opened anew after cessation of conflict. Processes
began to open the borders to passage and to cooperative economic, environmental and tourism ventures. Such a change leads to the possibility of and desire for cooperation in matters of nature and environment and to the development of trans-border parks. A prominent example is the ‘Iron Curtain’
border that served to cut off the former Soviet Union from Finland, and East European countries from West European countries. Today, as a result of the expansion and strengthening of the European Union (EU), the trend is towards nurturing trans-frontier parks in these areas, such as the ‘Friendship Park’
between Finland and Russia. The era of globalization, and especially that of supra-nationalism, in which organizations such as the EU, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) offer an alternative to national sovereignty, is causing far-reaching policy changes towards borders, which are becoming more open and free instead of closed and fortified. Additional global players that encourage the development of peace parks are world organizations such as the UN, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and non- governmental organizations (NGOs), among them Friends of the Earth International, which tries to promote projects where geopolitical barriers exist, for example, between Israel and its neighbours. In some of the parks, especially when neighbouring countries have suffered from conflicts, great emphasis is placed on defining the peace park and strengthening good neighbour ties between the countries (for example, La Amistad – the Friendship Park between Costa Rica and Panama). On the other hand, when relations between the neighbouring countries are good, greater emphasis is placed on preserving the Fig. 6.5. The International Peace Garden.
ecological systems, such as in the parks between the USA and Canada (Kliot, 2002).
La Amistad, the friendship park linking Costa Rica and Panama, was established in 1979. Costa Rica is known as a country that encourages the development of viable tourism for preserving nature and the environment. This park was included in UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. Most of its area is in Costa Rica, including the Talamanca Mountains, which reach an altitude of 4000 m and are difficult for traffic and passage. The uniqueness of the area lies in its extensive virgin landscapes, volcanic mountains, rain forests and rare treasures of flora and fauna. These elements turn La Amistad into a paradise for backpacking, bird watching, and aficionados of flora and fauna in the wild.
In 2002, an agreement was signed to establish the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park on a 35,000-km2 area in Africa that encompasses areas in both Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The aims of the park are to renew ecological systems and ensure the free movement of wild animals (such as elephants), encourage preservation and the viable use of natural resources, and develop ecological tourism to create employment and serve as an economic lever for the indigenous population. It also brings together the different ethnic groups and helps them to live as good neighbours and in greater harmony. All this takes place despite the complex geopolitical reality of the African countries, with fears of political violence, refugees, arms smuggling and the spread of diseases (Kliot, 2002).
As part of the various peace plans and discussions that have been held in the past between Israel and Egypt and between Israel and Jordan, ideas have been raised and plans have been prepared for cooperative ventures in the form of trans-border peace parks. Plans for the Peace Park on the Jordan River include re-flooding the present-day dry lake bed and creating a bird sanctuary.
The lake is expected to attract millions of migratory birds that cross the Jordan River Valley twice annually. Moreover, the old workers’ homes located adjacent to the remains of a power plant, which were abandoned with the closing of the plant in 1948 and afford a magnificent view of the Jordan River and the lake, could be renovated as an eco-lodge and the old power station converted into a visitors’ centre. The potential to develop the area for ecotourism is outstanding due to the natural beauty of the area, where nature trails could be developed discreetly hidden on one side of the riverbank for hikers, bikers and bird watchers (Gelbman, 2008).
Creating a protected area on both sides of the river will provide greater opportunities for biodiversity protection, cooperative management, joint research programmes, education and collaboration on nature-based tourism.
Although a border zone is understandably necessary, both Jordan and Israel have already created the precedent of opening the border fence for controlled guided tourism at several locations. The heads of the Jordan Valley Regional Council (Israel), Beit Shean Valley Regional Council (Israel) and Muaz Bin Jabal Municipality (Jordan) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the Peace Park that would restore pride of place to the river valley and create new opportunities for the local populations (Friends of the Earth Middle East, 2008).
Even if these plans encounter difficulties in implementation, the very process of planning and expending efforts to promote the vision among decision makers on both sides of the border, with the encouragement and support of international organizations or NGOs, constitutes an important positive process and encourages ties and contacts between leaders and others from both sides of the border. It is also a good way to try to turn vision into reality, strengthening and warming peace relations, as tourism development plays a central role in these plans.
The actual process of initiating and planning trans-frontier peace parks requires the strengthening of trans-border political ties as well as readiness and good will on both sides of the border. The stage of planning and authorizing such projects may be long because of objective delays in the form of official regulation on either side of the fence, and subjective difficulties based on fears of developments that might evolve as a result of the process. Peace parks may actually be the optimal example of environmental, social and tourism cooperation in shared border areas. It entails activity towards various aims and must include a ready supply of optimism and good will in relations between the nations. The fact that in recent years new peace parks have been declared and established in various parts of the world (Kliot, 2002) is the best evidence of the success and relevance of trans-frontier parks for introducing and implementing environmental and peace values as well as cooperation between neighbouring countries, with tourism playing a central role.