Tourism and recreation in blue carbon ecosystems: Exploring synergies, trade-offs and pathways to sustainability

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) represent a significant natural solution for climate change mitigation through their capacity to sequester large amounts of organic carbon. These coastal habitats also provide an array of co-benefits, such as biodiversity enrichment, livelihood support, and opportunities for tourism and recreational activities. However, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human activities, including unsustainable tourism practices. To get a deeper understanding into the current trends and uncover key research gaps related to tourism synergies and trade-offs with BCEs, we conducted a global systematic literature review of published research The review highlights the evolution of tourism impacts on BCEs. Our findings reveal a significant increase in publications related to tourism impacts and BCEs from 2016, peaking in 2021. Ecology-based studies dominate the research space, with nearly half of the studies concentrating solely on ecotourism, underscoring its prominence within tourism research. Mangroves emerge as the most frequently reported ecosystem type, with most studies conducted in Indonesia and China. When tourism synergies and trade-offs were mapped, it showed that ecotourism is strongly associated with synergies including raising conservation awareness and promoting pro-environmental behaviours. Economically, ecotourism contributes to income generation and livelihood development. However, ecotourism activities have also reported trade-offs linked to ecosystem damage, loss, and environmental pollution. These findings emphasize the dual role of tourism as both a potential driver of ecosystem conservation and a contributor to environmental degradation. Our findings emphasize the need for sustainable tourism initiatives that align with conservation goals and socioeconomic and cultural interests. Holistic and integrated approaches to ecosystem and tourism management are also needed to achieve more sustainable outcomes.