ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF TROPICAL REEF SYSTEMS: ESTABLISHING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN THE EXUMA CAYS, BAHAMAS Aimee M. Lowe The Nature Conservancy (U.S.A.) Kathleen Sullivan Sealey The Nature Conservancy (U.S.A.) Abstract: The Bahamas is a physically unique country quite unlike any other in the Caribbean; the archipelago is made up of hundreds of islands stretching over 1000 kilometers, with over 30 inhabited islands. The country is subdivided into island groups, but the most populated island and location of the capital, Nassau, is in New Provi- dence. The Bahamas represents one of the most popular tourist destination in the wider Carib- bean and entertains two tourism markets: 1) cruise ship and resort (overnight) tourism fo- cused on the cities of Nassau and Freeport, and 2) out-island tourism that focuses on yachting, beach-going or fishing on the more remote is- lands. The Exuma Cays are located southeast of Nassau in the central Bahamas and are adver- tised as the “Sailing Capital of The Bahamas”. Cruising yachts can pass through the Exumas en route to the wider Caribbean. This archipel- ago of low-lying islands is one of the most pris- tine and beautiful areas in the Bahamian island chain. The region offers numerous protected har- bors and anchorages as well as one of the first marine fisheries reserves, the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The very success of the Park as a “no-take” zone has attracted an increasing num- ber of visiting yachtsmen to the Exumas. This yearly increase in visitor numbers has stimu- lated local businesses to provide services and build infrastructure according to expediency rather than a concern for long-term environ- mental impacts. Now that symptoms of ecologi- cal degradation and tourism impacts are becom- ing visible within the developed areas of The Bahamas, there is a tremendous need to direct Exuma tourism to that which will sustain rather than destroy the environment, the very product marketed and sought. In order to gain accurate data on visitation pat- terns in the Exuma Cays and formulate recom- mendations for regional tourism monitoring and management, a visitor survey was conducted in Nassau, New Providence and throughout the Exuma island chain. Two methods were utilized to conduct the survey: 1) in-person interviews and 2) mail-out questionnaires. A total of 124 in-person and 560 mail-out questionnaires were completed over a one year period. The survey questionnaire was divided into three sections in order to 1) characterize who visits the Exumas, 2) understand why they come, and 3) define what they are seeking. The data collected was then used to determine the impacts of tour- ism on the Park. For example, it was found that over half of Exuma tourists are first time visi- tors. Park management is faced with the task of educating these visitors as to the fishing restric- tions and other regulations such as anchoring and garbage disposal. This requires time and staff support from a marine park that lacks spe- cific plans and adequate financial backing. It is now important for the Park to create a clear management plan, a strategy for financing park activities in the future and new regulations to preserve the natural resources upon which both fishing stocks and visitation are dependent. Keywords: parks and protected areas, recrea- tion, ecotourism, conservation, environ-mental impacts, management planning Introduction The prominence of tourism as the world’s largest industry constitutes both a challenge and an opportunity, as it can either destroy