Rising out of the Caribbean Sea, the lush green peaks of the Pitons — twin volcanic spires on the island of St. Lucia — draw visitors from around the world. Although the Pitons have guarded these shores for thousands of years, Lorraine Nicholas knows they’re fragile. Like many natural wonders, the Pitons, a management area and UNESCO World Heritage Site, are locked in a struggle between development and conservation. UF researchers, professors and alumni such as Nicholas, a Fulbright scholar who grew up in St. Lucia, are changing the perception that developing countries have to choose between tourism and conservation.

“The environment is the core of the tourism product,” says Brijesh Thapa, director of UF’s Center for Tourism Research and Development. “Economic sustainability is intertwined with ecological sustainability. They are not mutually exclusive. If your beach is polluted, people are going to go somewhere else.” From Botswana to Nepal, UF is helping create tourism management plans that allow developing areas to share their cultural and natural treasures with the world — without damaging or degrading them. “These places are looking at their rich biodiversity, their vibrant cultures, and saying, ‘What can we do with this?’ We’re helping to protect those resources to let the locals continue to improve their quality of life,” Thapa says. “The paradox is, do we develop or protect these sites? With a tourism management plan, you can do both.”

With Nicholas’ insight and Thapa’s expertise, the center’s research has helped voice concerns of residents and visitors and identify threats to the Pitons. Nicholas hopes her work will protect what she calls “a spectacular gem, one of the most aesthetically pleasing sights on Earth.” “In St. Lucia and beyond, only destinations that consider both the economic and environmental impacts of development will stand the test of time,” Thapa says. “All countries want to develop tourism, but if you don’t plan it right it can have devastating consequences,” he says. “Economic, environmental and cultural aspects make the tripod of tourism and sustainability. If you take one out, everything falls.” UF's Center for Tourism Research and Development is helping communities balance tourism and environment concerns.