usa: the disneyfication of its
parks
North America originally served as a
model for establishing countries’ national
park systems, even though there was often a
high cost to local and indigenous
communities, who faced dispossession and
displacement as authorities and
conservationists stepped in to protect
forests and wildlife. It seems that this
pattern is now being repeated as land and
natural resource managers worldwide are
copying the American model again, this time
in terms of privatization and
“Disneyfication”.
In the US, government agencies concerned
with conservation - including the Forest
Service, the Natural Resources Conservation
Service, and the National Park Service -
have signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with the Walt Disney Company on cooperation
in land and natural resource management and
environmental education. Following this
example, many pristine natural areas are
being transformed into moneyspinning theme
parks. Private security guards, fee
collectors and the logos of Coca Cola,
McDonald and KFC have come to dominate the
landscape.
more information
Third World Network tourism
pages
