Turning a Problem into an Opportunity Through Tourism and Marketing: The Case of Wild Rabbits in Lemnos Island, Greece

During the last decades, a large increase of the European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) population (WRP), in Lemnos island (Greece), has become a significant problem, creating imbalances for the biodiversity and ecosystem of the island and inflicting damages in grain crops. This problem affects the local economy, imposing the need for actions that will set the WRP under control. In this paper we examine the social and economic aspects of the problem, surveying the perceptions of stakeholders in the island on the ways that the problem should be addressed. Many local stakeholders view hunting as viable and sustainable solution for the problem, and are in favor of using this biotic resource to produce high quality food products, and develop alternative forms of tourism. Hunting tourism can play a significant role in dealing with this ecological imbalance, providing business opportunities, contributing to the local and regional development of the island and promoting the further development of the branding of the island as an alternative touristic destination.