Tourisms Impact on Environment
Tourism is directly related to the environment; this is so because tourism has various practices that have a mixed impact on the environment. A number of these effects are related to infrastructure construction. These infrastructures are airports and roads, and facilities such as shops, hotels, and resorts. These facilities have some negative impacts on the environment. Other than these negative impacts, this industry can create a beneficial effect on the environment. This research provides a review of tourism, focusing on the effects it has on the environment. Sometimes, the number of tourists becomes higher than what the environment can handle; this leads to exhaustion of the available resources leading to adverse impact. If the use of these resources is not controlled, it can lead to severe threats to the natural resources around the world.
Tourism development needs to have respect for the environment; this is because if the environment is destroyed, it means that the tourism industry is also damaged. Tourism needs to be planned and managed to ensure that there is a balance on how the environment is utilized. Research Methodology Most of the findings in this study are from literature survey and secondary sources of information. Information from seminars, task force reports, journals, and periodicals have all been analyzed to help complete this paper. Impacts of Tourism on the Environment Tourism has various impacts on the environment, below is an analysis of these impacts; 1 Depletion of Natural Resources There should be a limit on the pressure that is put on the natural resources by the tourists. This is because when there is excessive use of these resources, it could lead to their depletion especially in the areas where they are already scarce.
Below are the natural resources that are likely to be affected by tourist activities; i. The use of land for accommodation and the construction of other infrastructures leads to a direct effects on resources. Deforestation is one of the negative impacts suffered in the forest areas; this occurs when there is a clearing of the forest as the tourist collect wood for fuel. For example, in Nepal, it was found that a single tourist destroys an average of 4-5 kilograms of trees within 24 hours (UNEP, 1999). Iii. Local Resources The significant local resources that are found in various countries are energy, raw materials, and food. When these products are disposed of in the water bodies, they destroy the beautiful scenery of the water and also lead to destruction of marine life (UNEP, 1997) 2) Air Pollution and Noise The number of tourists is increasing every day; their mobility has also increased in recent years.
The primary means of transport used by these tourists are air, rail, and road. From 1972 to 1994, international air passengers rose 344 million from 88 million. The major consequence of this rising number of air passengers means that 60% of air travelers are tourists. With this in mind, it is clear that air transport plays a role in the pollution of air. Sewage runoff has a lot of minerals, and they increase the growth of algae, these algae cause damage to coral reefs. Polluting the sewage can also be a threat to human and animal health. Aesthetic Pollution It is essential that structures are constructed in a way that they integrate with the natural features of the areas where they are built. This is because sometimes, some desperate designs may look as if misplaced in a natural environment when they do not match with the indigenous structural design.
Physical Impacts There are various attractive landscape sites in the world, some of these sites are lakes, mountaintops and slopes, sandy beaches, and riversides (Donna Chambers 2015). Various building materials are extracted from shores such as sand affects the hinterland forests and coral reefs, this leads to the destruction of habitats and erosion. Physical Impacts from Tourist Activities • Anchoring and other marine activities: Various ecosystems are very fragile in marine areas, there are also many tourist activities that take place in these areas. Events such as sports fishing, yachting, anchoring, and snorkeling lead to the destruction of the marine ecosystem (Hall, 2001) • Trampling: tourist uses some trails for a long time, this leads to the trampling of vegetation and soil when this is prolonged, and it can lead to loss of biodiversity. When tourist stray frequently in the same area these damages can be extensive.
• Ecosystem alteration by tourist activities: Some tourist activities can lead to the degradation of wildlife habitats. Using a communal toilet and also harvesting of water can help in preserving water. Using solar and wind power can also help in reducing the over-use of energy iii. Nonprofit groups. These groups can assist in cleaning the environment and also creating awareness of the importance of preserving the environment iv. Financial contributions. Tourist also comes with new ideas from their motherlands, and they can teach these ideas to the resident of the areas that they are visiting. These ideas can be about taking care of the environment, and they can be very beneficial. Conclusion It is evident that the environment is vital to everybody, this is because we all exist in certain environments. Everyone must take care of the environment.
The tourism sector is growing at a very high speed; this should also be a reason for them to increase their efforts in conserving the environment, this is because the visitors cannot be attracted to the degraded environment. C. “Trends in Ocean and Coastal Tourism: The End of the Last Frontier?”, Ocean & Coastal Management, 44, pp. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) (2001), “CAEP recommends further measures for reducing aircraft noise, engine exhaust emissions,” ICAO Update, January/February. icao. int/icao/en/jr/5601_up.
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