IMPACT OF TOURISM ON ENVIRONMENT

TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENT

Tourism and Environment:-

Before elaborating the relativity of Tourism and Environment, it is necessary to understand both terms individually. Relativity is to distinguish contrast and characterise between two different values for understanding their dependability upon each other.

Tourism:- Tourism is now a phenomenon, not just a simple holiday activity. It also has to be considered that tourism and tourist are two different characteristics. Approaches differentiate accordingly and it can be defined according to both understandings:

‘It [tourism] is a human activity which encompasses human behaviour, use of resources, and interaction with other people, economies and environments. From mentioned definition tourism is mainly focused on natural or social aspects, where author has examined tourism on the basis of environmental characteristics. Another understanding could be from the perspective of a visitor or tourist, again I would like to mention a definition from Holden’s writing; where he used another author’s definition to differentiate from the previous point of view.

Tourism is more of gaining an exceptional experience than a regular living, while travel can consists of various reasons behind it.

According to Hunter and Green, “There is no universally accepted definition of tourism. This is not surprising, since what constitutes a ‘tourist’ and the ‘tourism industry’ are still matters of debate.”

Environment:- In terms of tourism, Environment is always understood as a nature or atmosphere of a destination or a place which is used for tourism. Nature consists of mountains, water resources such as sea side, sea, rivers, waterfalls etc. Green environment includes plants, forests, parks, rainforests, safaris etc. when elaborated to wilderness it consists wild life, animals, forest species and so on. Socially; heritage sites or cultural uniqueness is also a part of an environment.

Environmental studies and explanations are vast and distributions of its characteristics are crucial. If we look at it from a different perspective it seems environment consists of whole world (living or non living beings) including humans, animals, plants and resources. From evolution humans are using environmental resources. When observed this use or loss, it is categorised as Environmental study. Resistance and Resilience are two distinctions in this study, where Resistance is tolerance of the site (while getting used and still being undisturbed) and Resilience is the ability to recover from the happened loss or change. Some sites have either qualities or some not. Hence due to its characteristics,

Hunter and Green, stated that ‘environment can be subdivided into three components as, soil, water and climate’.

Tourism and Environment are interdependent:

Tourism is based on the environment. Tourism has and will always devour the natural resources. Tourism is the main factor carrying out the natural environment in both positive and negative aspect. Even simplest form of tourism like visiting a zoo consumes environmental resources such as animals, birds or plants. Such a kind simple form of tourism also renders constructive as well as unconstructive effects. The negative effect cases might be the capturing animals from their natural habitat and keeping them in a zoo, whereas positive aspect can be that by capturing the animals they are getting protected against hunters and other environmental conditions that can be critical to them. In various other smaller or greater impressions tourism has both negative and positive effects, but more important is to understand the actual destruction or refurbishments causing from tourism towards environment.

It is understandable that human involvement with environment tend to use the resources, if it can’t help to make them grow at least they can be saved from future damages by use of intelligent human behaviour. Study of tourism environment is about understanding the cause and effect rule and to imply theories to protect the environmental loss due to mass tourism. It is also significant that Tourism should place along with the higher quality of environment and environment shall get benefit from it not the damage. No doubt every human action has its own pros and cons and fragility of nature resources must not be seriously harm by it. Tourism is without a doubt among the world’s highest profitable industries (whether on the cost of environment) and relationship between tourism and environment can get equilibrate if financial profits gets used for the conservation programs or environmental sustainability.

Impacts of Tourism on our Environment:

All activities consume resources and produce waste, possibly all these activities has a potential to spoil the environment, and in same context Tourism is no exception. Tourism has developed as a largest industry and any activity happens at a mass level definitely leaves it’s positive and negative impacts, such as tourism did in the past. Although not the case that every environmental problem is produced by tourism but still being a mass industry it affects on a wider platform.

Negative Impacts:-

The harmful impact of tourism can destroy the natural environment when the negative impacts on the environment are sufficiently intensive and extensive. 

1). Damaging biodiversity of a particular areas which includes holiday retreats, clearing of vegetation for constructing resorts and hotels or other tourism facilities.

2). Many rare species have been brought to the verge of disappearance due to non-tourism nuisance which are directly related to tourism. 3). Habitat devastation brought by unrestrained which eventually destroy the natural balance.

4). Another negative impact is the depletion of natural resources like water, land and energy or raw materials etc.

5). Degradation of land resources like wood or plantation

6). Solid waste littering is more common in the case of trekking, rock climbing or hiking tourists.

7). Tourism also pollutes the tourism sites with noise, air , manual pollutions and many other compound problems generated by it.

8). The cutting down of forested areas, changing the landscape etc all have negative impacts on the ecological balance of the tourism destination.

9). The negative impacts are intensely visible in ecologically fragile environments. 

10). For generating a new site or a heritage site used for different prospective, environment has to pay cost by loss to the natural settings to beaches, coral reefs or heritage sites.

11). The sewage waste from tourist resorts are drained into the rivers causing pollution in the river water and eventually to sea bed, it highly affects the marine life.

12). In areas where resources are limited, tourism develops a sense of competition, leading to all sorts of degradation. Such harmful impacts are majorly brought by poor management or lack of proper conservation mechanism in place.

Positive impacts:-

However with all these harmful effects, the environment is also gaining the optimistic outcome of tourism.

Tourism is moving towards a sustainable side by helping and preserving the natural resources for the future generation.

Various nations and its conservative organisations are implementing strict plans for conserving their flora and fauna and protecting their natural resources.

1). When a destination is selected to develop as a tourism destination government and planning sources put efforts for the regeneration of the place. It consists of revitalisation of an area or a site and beautifies the local environment. its natural resources gets special attention from the managing bodies, keeping all this in mind they prevent any misuse or damage to it.

2). Economically, many areas in the world have benefitted from tourism and conservations are taking place on a higher level in many countries.

‘There is an urgent need to understand the relationships between tourists, tourism and the environment. Many new forms of tourist consumption revolve around environmental quality and the respect for nature. 

3). It is helpful in urbanisation of dead towns. Due to tourism many businesses develop and people get employed, on a social level tourism keeps all communities together and connected.

How tourism can enhance environmental conservation-

If tourism destroys the environment with negative impacts, it also plays a very big role in the preservation of the natural environment of the destination areas. As tourism industry benefits from the tourism sites, it should be its morally responsible to take a pivotal role in the conservation of the natural setting from which it gets benefits. An appropriate and well managed tourism approach can reduce the pessimistic impact of tourism on the natural environment.

1).Appropriate use of earned revenue- The revenue earned from various tourist activities brings in the wealth which enables organisations to focus on the conservational efforts.
The conservationists who have the expertise and authority should make an effort to take control and focus on the maintenance of the environment.

2).Developing eco-tourism- Another most important method is to bring a change from the basic idea of mainstream conventional tourism. This can be achieved by propagating the initiative of sustainable tourism and eco-tourism which are far more environmental friendly. Fundamental principles of these forms are inclined towards reducing the ill effects of tourism on the environment without compromising the value of experience that the visitors can get from visiting the sites.

3). Sound Planning- Sound environmental management of tourism amenities like resorts and hotels can enhance the benefits to natural areas; requirement is careful planning of tourism development which is based on the environmental. For example clearing of vast areas of vegetation or forest to build resorts, holiday retreats, etc and changing of the landscape to appear more appealing to the tourist. While doing this, the natural environment or to be precise the biodiversity or the ecology of the area is being affected. So care should be taken to see that tourism development causes least impact on the environment. 

4). Developing awareness among tourists- Conservationists should offer means by which people using the particular destination, both locals and tourists can be made aware of the importance of maintaining the environment. In fact they can encourage the people to contribute towards maintaining the environmental balance. A way in which tourism can contribute to the conservation process is by having an appropriate mechanism for the dealing with pollution and sewages generated from tourism activities. 

5).Helping wildlife preservations- Tourism also plays a vital role in the preservation and protection of various species of endangered species which is a vital part of the natural environment. The tourism industry can also organise campaigns to raise awareness of the environmental issues affecting nature or wildlife and in doing so can also built up a good image which has been often criticised in the last few decades for the negative impacts it has caused to the wildlife destinations.

6). Advance tourism is developing- A new breed of tourists is developing called eco-tourists and sustainability came in light in 80’s due to previously happened mass destruction in environmental resources. Sustainable Development concept came in attention from 1980, World Conservation Strategy (WCS) was prepared. IUCN, UNEP, WWF, FFO and UNESCO joined hands for world’s living resources. WCS was a conservation strategy where ecosystem degradation-destruction, deforestation, desertification, pollution, soil erosion and genetic diversity and extinction of species and many related issues were in discussion.

Sustainable development is development that ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. It also consists of strategy making, preservation of ecological processes, protection of heritage and biodiversity, futuristic focused productivity and balance between social behaviour and environment.

CONCLUSION:-

Based upon the statements and codes-of-conduct developed by tourism stakeholders, that the environment has been placed on the outline as a major concern of how tourism is to be developed potentially.Thus all these negative and positive effects of tourism on the environment, brings us to a conclusion
1). tourism can be treated in negative as well as positive aspect in regards to the environment.
2). The negative impacts can be reduced by taking initiative towards conserving natural resources.
3). There are various tools that can be used to protect the environment like collecting income in the form of taxes.
4). Though there are many negative aspects to tourism, we can still say that tourism has the tools to protect, preserve and enhance natural resources and the environment.

5). Tourism industry has the willingness to pull in full support to the conservation efforts of the natural environment. In doing so, it can help maintain the environment and also recover from the negative image that it has built up for itself during the last few decades. 6). Proper and efficient planning, management accompanied by strict implantation, strict rules and regulations, proper interpretation, propagating the idea of sustainable consumption, can contribute in the conservation process of the natural environment.

7). There is no doubt accepting the fact that tourism brings in money. But even then, care must be taken to make sure that the economic growth brought by the tourism industry must contribute to the natural environment processes and the sustainable use of natural resources.

SAVE ENVIRONMENT SAVE EARTH!!!

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