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Unlock This CourseTourism is one of the world's largest industries, bringing people to some of the most beautiful and ecologically sensitive places on Earth. While tourism can help protect natural areas by providing economic value to conservation, it can also harm wildlife and their habitats if not managed properly.
Key Definitions:
When tourists directly interact with or disturb animals:
When tourism activities indirectly affect wildlife:
Tourism development can transform natural landscapes in ways that make them unsuitable for native wildlife. Understanding these processes helps us develop more sustainable tourism practices.
Building hotels, resorts, roads, airports and other facilities often requires clearing natural areas. This fragments habitats and creates barriers to animal movement.
Tourism increases demand for water, energy and building materials. Water diversion for hotels and golf courses can dry up wetlands and affect water tables.
Improper waste disposal can contaminate habitats. Plastic waste is particularly harmful to marine life, while sewage can damage coral reefs and aquatic ecosystems.
When animals are disturbed or lose their habitats, the effects can be far-reaching and sometimes permanent:
Made famous by the film "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh Island received up to 5,000 visitors per day. By 2018, over 80% of the bay's coral had been destroyed by boat anchors, sunscreen chemicals and trampling. The Thai government closed the bay to tourists in 2018 to allow recovery. When it reopened in 2022, strict visitor limits were implemented (375 people at a time), boats could no longer enter the bay directly and swimming was prohibited in certain areas. The coral has begun to recover and blacktip reef sharks have returned to the bay.
Some ecosystems are particularly sensitive to tourism impacts:
Coral Reefs: Damaged by boat anchors, sunscreen chemicals and touching/standing on coral. The Great Barrier Reef sees over 2 million visitors annually, contributing to coral stress alongside climate change.
Nesting Beaches: Light pollution from beachfront hotels disorients sea turtle hatchlings, while beach development destroys nesting sites.
Alpine Areas: Fragile plant communities damaged by off-trail hiking; wildlife like mountain goats stressed by helicopter tours.
Rainforests: Road construction for tourism access creates corridors for invasive species and poachers. Canopy walkways can disturb arboreal species.
Effective management can significantly reduce tourism's negative impacts on wildlife and habitats:
Mountain gorillas were once on the brink of extinction, with only 254 left in Rwanda, Uganda and DRC in 1981. Rwanda developed a carefully managed tourism model where only 96 tourists per day can visit gorillas, in groups of 8, for just one hour. Visitors must stay 7 metres away from gorillas and those with infectious illnesses are not permitted. Permits cost $1,500, with money supporting conservation and local communities. The population has now recovered to over 1,000 individuals and local communities have an economic incentive to protect gorillas rather than convert forest to farmland. This shows how well-managed tourism can actually help conservation efforts.
Beyond managing visitors, we need to think about how tourism facilities are developed:
Educating tourists is crucial for reducing wildlife disturbance:
Providing clear guidelines before tourists arrive:
Continuing education during the visit:
Various certification schemes help identify tourism operations that minimise wildlife disturbance:
By understanding the impacts of tourism on wildlife and habitats and implementing appropriate management strategies, we can help ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy and learn from the natural world without causing harm.