2.4 Environmental Impacts of Tourism

How does tourism affect the environment of places?

How does tourism affect the environment of places?

• nature provides important provisioning and regulating ecosystem services

  • freshwater + food

  • protecting air + water quality

Positive Environmental Impacts

• conservation of natural environments and preservation of biodiversity 

• restoration of degraded aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

Negative Environmental Impacts

• pollution

• depletion of natural resources and threats to wild habitats 

How does conservation of natural environments and preservation of biodiversity in tourism positively impact the environment?

• local communities + governments in destination regions

  • maintain a pristine environment

    • attracts tourists to visit

• tourism revenue generated may be used to

  • fund the protection of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

    • protects biodiversity

done via

• establishing protected areas or National Parks where

  • development is restricted

    • ensures habitats are undisturbed 

• employing and training specialised staff to run these parks

  • care for these ecosystems

• setting up environmental education programmes for tourists

  • encourage them to care for these ecosystems

e.g., Galapagos National Park in Ecuador charges a US$100 entry fee to visitors 

• revenue generated from the fees is channelled to 

  • conserve and upkeep the park

    • including hiring park rangers 

How does restoration of degraded aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in tourism positively impact the environment?

• aquatic and terrestrial sites have potential to be

  • tourist attractions

    • providing motivation to restore such sites 

      • creates new natural attractions; 

        marine or national parks

done via

• stopping and reversing the degradation to these ecosystems through 

  • reforestation

e.g., in Mauritius and Seychelles, coral reefs have been negatively impacted by overfishing + improper waste disposal, etc

• coral reefs are incredibly important economically for local livelihoods + tourism industry

  • regional projects led by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDF) were initiated to restore the coral reef ecosystem

How does pollution occur in tourism, which negatively impacts the environment? (1/2)

1) Greenhouse Emissions

• travel by air, sea, or land requires an abundance of fossil fuels to be burned

  • generating a lot of greenhouse gases

• services provided by tourism also contribute, such as

  • air-conditioned accommodations

• air pollution circulates over a large area

  • impacting people and areas far from its origin

• greenhouse gases also cause respiratory illnesses 

  • asthma 

How does pollution occur in tourism, which negatively impacts the environment? (2/2)

2) Inadequate Sewage Facilities and Improper Waste Disposal

• tourism industry generates a lot of waste

  • in places with no proper waste disposal systems

    → tourists may leave litter behind 

    • environmental degradation

      → land + water pollution 

e.g., Mt. Everest climbers discard tents, food containers and even human waste on the mountain itself

• chemicals from the trash contaminate the soil and groundwater

  • land + water pollution

• many accommodations in tourist destination regions may lack proper sewage systems like

  • wastewater treatment facilities

    • sewage generated is not treated

    • may be improperly disposed of into the sea

      ∴ water pollution

How does the depletion of natural resources in tourism negatively affect the environment?

• tourism may result in overuse of natural resources such as

  • water

    → depletion of natural resources

∴ negative environmental impacts, like droughts occur

• harm people + terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

e.g., Bali tourism industry draws approx. 3million litres of water daily

• hotels + resorts take large amounts of water from the public water supply system + groundwater

  • meet the tourists’ demands

∴ Rivers in the region dry up

• reducing water availability for

  • locals

  • aquatic and terrestrial species

∴ limited supply of water

• to meet the rising demand

  • water prices increased 

∴ agriculture is being increasingly unprofitable due to rising water costs

• local farmers’ livelihoods are at stake 

  → loss of livelihood

How do threats to wildlife in tourism negatively affect the environment?

• construction of tourism infrastructure may encroach on natural areas 

  • destroys natural environments 

  • threatens wildlife habitats 

• tourists may trample on plants or make too much noise

  • disturb + frighten animals 

e.g., in the Maldives, the government builds large-scale facilities for accommodation, food, and recreation for tourists 

• threatening the coastal environment

  • rock and sand were dumped into the sea during construction 

    → suffocating the corals 

  • animals dependent on coral reefs for food + shelter 

    → lose their habitats

    → source of food