ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM

1. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM

2. TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE • Water use & abuse. • Land degradation. • Air & noise pollution. • Solid waste & sewage. • Aesthetic impact. • Physical damage. • Suggest how, why, where & if modern tourism developments are increasing the impacts.

3. WATER RESOURCES • Overuse of water resources for hotels, swimming pools, golf courses and personal use of water by tourists. • This can result in water shortages and degradation of water supplies, as well as generating a greater volume of waste water. • Mediterranean - particular concern. The amount used can run up to 440 litres a day. This is almost double what the inhabitants of an average Spanish city use.

4. GOLF

5. NOT AS FRIENDLY AS IT APPEARS • In recent years golf tourism has increased in popularity and the number of golf courses has grown rapidly. • Golf courses require an enormous amount of water every day and this can result in water scarcity. • If the water comes from wells, over-pumping can cause saline intrusion into groundwater. • An average golf course in a tropical country such as Thailand needs 1500kg of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides per year and uses as much water as 60,000 rural villagers.

6. LAND DEGRADATION • Increased construction of tourism facilities has increased the pressure on resources including fertile soil, forests, wetlands and wildlife. • Accommodation and other infrastructure provision, and the use of building materials involves land clearance. • One trekking tourist in Nepal can use four to five kilograms of wood a day.

7. AIR & NOISE POLLUTION • Tourism now accounts for more than 60% of air travel. • A single transatlantic return flight emits almost half the CO2 emissions produced by all other sources (lighting, heating, car use, etc.) consumed by an average person yearly. • Air pollution from tourist transportation has impacts at the global level, especially from CO2 emissions but local effects as well. • In addition to causing annoyance, stress, and even hearing loss for humans, noise causes distress to wildlife and can cause animals to alter their natural activity patterns.

8. NOISE POLLUTION IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK • In winter 2000, 76,000 people entered Yellowstone National Park on snowmobiles, outnumbering the 52,000 visitors who came via other modes. • At the Old Faithful geyser, snowmobiles could be heard 100% of the time during the daytime period studied. Snowmobile noise drowned out even the sound of the geyser erupting.

9. SOLID WASTE • The Wider Caribbean Region receives 63,000 port calls from ships each year, and they generate 82,000 tons of garbage. • On average, passengers on a cruise ship each account for 3.5 kilograms of garbage daily - compared with the 0.8 kilograms each generated by local people.

10. SOLID WASTE • Waste disposal is a serious problem and improper disposal can be a major despoiler of the natural environment - rivers, scenic areas, and roadsides. • Solid waste and littering can degrade the physical appearance of the water and shoreline and cause the death of marine animals. • In mountain areas, trekking tourists generate a great deal of waste. Tourists on expedition leave behind their garbage, oxygen cylinders and even camping equipment.

11. SEWAGE • Construction of hotels, recreation and other facilities often leads to increased sewage pollution. • Sewage runoff causes serious damage to coral reefs because it stimulates the growth of algae, which cover the filter-feeding corals, hindering their ability to survive. • Sewage pollution threatens the health of humans and animals.

12. AESTHETIC IMPACT

13. AESTHETIC POLLUTION • Failure to integrate structures with natural features and indigenous architecture of the destination. • A lack of land-use planning and building regulations in many destinations has facilitated sprawling developments along coastlines, valleys and scenic routes. • The sprawl includes tourism facilities themselves and supporting infrastructure such as roads, employee housing, parking, service areas, and waste disposal.

14. PHYSICAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

15. PHYSICAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT • Deforestation and intensified or unsustainable use of land Construction of ski resort accommodation and facilities frequently requires clearing forested land. Coastal wetlands are often drained due to lack of more suitable sites. • Coral reefs Impacts result from shoreline development, increased sediments in the water, trampling by tourists, ship groundings, pollution from sewage, souvenir extraction.

16. PHYSICAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT • Trampling Tourists using the same trail over and over again trample the vegetation and soil, eventually causing damage that can lead to loss of biodiversity and other impacts. • Alteration of ecosystems by tourist activities Habitat can be degraded by tourism leisure activities. For example, wildlife viewing can bring about stress for the animals and alter their natural behaviour when tourists come too close.

17. National Parks

18. Aims • To conserve the natural, managed & built environmental features of the park. • To enable access & opportunity for a wide range of recreational activities & experiences. • To support the local economy, especially farming & visitor services. • To support the quality of life of local communities.

19. Data Interpretation tasks • From Table 4.1 Identify key facts regarding: • Variation in visitor numbers. • Suggested reasons for this. • Possible reasons for the variation in visitor spend. • What do you conclude from the diagram about the work of National Park Authorities in achieving their stated aims? • From Table 4.2 State the five most significant pieces of data. These could be averages for NPs as a whole or unique data. • Exercise 14. • The five key questions at the end.

20. Private Forestry Commission National Trust Water companies Ministry of Defence National Parks Others Land ownership in Britain’s National Parks Study the pie chart showing the land ownership in Britain’s National Parks. • Who owns most of the land? • Why may it be difficult for the National Park Authorities to control what happens in the National Parks?

21. Lake District National Park • Up to 20 million visitor days/year. • Beautiful, open & tranquil physical resources. • Limited funding, power and ownership. • Audit of carrying capacities & visitor pressures. • Quiet areas & busy valleys/corridors. • Concentrate investment in honeypot sites. • Attract visitors there.

22. Major honeypot areas in the Lake District Where are the major honeypot areas in the Lake District? Major honeypot areas

23. Managing tourism in the Lake District How is tourism managed in the Lake District? separate trails for mountain-bikers improved public transport park-and-ride schemes speed restrictions on the lakes, e.g. 10 mph on Lake Windermere ban of second homes promotion of ‘timeshare’ holiday homes, e.g. Great Langdale holiday homes limited car parking repair of stone walls and eroded footpaths e.g. footpath repair at Dollywagon Pike screening of car parks and industry by planting trees traffic restrictions

24. Managing tourism in the Lake District The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) has a duty to ensure that tourism is sustainable. ‘The aim of sustainable development is to use resources in a wiser, fairer and more balanced way. The quality of people's lives and the state of our communities is affected by a combination of economic, social and environmental factors. These factors are interlinked and it is important that our actions show positive benefits for all three, not just for today, but for future generations as well.’ LDNPA

25. Managing tourism in the Lake District Education schemes are one approach that the National Park Authority is using to manage tourism in the Lake District: The NPA promotes schemes to persuade people not to use their cars. The Car Free CareFree scheme is an example of this. The Countryside Code is aimed at educating visitors on how they should act responsibly in the National Park.

26. Managing tourism in the Lake District A 10mph speed limit has been imposed on Lake Windermere.

27. Managing tourism in the Lake District Some of the scars created by footpath erosion are so large they can be seen in satellite images! The LDNPA has launched a Fix the Fells scheme which aims at fundraising money for the repair of over 145 seriously eroded footpaths. Footpath repair is carried out using local plant species and avoids the use of visually obtrusive materials. Path building is carried out using local and traditional methods. LDNPA’s advice to walkers: ‘There are many lower fells which are not only less crowded, but often have better views and are less demanding. Avoid walking to the sides of paths or taking shortcuts.’

28. UK First in 1951 (Peak District). Cultural & economic landscapes. Result of centuries of settlement & land management. 270 000 inhabitants. Don’t belong to the nation. Free access for all. Majority of land privately owned or by organisations whose priorities aren’t focused on public access & recreation eg MoD. National Park Authority (NPA) decision-making is heavily constrained. Not really “national” or “parks”. World First in 1872 (Yellowstone). Primacy given to conservation. Ecosystems not materially altered by human use & settlement. Sites are of special scientific, educational or recreative interest/ landscape of great natural beauty. Govts. take steps to eliminate human use or settlement. Visitors are allowed under special conditions. Mostly publicly owned through Govt. All but 1000 hectares of 309 000 in Yosemite National Park owned by Federal Govt. Fences, gates and entrance fees. Truly “national parks”. World-UK comparisons

29. Top: Bowness and Lake WindermereBottom: Derwent Water & North Lakes

30. Principles of eco-tourism • Natural environments & wildlife are safeguarded. • Natural resources are protected in a manner that is sustainable. • Local communities are not damaged. • Local people can participate & share in the financial benefits, in a manner which sustains community & culture. • Tourist experiences are aimed at conservation eg Howler monkey wildlife reserve in Belize. • May resolve problem of local residents not seeing the value of conservation eg deforestation in Rwanda due to population pressure destroying mountain gorilla habitat. • Restriction of numbers. • Accommodation built to ecological principles eg solar power. • Local population “visited” irregularly minimising intrusion.

31. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Central Australia

32. History • First non-Aboriginal presence 1862. In 1873 William Gosse reached Uluru and named it Ayers Rock after the then Chief Secretary of South Australia. • 1940 Aboriginal reserves were reduced in size to allow mineral exploitation. Tour companies and an airstrip soon followed. • 1985 land inside National Park given back to Aboriginal people and leased back to Australian National Parks & Wildlife Service for 99 years. • Now jointly managed by Anangu people and Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA) staff. • All accommodation facilities were moved to a single resort named Yulara 17 miles away.

33. Lease agreement between Anangu people & ANCA • Encourages tradition through protection of sacred sites. • Maximises Anangu involvement in Park administration and management (providing necessary training). • Maximises Anangu employment by accommodating needs & cultural obligations. • Uses Anangu traditional skills in Park management. • Actively supports delivery of cross-cultural training by Anangu to Park staff, local residents & visitors. • Encourages Anangu commercial activities.

34. Things to do from the Uluru website • Sunrise & sunset camel tours over the red sand dunes with skilled guides who describe the flora & fauna. • Scenic & heli flights over the rock. • Sounds of silence dinner - private dining in the middle of the desert. • Desert Awakenings - 4WD tour delivers an insight into the ancient landscape, ecology, culture, heritage and history of Uluru. Guests then journey to the Cultural Centre, where the ancient lore of local Anangu (Aboriginal people) is explained in detail. Finally, a visit to Mutitjulu waterhole in the shadow of Uluru allows guests to appreciate its cathedral-like proportions and why it is such a powerful, spiritual place. • Aboriginal tour. • Harley ride. • Dot painting - Aboriginal art workshop (www.anangutours.co.au).