CHAPTER 10 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM

WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENT? INCLUDES:

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: Features such as air, water, flora, fauna, soil, natural

landscape, geological features

BUILT ENVIRONMENT: Urban fabric and structure, buildings, monuments,

infrastructure, human-made parks and open spaces

WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENT? All of the external factors, conditions and

influences which affect an organism or a community

The surroundings within which humans exist and that are made up of: Land, water and atmosphere of the earth Micro-organisms, plant and animal life Interrelationship between them Physical, chemical, aesthetic and cultural

properties and conditions of the foregoing that influence human health and well-being

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS Features of the environment are often the

main reasons why people are attracted to an area

Tourism is almost totally dependent on the environment

Natural resources such as beaches, forests, etc. form the basis of tourism

Human made resources include buildings, cities, monuments

Cultural resources include art forms, rituals, lifestyles

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS Ritchie and Crouch found that:

Geography and climate is nr 1 most important attribute

Culture and history is nr 2

STUDENT ACTIVITY: Read the case study on the Alps and Venice

in your textbook on page 347 to explain the effect of global warming on these destinations

HOW DOES THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT TOURISM? Role of attractor – attracts tourists to the

region Natural resources such as water, wood, coal

and soil, are used to provide tourists with heat, energy, drinking water and sanitation facilities.

Fruit and vegetables are planted, and animals kept to supply tourist facilities with food for tourists.

The natural environment (soil, air, water) also acts as a sponge for the waste produced by tourists and tourist facilities, including refuse, sewage and other effluent.

TOURIST PREFERENCES FOR QUALITY ENVIRONMENT Markets across the world are increasingly

alarmed at environmental degradation and exploitation of people

This heightened awareness of the earth’s crisis is spilling over into the way people behave in their homes, how they spend their money and the way businesses are run

Driven by changing personal ethics, individuals contribute financially or otherwise to environmental and humanitarian initiatives. They are also changing their buying patterns.

ETHICAL OR RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION There is a major upswing in ethical

consumption in UK and European markets. This trend is also evident in tourism:

ETHICAL CONSUMPTION:Buying of products and services that are produced

ethically. Generally, this means without harm to or exploitation of humans, animals or the natural

environment

FUNCTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN TOURISM ENVIRONMENT AS A SETTING

Physical environment of a convention centre

ENVIRONMENT AS A PLEASANT BACKDROP Exert a general effect on the activity, e.g. dining

in a beautiful setting

ENVIRONMENT AS THE FOCUS E.g. hiking, viewing wildlife

TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE The fact that many of a destination’s resources

are PUBLIC GOODS is an important contributing factor:

PUBLIC GOODS: A product of which anyone can consume as much as

desired without reducing the amount available to others.

Public gardens, beaches, air and scenic beauty PRIVATE GOODS:

Which is any product for which consumption by one person reduces the amount available for others, at least until more is produced, e.g. hotel beds, airline seats and festival tickets

TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE Free access and unrestricted demand for a public good

can ultimately doom the resource through over exploitation

Each user is motivated to maximise use of the resource, while the costs of the exploitation is not carried directly by anyone to whom the resource is available.

Many tourism businesses treat the environment as public goods. Because operators and tourists often have open and free access to environmental resources, problems such as over-exploitation of the natural resource base and negative impacts occur

Tourism Paradox: Tourism cannot exist without the environment, yet tourism has the potential to destroy its own foundation

IMPACT OF TOURISM ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES Relationship of tourism with the environment is

either one of conflict or of symbiosis:

SYMBIOSIS: Mutually supportive relationship. Benefits each

other. Environmental features are protected as assets of tourism, tourism funds protection of environment

CONFLICT:Tourism induces detrimental effects on the environment, degrading its resource base and ultimately, destroying itself

TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN CONFLICT When do negative impacts occur? List some of the impacts that can occur as a

result of the enormous pressure from tourism on an area

The relationship between tourism and the environment can be one of conflict when tourism: Contributes to or results in the depletion of

environmental resources Pollutes the water, air and soil through waste

products or through visual and noise impacts Causes physical damage to environmental resources Leads to a loss of biodiversity

TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN CONFLICT The relationship between tourism and the

environment can be one of conflict when tourism:

Contributes to or results in the depletion of environmental resources

Pollutes the water, air and soil through waste products or through visual and noise impacts

Causes physical damage to environmental resources

Leads to a loss of biodiversity

TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN CONFLICT RESOURCE DEPLETION OR DESTRUCTION

WATER RESOURCES LOCAL RESOURCES

POLLUTION AIR POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE NOISE POLLUTION SOLID WASTE AND LITTERING WATER POLLUTION AESTHETIC POLLUTION

PHYSICAL IMPACTS CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

DEVELOPMENT TOURIST ACTIVITIES

LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

RESOURCE DEPLETION/DESTRUCTION Not only change in appearance of the

environment, but also damage to ecosystems and habitats

Tourism development can put pressure on natural resources when it increases consumption in areas where resources are already scarce, leading to resource depletion

WATER RESOURCES

LOCAL RESOURCES

WATER RESOURCES Fresh water is a scarce natural resource Tourism industry generally requires large volumes

of water 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

In dryer regions, tourism is a major contributor to the degredation and destruction of water ecosystems and groundwater levels sinking.

Negative impact on communities as drinking water and water for irrigation is becoming saltier and requires treatment or the total abandonment of the resource

LOCAL RESOURCES Tourism can create pressure on local

resources such as energy, food and other raw materials that may already be in short supply

Can lead to congestion and overcrowding High demand placed on resources to meet

the high expectations of tourists like proper heating and hot water

POLLUTION

Pollution is any change in the environment which has an

adverse affect on human health or well-being or on the

composition, resilience and productivity of natural or

managed ecosystems, or on the materials useful to people or

will have such an effect in the future

AIR POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

NOISE POLLUTION

SOLID WASTE AND LITTERING

WATER POLLUTION

POLLUTION Pollution can take place at the destination, at

the origin and while tourists are travelling, e.g. aircraft, ferries, waste etc.

Pollution can cause hazards to human health, harm to living resources and ecological systems, damage to structures and interfere with the legitimate use of the environment

The four main types of pollution are: Air pollution Noise pollution Water pollution Aesthetic pollution

AIR POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE Transport is a major source of air pollution Transport emissions and emissions from

energy consumption are linked to: Acid rain Global warming Photochemical pollution

It is estimated that aviation’s total contribution to manmade climate change is about 3.5%

AIR POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT INDICATORS:

Consumption of fossil fuels by the tourism sector Percentage of energy consumption from

renewable resources by tourism sector Total consumption of fossil fuels in the

destination for tourist transportation Level of air and ground emissions for tourist

transport

NOISE POLLUTION Tourism transport can also be a major source

of noise pollution, especially noise that aircraft make during take-off and landing.

IMPACT INDICATORS: Noise generated by tourism operations Disturbance of animal habitats as indicated by

changes in behavioural patterns

SOLID WASTE AND LITTERING It is becoming a challenge in many destinations as

the amount of waste increases, and the cost of dealing with this waste in a sustainable manner rises

Many tourist facilities generate large volumes of solid waste, which can result in negative ecological, disease and aesthetic impacts

Improper solid waste disposal can directly impact the quality of ground water resources

Contamination can spread far beyond the immediate area

STUDENT ACTIVITY: FIND EXAMPLES OF HOW TOURISM WASTE AFFECTS

THE ENVIRONMENT

WATER POLLUTION Migration of solid waste from disposal sites

contaminate water resources such as rivers, streams, ponds and wetlands

This contaminated water cannot be used for drinking or any other domestic uses

Tourism development often outstrips provision of treatment facilities

Municipalities may not have funding to build sewage facilities to accommodate excess demand

The use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in resort and golf course landscaping are also major causes of pollution

WATER POLLUTION This pollution has major consequences for

local marine organisms, health of tourists and locals

Inadequately treated sewage can introduce excess nutrients into water areas, which can lead to eutrophication, causing abnormal plant and algea growth.

Leads to bad smells, bad tastes and unsightly green scums of algae.

IMPACT INDICATORS: Number of reported pollution or contamination

events attributable to tourism facilities/operations

AESTHETIC POLLUTION When tourism fails to integrate its structures with the

natural features and indigenous architecture of the destination

Large resorts and designs can look out of place Lack of land-use planning leads to sprawling

developments along coastlines, valleys and scenic routes IMPACT INDICATORS:

Ridgeline or coastline continuity Percentage built on slope Number of tourism building exceeding average building height Percentage of tourism facilities not matching vernacular style

or natural environment Number of tourism buildings exceeding height of natural

vegetation

PHYSICAL IMPACTS Attractive landscapes such as beaches, lakes

are also important eco-systems Ecologically fragile areas such as alpine

regions, rain forests etc. are often most threatened with degradation

Pressure and threats to these ecosystems stem from construction activity and tourist activity

PHYSICAL IMPACTS CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT Negative impacts include:

Facilities can cause sand dune erosion, soil erosion and extensive paving

Roads and airports can lead to land degradation and loss of habitats

Clearing of forested land Coastal wetlands are often drained and filled to use as new

sites Development of marinas, breakwaters and tidal pools can

cause changes in currents and coastlines Extraction of building materials like sand affects coral reefs

and destruction of habitats Overbuilding and extensive paving on shorelines can cause

destruction of land-sea connections

PHYSICAL IMPACTS TOURIST ACTIVITIES: Although the conciousness of tourists is

changing to be more ecologically sensitive, tourists are not particularly considerate towards local environments

They do not alter their behaviour to protect the environment

**Find 2 examples in your textbook on how tourist activities cause destruction to the environment

PHYSICAL IMPACTS IMPACT INDICATORS

Total tourist numbers Number of tourists per square area Density counts for vehicles Perception of crowding by tourists Perception of environmental deterioration by

tourists

LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity is the term given to the VARIETY

OF LIFE ON EARTH UNDERSTOOD AS number of different

species of plants, animals and micro-organisms in existence

If tourism is not carefully managed, tourism could exacerbate the already rapid decline of biodiversity.

Leads to loss of tourism potential Tourism should be developed in harmony

with biodiversity conservation ** What are Hotspots???

TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN SYMBIOSIS Symbiosis in this context means a

relationship where both parties benefit

Tourism can work towards the restoration, conservation and protection of environments

In a symbiotic relationship, the protection of prime tourist resources enhances and perpetuates tourism by maintaining its very foundation.

TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN SYMBIOSIS Tourism and the environment are in

harmonious or symbiotic relationship when tourism: Contributes to the conservation of natural

resources Leads to the restoration of historical and cultural

resources for their original use Contributes to the refurbishment of buildings and

places to accommodate new, tourism-related uses.

REGENERATION

TRANFORMATION

CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

REGENARATION Restoration and renovation of historical buildings,

districts and even towns Regeneration implies the restoration of a building to its

former condition, without changing the use of the building

Also refers to the conservation of historical sites and museums

The primary aim of conservation efforts is not the utilisation of the site as a tourist attraction, but rather the preservation of the site based on its cultural significance.

Can include the responsibility of providing access for educational and tourism purposes

Exposing tourists to the magnificence of the sites may generate funding for conservation

TRANSFORMATION Transformation still involves the restoration

and renovation of buildings and sites, their original uses are not necessarily maintained

The buildings are refurbished to accommodate new, tourism-related uses.

A second form of transformation is the restoration of degraded sites.

IMPACT INDICATOR: Tourism contribution to transformation of

cultural assets

CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES In many instances, tourism and its income-

generating potential provides the motivation for the conservation of natural and cultural resources.

Tourism as a non-consumptive activity is encouraged over environmentally destructive activities

Destination managers must have the ability to prevent or reduce negative impacts by devising and applying appropriate strategies for impact management

FIND THE DEFINITION FOR CONSERVATION

LIMITATIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN STUDYING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Tourism is an amalgam of interlinked activities,

it is difficult to distinguish impacts arising from the individual activities

Tourism activities may be pursued by both tourists and by the host population and happen with other activities, presenting a problem in isolating the impacts from tourism alone

Environmental change occurs naturally, making tourism-induced change more difficult to quantify

LIMITATIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN STUDYING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS A lack of knowledge of environmental

conditions before the introduction of tourism, limits the accuracy of post-development investigations

Tourism may have indirect impacts which may be difficult to assess

Some tourism impacts will only manifest themselves over the long term

Components of the environment are interlinked, so tourism activity which impacts on one aspect of the environment may produce an indirect impact on another