Tourism and Its Impacts on natural resources & biodiversity

Tourism and Its Impacts on natural resources & biodiversity. Tourism harms nature and biodiversity. Sacred groves, National parks and sanctuaries beyond doubt protect the nature, but improper opening of these areas to the public for tourism is damaging. 

Regulatory measures help offset negative impacts; for instance, controls on the number of tourist activities and movement of visitors within protected areas can limit impacts on the ecosystem and help maintain the integrity and vitality of the site. Such limits can also reduce the negative impacts on resources………

Tourism harms nature and biodiversity. Sacred groves, National parks and sanctuaries beyond doubt protect the nature, but improper opening of these areas to the public for tourism is damaging. Unfortunately, the national governments adopt tourism for easy way of making money sacrificing the stringent management strategies. Further, many companies and resorts who advertise themselves as eco-tourist establishments are in fact exploiting the forests for profit. In fact, in the name of eco-tourism, infra-structure development is taking place mostly be the private players in these wilderness areas which are further detrimental in terms of attracting peoples other than tourists also, causing deforestation especially deep in the forest.

Impacts of Tourism

Negative Impacts

1. Loss of biodiversity

2. Loss of natural beauty

3. Loss of nature and natural resources

4. Loss of water resources

5. Loss of land resources

6. Loss of local resources

7. Land degradation

8. Air pollution

9. Water pollution

10. Noise pollution

11. Thermal pollution

12. Marine pollution

13. Other pollution

    14. Loss of cultural resources, social disruption

    15. Natural hazards

Positive Impacts

1. Financial Contributions

2. Improved Environmental Management and Planning

3. Environmental Awareness Raising

4. Protection and Preservation

5. Alternative employment

      6. Regulatory measures

Regulatory measures help offset negative impacts; for instance, controls on the number of tourist activities and movement of visitors within protected areas can limit impacts on the ecosystem and help maintain the integrity and vitality of the site. Such limits can also reduce the negative impacts on resources.