ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS OF
TOURISM
TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
Water use & abuse.
 Land degradation.
 Air & noise pollution.
 Solid waste & sewage.
 Aesthetic impact.
 Physical damage.
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Suggest how, why, where & if modern
tourism developments are increasing
the impacts.
WATER RESOURCES
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Overuse of water resources for hotels, swimming
pools, golf courses and personal use of water by
tourists.
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This can result in water shortages and degradation of
water supplies, as well as generating a greater
volume of waste water.
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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.
GOLF
NOT AS FRIENDLY AS IT APPEARS
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In recent years golf tourism has increased in
popularity and the number of golf courses has grown
rapidly.
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Golf courses require an enormous amount of water
every day and this can result in water scarcity.
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If the water comes from wells, over-pumping can
cause saline intrusion into groundwater.
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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.
LAND DEGRADATION
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Increased construction of tourism facilities has
increased the pressure on resources including fertile
soil, forests, wetlands and wildlife.
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Accommodation and other infrastructure provision,
and the use of building materials involves land
clearance.
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One trekking tourist in Nepal can use four to five
kilograms of wood a day.
AIR & NOISE POLLUTION
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Tourism now accounts for more than 60% of air travel.
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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.
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Air pollution from tourist transportation has impacts at the
global level, especially from CO2 emissions but local effects
as well.
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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.
NOISE POLLUTION IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
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In winter 2000, 76,000
people entered Yellowstone
National Park on
snowmobiles, outnumbering
the 52,000 visitors who
came via other modes.
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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.
SOLID WASTE
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The Wider Caribbean Region
receives 63,000 port calls
from ships each year, and
they generate 82,000 tons of
garbage.
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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.
SOLID WASTE
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Waste disposal is a serious problem and improper
disposal can be a major despoiler of the natural
environment - rivers, scenic areas, and roadsides.
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Solid waste and littering can degrade the physical
appearance of the water and shoreline and cause
the death of marine animals.
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In mountain areas, trekking tourists generate a
great deal of waste. Tourists on expedition leave
behind their garbage, oxygen cylinders and even
camping equipment.
SEWAGE
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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.
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Sewage pollution threatens the
health of humans and animals.
AESTHETIC IMPACT
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AESTHETIC POLLUTION
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Failure to integrate structures with natural features
and indigenous architecture of the destination.
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A lack of land-use planning and building regulations
in many destinations has facilitated sprawling
developments along coastlines, valleys and scenic
routes.
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The sprawl includes tourism facilities themselves
and supporting infrastructure such as roads,
employee housing, parking, service areas, and
waste disposal.
PHYSICAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
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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.
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.
National Parks
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Aims
1.
2.
3.
4.
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.
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.
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The five key questions at the end.
Land ownership in Britain’s National Parks
Study the pie chart showing the land ownership in Britain’s
National Parks.
Private
Forestry
Commission
National Trust
Water
companies
Ministry of
Defence
National Parks
Others
Who owns most of the land?
Why may it be difficult for the National Park Authorities
to control what happens in the National Parks?
Lake District National Park
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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.
Major honeypot areas in the Lake District
Where are the major honeypot areas in the Lake District?
Major honeypot areas
Managing tourism in the Lake District
How is tourism managed in the Lake District?
separate trails for
mountain-bikers
improved public transport
ban of second homes
promotion of ‘timeshare’
holiday homes, e.g.
Great Langdale holiday
homes
screening of car
parks and industry
by planting trees
park-and-ride
schemes
speed restrictions on the
lakes, e.g. 10 mph on
Lake Windermere
traffic restrictions
limited car parking
repair of stone walls
and eroded footpaths
e.g. footpath repair at
Dollywagon Pike
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
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.
Managing tourism in the Lake District
A 10mph
speed limit
has been
imposed on
Lake
Windermere
.
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.’
World-UK comparisons
World
UK
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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”.
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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”.
Top: Bowness and Lake Windermere
Bottom: Derwent Water & North Lakes
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Principles of eco-tourism
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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.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park,
Central Australia
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History
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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.
Lease agreement between
Anangu people & ANCA
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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.
Things to do from the Uluru website
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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).