MOUNT CARMEL COLLEGE OF TEACHER

EDUCATION FOR WOMEN, kottayam

EDU 106.14: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

PACKAGE

ON

IMPACT OF TOURISM ON BIODIVERSITY

Submitted To Submitted By,

Ms. Jaya P.J Ayana Sugunan{N.S}

Mount Carmel College of Ashamol V.A {N.S}

Teachers Education Soumya George{ENG}

For women Grace mary{S.S}

Sr. Smitha Cyriac{S.S}

Sherin Ann {S.S}

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 INTRODUCTION
The term “biological diversity” and the shortened “biodiversity” emerged into public
domain mainly because of the signing of the “convention on biological diversity {CBD} on
5th June 1992 at the UN conference on Environment and development in Rio de Janeiro.

Biodiversity not only includes living beings on the earth but the ecosystem in which
they survive and the ecological processes that maintain it. There is always a misconception
on link between nature, environment and biodiversity. Biodiversity support a number of
natural ecosystem processes and services. Biodiversity has the ability create stability in
ecosystems.

About 50 to 70 percent of biodiversity are found in the tropical and sub-tropical

forests which cover about 6% of land area of the earth. The climatic conditions prevailing in
there forests give rise to rich biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity has occurred over the earth
from long geological period in the form of background extinction and mass extinction.

Tourism is travel for pleasure or business, also the theory and practice of touring, the
business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of
operating tours. Tourism may be international or within the travellers country.

The world Tourism organization defines tourism more generally, in terms which go
“beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity only’, as
people “travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than
one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes.

TOURISM AND DEFORESTATION

Deforestation, clearance or cleaning is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where

the land is there after converted to a non-forest use Examples of deforestation include
conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated deforestation
occurs in tropical rain forests. About the30 % earth’s land surface is covered by forests.

Travelling is one of the favourite activities of people around the world especially the
millinals, but sometimes it can have a harmful effect on the environment. Tourism may
positively impact one country or city in terms of economic advantages, employment
opportunities, foreign exchange earnings, and growth in service sector.

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 Deforestation can have a negative impact on the environment .the most dramatic
impact is a loss of habitance for millions of species.80 % of earth land animals and plants live
in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes. Deforestation
also drives climate change. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun –blocking
recover, they quickly dry out. Trees also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water
vapour to the atmosphere.

TOURISM AND CLIMATE

The relationship between climate change and tourism is twofold: Climate change
impacts on tourism and tourism impacts on climatic change. The magnitude of the impact of
tourism on the climate is very high. The tourism and travel sector currently contributes a
higher share of to climate change than to the global economy and is thus a relatively eco-
efficient sector with respect to global warming. The tourism and travel sector is developing a
higher dependency on high energy transport and activities and more luxurious
accommodations, thus further decreasing eco-efficiency. Air transport causes an increasing
share of all tourism and travel related global warming, a share that is currently already over
60%.holidaymakers may be ruining their favourite destinations through pollution and
greenhouse gases, making the tourism industry one of the world’s worst polluters.

Tourism is unfortunately one of the vectors of climate change at the moment and
contributes, through its excesses, to the process of global warming. Tourism itself was facing
“tragedy” if climate change continued unabated. In the past several years, there has been a
growing concern over the effect of global warming over the climate. All around the world,
climate changes are becoming more evident, causing flooding and extreme temperatures in
different nations. Weather patterns have become unpredictable. These disturbances in their
weather and the impact on the environment are the result of the impacts of tourism on the
climate. Tourism is causing great threats to environment directly and indirectly. It can be
defined as the carrier of pollution. The contributions of tourism to greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions is rising, and are projected to grow 130% between 2005 and 2035.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the environment today.
As a climate-sensitive industry, tourism will also be affected by the climatic changes. Even
though tourism is one of the greatest contributor of climatic change, it can also help with
mitigation efforts through travel philanthropy, carbon offsetting programs, and other

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sustainability initiatives. With tourism contributing to, suffering from and mitigating climate
change, the sector must continuously address these issues for its own sustainability.

TOURISM AND AN INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES

An invasive species is a plant, fungus, or animal species that is not native to a specific
location (an introduced species), and which has a tendency to spread to a degree believed to
cause damage to the environment, human economy or human health .The main causes which
are Fast growth,Rapid reproduction,High dispersal ability, Phenotypic plasticity (the ability
to alter growth form to suit current conditions),Tolerance of a wide range of environmental
conditions (Ecological competence),Ability to live off of a wide range of food types
(generalist),Association with humans, successful invasions.

Typically, an introduced species must survive at low population densities before it

becomes invasive in a new location. At low population densities, it can be difficult for the
introduced species to reproduce and maintain itself in a new location, so a species might
reach a location multiple times before it becomes established. Repeated patterns of human
movement, such as ships sailing to and from ports or cars driving up and down highways
offer repeated opportunities for establishment (also known as a high propagule pressure)

An introduced species might become invasive if it can outcompete native species for
resources such as nutrients, light, physical space, water, or food. If these species evolved
under great competition or predation, then the new environment may host fewer able
competitors, allowing the invader to proliferate quickly. Ecosystems in which are being used
to their fullest capacity by native species can be model as zero-sum systems in which any
gain for the invader is a loss for the native. However, such unilateral competitive superiority
(and extinction of native species with increased populations of the invader) is not the rule.
Invasive species often coexist with native species for an extended time, and gradually, the
superior competitive ability of an invasive species becomes apparent as its population grows
larger and denser and it adapts to its new location.

An invasive species might be able to use resources that were previously unavailable to
native species, such as deep water sources accessed by a long taproot, or an ability to live on
previously uninhabited soil types. For example, barbed goat grass (Aegilops triuncialis) was
introduced to California on serpentine soils, which have low water-retention, low nutrient
levels, a high magnesium/calcium ratio, and possible heavy metal toxicity. Plant populations

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on these soils tend to show low density, but goat grass can form dense stands on these soils
and crowd out native species that have adapted poorly to serpentine soils.

Invasive species might alter their environment by releasing chemical compounds,

modifying abiotic factors, or affecting the behaviour of herbivores, creating a positive or
negative impact on other species. Some species, like Kalanchoe daigremontana, produce
allelopathic compounds that might have an inhibitory effect on competing species. Other
species like Stapelia gigantea facilitates the recruitment of seedlings of other species in arid
environments by providing appropriate microclimatic conditions and preventing herbivory in
early stages of development.

Another examples are Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle) and Centaurea diffusa
(diffuse knapweed). These Eastern European noxious weeds have spread through the western
and West Coast states. Experiments show that 8-hydroxyquinoline, a chemical produced at
the root of C. diffusa, has a negative effect only on plants that have not co-evolved with it.
Such co-evolved native plants have also evolved defences. C. diffusa and C. solstitialis do not
appear in their native habitats to be overwhelmingly successful competitors. Success or lack
of success in one habitat does not necessarily imply success in others. Conversely, examining
habitats in which a species is less successful can reveal novel weapons to defeat invasiveness.

Changes in fire regimens are another form of facilitation. Bromus tectorum, originally
from Eurasia, is highly fire-adapted. It not only spreads rapidly after burning but also
increases the frequency and intensity (heat) of fires by providing large amounts of dry
detritus during the fire season in western North America. In areas where it is widespread, it
has altered the local fire regimen so much that native plants cannot survive the frequent fires,
allowing B. tectorum to further extend and maintain dominance in its introduced range.

Facilitation also occurs where one species physically modifies a habitat in ways that
are advantageous to other species. For example, zebra mussels increase habitat complexity on
lake floors, providing crevices in which invertebrates live. This increase in complexity,
together with the nutrition provided by the waste products of mussel filter-feeding, increases
the density and diversity of benthic invertebrate communities.

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 HABITAT LOSS RELATED TO TOURISM

Our planet is changing continuously, causing habitats to be altered and modified.

Tropical and sub-tropical forests are always subject to destructive natural forces -cyclones
landslides, floods, mud flows, volcanic eruptions, fire, drought, and climate change. These
factors are overwhelmed by anthropogenic disturbances.

The new “forests” are simply tree plantations without any of the diversity or richness
of the original forest. The destruction of the habitats for most native species is a worse threat
than hunting by humans. Usually hunting targets a few individual animals, but habitat
destruction affects all species in an area. Habitat loss occurs in three ways:

1) Whole ecosystems are destroyed or converted into farmland, exotic forests and
settlements.

2) Ecosystems are partially removed, creating ‘islands’ surrounded by farmland.

3) Ecosystems are degraded by the loss of species and disruption of their ecological
processes.

CAUSES OF HABITAT LOSS

The following factors are involved for the habitat destruction in the tropics: Over-
population, Faulty land ownership pattern, Shifting cultivation , Illegal and commercial
logging, High demand of timber , Scarcity of fuel wood , High extraction of non-wood
products, Destruction of natural vegetation, Soil disturbances, Inadequate valuation of forests
as resources, Inadequate protection, Establishment of infrastructures and transport networks,
Extractive activities , Inappropriate interventions, Construction of dams for hydropower
sources, Poverty,Excessive extraction of non-timbering plants, Lack of philosophical and
ethical attitudes, Animal grazing, litter sweeping, Encroachment and land grabbing,
Economic attitudes,Greed and corruption,social structures, Wars and social
conflicts,Tourism, Introduction of exotic species, Overexploitation, Brick field.

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CONSEQUENCES OF HABITAT LOSS

The consequences of the habitat destruction are: Deforestation, Losing of existing

species Decreasing vegetation coverage, Accelerating soil erosion, Loss of species richness,
Increasing rarity, Loss of genetic diversity,Loss of evolutionary potential,Changes in water
cycles, Changes in water tables, Conversion in pure stands,Difficulty in afforestation,
Destruction of natural regeneration,Climate change, Increasing of physical disturbances, Loss
of ecosystem services, Disruption of livelihoods of indigenous people ,Social
instabilities,Economic losses, Increasing susceptibility of pathogen infection and insect
infestation.,Loss of forest productivity; Decreasing of forest non-wood products,Increasing of
environmental refugees, Affecting habitats in proximity to degraded habitat.

TOURISM AND POLLUTION

Tourism can cause the same forms of pollution as any other industry: air emissions,
noise, solid waste and littering, releases of sewage, oil and chemicals, even
architectural/visual pollution.

Air Pollution and Noise

Transport by air, road, and rail is continuously increasing in response to the rising
number reported that the number of international air passengers worldwide rose from 88
million in 1972 to 344 million in 1994. One consequence of this increase in air transport is
that tourism now accounts for more than 60% of air travel and is therefore responsible for an
important share of air emissions.

Transport emissions and emissions from energy production and use are linked to acid
rain, global warming and photochemical pollution. Air pollution from tourist transportation
has impacts on the global level, especially from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions related to
transportation energy use. And it can contribute to severe local air pollution. Some of these
impacts are quite specific to tourist activities. For example, especially in very hot or cold
countries, tour buses often leave their motors running for hours while the tourists go out for
an excursion because they want to return to a comfortably air-conditioned bus.

Noise pollution from airplanes, cars, and buses, as well as recreational vehicles such
as snowmobiles and jet skis, is an ever-growing problem of modern life. In addition to
causing annoyance, stress, and even hearing loss for it humans, it causes distress to wildlife,

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especially in sensitive areas. For instance, noise generated by snowmobiles can cause animals
to alter their natural activity patterns.

Solid Waste and Littering

In areas with high concentrations of tourist activities and appealing natural attractions,
waste disposal is a serious problem and improper disposal can be a major despoiler of the
natural environment - rivers, scenic areas, and roadsides. For example, cruise ships in the
Caribbean are estimated to produce more than 70,000 tons of waste each year. Today some
cruise lines are actively working to reduce waste-related impacts. 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. Such
practices degrade the environment with all the detritus typical of the developed world, in
remote areas that have few garbage collection or disposal facilities. Some trails in the
Peruvian Andes and in Nepal frequently visited by tourists have been nicknamed "Coca-Cola
trail" and "Toilet paper trail".

Sewage

Construction of hotels, recreation and other facilities often leads to increased sewage
pollution. Wastewater has polluted seas and lakes surrounding tourist attractions, damaging
the flora and fauna. 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.
Changes in salinity and siltation can have wide-ranging impacts on coastal environments.
And sewage pollution can threaten the health of humans and animals.

Aesthetic Pollution

Often tourism fails to integrate its structures with the natural features and indigenous
architectural of the destination. Large, dominating resorts of disparate design can look out of
place in any natural environment and may clash with the indigenous structural design.

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.

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 In my point of view the main threat to tourism is water pollution. Water pollution is
increasing with domestic, agricultural and industrial activities. Factories are dumping
chemicals and waste into the rivers, lakes and oceans. Fish, birds, and wildlife depend on
clean water. What will happen to them when they will not have access to clean water
anymore? They will migrate or die, hence, leaving the site that might’ve been a major
attraction for tourism, empty and ugly looking. One of the major threats to the environment is
nutrient pollution. It is pollution that is being caused by excessive amounts of nutrient in the
water. Nutrients might be coming from agricultural runoff into the water. Excess of nutrients
might results in hypoxia. Hypoxia is a low oxygen phenomenon. Concentration of dissolved
oxygen in the water is so low, that it cannot longer support life. Hypoxia then results in the
occurrence of dead zones. Dead zones are areas on the water with no life.

There are some methods that government is trying to implement in order to reduce water
pollution. Some of them include:

1. Use of natural fertilizers.

2. Recycling and proper disposal of trash.

3. Proper disposal of hazardous materials.

4. Monitoring of sewage treatment plants.

5. Education of people about threat of water pollution.

I think that making sure that businesses operate in a sustainable way is a very
important aspect of reducing water pollution. Disposal of chemicals in the rivers is not
sustainable at all and very harmful to the environment. The example of such disposal is
China. According to the article in CNN, a factory in China dumped a lot of chemicals in the
river which resulted in 110 tons of dead fish. Water quality standards should be set, and water
recycling measures should be taken by all the businesses. It should a rule for a business to
recycle water before it decided to dump it into the river. Recycled water will reduce pollution
and benefit the environment. Pollution –generating process that deserves attention is the use
of pesticides on golf courses. These are really another form of monoculture, which involves
the importation of soil and exotic grasses, to keep perfectly green. These require chemical
fertilizers, pesticides, machinery and a lot of water. The golf courses are usually installed on
terrain formerly destined for agricultural purposes and cause environmental damage that

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includes destruction of biodiversity, water depletion and the contamination of soil and
groundwater.

NECESSITY OF HABITAT CONSERVATION

The core of ‘The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’ is the promotion of an

integrated approach to natural resource management on large landscapes and to biodiversity
conservation through enhancing wildlife habitat and reducing habitat fragmentation. These
are the benefits of habitat conservation; Conservation of biodiversity, Extracting forest
product, Preserving genetic resources, Maintaining hydrological functions. Improving air
quality. Stabilizing climate. Retention of soil fertility. Controlling pests, Proper pollination,
Aesthetic factors and recreation, Wilderness, Ethical values.

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 CONCLUSION
As more regions and countries develop their tourism industry, it produces significant
impacts on natural resources, consumption patterns, pollution and social systems. The need
for sustainable/ responsible planning and management is imperative for the industry to
survive as a whole.

The following are the impacts of tourism on biodiversity :A species of animal or

plant life disappears at a rate of one ever three minutes,70% of marine animals are threatened
,Pollution ,Soil erosion, Global warming ,Climatic changes ,Habitat loss ,Deforestation.

Sustainable tourism is about re-focussing and adapting. A balance must be found

between limits and usage so that continuous changing, monitoring and planning ensure that
tourism can be managed. Economic, social and environmental development must include the
interests of all stakeholders including indigenous people, local communities, visitors industry
and government.

Sustainable tourism should make optimal use of environmental resources that

constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes
and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity

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 REFERENCES

Bardgett, R.D., Usher, M.B., & Hopkins, D.W. (2005) Biological Diversity and Function in
Soils. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Chivian, E. & Bernstein, A. (eds, 2008) Sustaining Life. How Human Health Depends on
Biodiversity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Crosby, A.W. (2nd edn 2004) Ecological Imperialism. The Biological Expansion of Europe,
900-1900. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Elton, C.S. (1958) The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.

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