Environmental Issues

Specialist Reports Special Interest Holidays Green Tourism Environmental Issues 

The UK's Department for International Development noted that for nature tourists, “being in a wild landscape” is at the top of the benefits expected. But if too many of them come, the attraction will evaporate.

It is less obvious on resort holidays, but polluted water, unattractive and uncontrolled building for example will also deter visitors. While short-term solutions can be found to many of these problems (the view taken by the vast majority of resort developers) a long-term future as a resort is only sustainable if the surrounding environment is taken into consideration.

Rubbish is a major issue. Less sophisticated countries do not have the resources to line land-fill sites for example and chemical which end up in them, for example from discarded batteries, can cause serious long-term problems.

Pressure from westerners to be offered comforted similar to those at home causes scarce resources like water and fuel to be used up far faster than is sustainable. For example an average trekking group in Nepal uses up as much firewood in two weeks as a local family does in six months, according to Mike Mann in his book.

Development for eco-tourism can be as harmful as that for conventional tourism. At times it may even be in contravention of the laws governing the preservation of the environment. One example is in Khao Sok National Park in Thailand, where it has involved felling trees and constructing concrete stairs. Furthermore, the increase in human population to cater to the tourists, for example in the Wolong Nature Reserve in Southwest China, actually destroys the habitat. There the number of pandas dropped as a result from 145 to 72 in 12 years.

Tips

• Take care on fragile paths, countryside, buildings and ancient monuments and help your children do the same. Travel only on established trails and roads.



• Ask your accommodation, especially hotels, to change your bedding & towels only when really needed - cutting laundry pollution.



• Use energy, and other resources efficiently, and in line with their availability. Try to conserve energy by switching lights off when out of your room, and turning off hotel air conditioning and any other appliances when not needed. This includes TV standby. Apparently in the UK alone the electricity burnt by standby mode takes up the full annual production of an entire power station. Ideally of course look for building which use traditional forms of cooling for example with thick walls and air currents.



• Try to avoid introducing extra chemical into the environment. For example use clothes which cover the skin and mosquito nets over beds rather than mosquito repellent sprays. (This is anyway safer for young children. For more on this see the Health section in Practicalities.)



• Reduce consumption of materials and packaging that will become waste by reducing the amount of packaging you take with you and any you might be given there - such as plastic bags. Also minimise use of disposable batteries and other items such as discarded film from polaroids that will become toxic waste. (If you want music, consider investing in a Freeplay radio (freeplay) which has produced a compact model powered by options including wind-up and solar. Look out also for new products sucha s battery-free CD players, and Gameboys and the like.



• Recycle materials where possible. In less industrialised countries, glass bottles are more recyclable than aluminum cans.
  



• Use as little as possible in the way of disposable items; fabric washcloths rather than packaged towelettes, fabric or plastic rather than disposable bibs etc. If you are going to be in somewhere seriously undeveloped take reusable nappies. These places do not have any safe way of getting rid of disposables. Just make sure beforehand there is somewhere you can wash and iron. (Ironing kills any bugs which might have got into the fabric while drying.)



• Take a water filter rather than buying bottled water and creating pollution from the plastic bottles.



• Use all local recycling facilities to dispose of waste.



• Don't disturb wildlife, avoiding any noise or activity which could cause stress, keeping your distance and not feeding it.



• Don't buy items like shells, coral, ivory, tortoise shells, coral, reptile skins, cat pelts, rare woods or other endangered animals or plants. (If customs find them they will be confiscated anyway.)



• Support local environmental and conservation efforts and don't participate in activities that cause the destruction of the environment.



• Don't take any plants, animals or materials and explain to your children that if they do this they will be destroying the survival of the insect/plant/animal, its environment etc.



• Try to eat traditional local foods - with exceptions for items such as fish which are being over used. Traditional foods will generally be those which grow locally so are most suited to the climate and which are least environmentally harmful.



• In developing areas don't throw away magazines or newspapers. They are welcomed as gifts for example at rural schools and by isolated development workers.



• In developing areas think of taking clothes and toys your children no longer need, to offer as gifts. (Check in advance with any operator whether this would be suitable.)



• If you see any abuse of the environment, report it to everyone you think might be able to prevent it continuing. This includes organisations such as Green Globe 21 (see Organisations).