Adverse Effects of Tourism on Wildlife
Tourism is defined as the 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 while wildlife is the combination of all undomesticated animals living in the wild, including those poached for the purpose of sports, food or business. Wildlife is among the major contributors in the tourism industry. From experience one can conclude that the wildlife environment is at great risk without strong governance arrangements. As the industry continues to grow and expand, the pressure on the environment and the wildlife increases and this destroys the very things that people value and which are the key assets in tourism. In order for the tourists to have a better and enjoyable wildlife watching, rules and regulations that govern the human-wildlife contact should be put and thoroughly adhered to. Wildlife destinations such as national parks and reserves always receive a high number of tourists compared to the capacity of the destination and the habitats of the animals.
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Tourists tend to involve close approaches to wildlife while watching them for the purpose of identification and may be photography. This interferes with most of their sensitive times (for example, during nesting season) since the potential for disturbance is high. Off road driving by the tour guides for the purpose of fully satisfying their customers has also negatively impacted on the wildlife as most of the plants which the animals feed on are destroyed by the vehicles. The breeding habitants are also tempered with since most of the animals undertake their lifecycles on the land.
Pollution is also in the frontline of the adverse effects of tourism activities on wildlife. Emissions from the vehicles which ferry tourists to the parks cause severe pollution as gaseous exhaustions destroys the ozone layer in the atmosphere leading to….Continue Reading….