We've all seen it. Someone in a National or State Park ignores the signs "Keep off sensitive vegetation" or "Please stay on trail" all to get a photograph for their Instagram page, disregarding the natural habitat afterwards. After all, the environment has served its purpose. Of course, we think well that would never be me!
While people seek natural areas for their sheer beauty, outdoor activity opportunities, biodiversity, and educational opportunities, there are many ways that ecotourism has led to the degradation of the environment. Enter: the Soft Ecotourist.
Soft ecotourists and wildlife generalists (as opposed to hard ecotourists or wildlife specialists) [1,2] have a minimal or moderate environmental commitment and visit areas in medium to large-sized groups. They may be excited to see neat features, landscapes, and wildlife, but they are not heavily interested in the history or preservation of the land or those living on the land. The natural environment simply offers a convenient place for recreational activity, and poor weather or a low "coolness factor" deters them from visiting. They also expect a level of amenities and services during their visit and generally spend a shorter period of time outdoors. Unfortunately, overall engagement with the environment is shallow, and they are also more likely to cause damage to the environment. You might also find them giving one-star reviews of the National Parks.
It's perfectly okay for tourists to have different expectations of the outdoors since everyone has diverse interests, time constraints, and physical capabilities, and anyone (not just soft ecotourists) can be at fault for environmental irresponsibility. Soft ecotourism can be the bridge for becoming more strongly interested in the environment. It’s also important for everyone to seek the outdoors for mental and physical health, especially in a time of increasing screen and electronic usage. School field trips, boy/girl scouts, family vacations, etc., are great opportunities for learning, bonding, and recreating, and some of my fondest experiences growing up were hiking, camping, and going to parks with my family which strengthened my decision to study environmental science as an adult.
However, while tourism has many personal, societal, and economical benefits, it also has negative consequences that we should be aware of.
The Consequence of Tourism
1. The act of traveling by fossil fuels leads to massive greenhouse gas emissions [3], contributing to climate change.
2. Natural scenic areas are getting increasingly packed with people. A piece featured by the New York Times shows some disturbing images of these crowds.
3. Tourists pollute, vandalize, and deface scenic environments. During the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, an immense amount of damage caused by visitors occurred in Joshua Tree National Forest that may take up to 300 years to fix. People drove off-road in sensitive areas, cut and burned Joshua Trees, and left trash everywhere. I encourage you to listen to the “Better Than I Found It” podcast episode by the Dirtbag Diaries. And no, your banana and orange peels will not "degrade", at least not that quickly; it may take up to two years!
4. High volumes of visitors lead to the trampling of natural environments which compacts and crushes the natural soil and vegetation [4], causing erosion.
5. Noise pollution (i.e. noise from helicopters, cars, snowmobiles, large groups of humans, etc.) not only degrades the soundscape, affecting the natural experience, but it disrupts wildlife. Among many examples, it was found to affect seed dispersal and bird feeding success and productivity [5–7], and air tours in the Grand Canyon were responsible for a 43% decrease in foraging activity in the big horn sheep population [8].
The land doesn't belong to me, it doesn’t belong to any of us. We’re guests here on this earth. It's my responsibility to make sure that my daughter's children's children get to see what Joshua Tree is really like not just from a video or from a book.
- Rand Abbott in "Better Than I Found It" by The Dirtbag Diaries
So Ask Yourself
Why are you there? What are you hoping to get out of your visit?
Would you still go if you couldn't take a picture?
Are you taking time to appreciate the land you are on and the environment that you are in?
What can you do to be a better ecotourist? Glad you asked!
What You Can Do
When you go into nature, visit with the intention of appreciating and learning, in addition to doing your outdoor activities. Appreciate the history of the land that you are on.
Educate yourself on the land: Who are the people that live(d) there? Are the natural resources threatened? Are any species endangered?
Acquire more than just a photograph. Gain knowledge and some good memories!
Support the local economy and local travel agencies.
Travel locally more often to decrease your carbon footprint.
Don't enter areas that you shouldn’t go into. There is a reason why certain areas are blocked off to the public, whether they are dangerous to our health or whether we are dangerous to that area.
Don’t feed, touch, or approach wildlife. Every year, a tourist tries to pet or feed something they shouldn’t. Besides this potentially leading to an animal attack, feeding wildlife makes the animals rely on hand-outs. This may lead to the death of that animal as it may aggressively start approaching tourists. If that's not enough reason, you are also training the wildlife to not forage naturally, putting them at risk.
Don't pick plants or take nature home with you. This is direct damage to the environment. Also, leave it for everyone else to enjoy.
If you pack it in, pack it out. Everything that you took with you into nature, take it back out, food scraps included.
Follow local guidelines and listen to the park rangers. There may be endangered species and spaces you are not aware of that you could be threatening. What might be okay in one area may not be okay in others.
Show respect. That's it.
The best way to preserve and care for the environment is to leave it alone as much as possible and #LeaveNoTrace. And remember, we are guests not residents. So, enjoy the environment, but treat it tenderly and well.
An ant crosses your carpet. A spider weaves a pattern older than mammals beneath your stairs. Just nod, breathe, and think, “Good. It’s all still here. The forest, the mountains, the desert. At home in my home.” The sterile white box is the stranger. Not the ant. Not the spider.
What other ways can you be a better ecotourist?
References
1. Weaver, D.; Lawton, L. Overnight Ecotourist Market Segmentation in the Gold Coast Hinterland of Australia. J. Travel Res. - J Travel RES. 2002, 40, 270–280, doi:10.1177/0047287502040003005.
2. Duffus, D.A.; Dearden, P. Non-consumptive wildlife-oriented recreation: A conceptual framework. Biol. Conserv. 1990, 53, 213–231, doi:10.1016/0006-3207(90)90087-6.
3. Shahbaz, M.; Bashir, M.F.; Bashir, M.A.; Shahzad, L. A bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review of tourism-environmental degradation nexus. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2021, 28, 58241–58257, doi:10.1007/s11356-021-14798-2.
4. Morkunaite, R.; Karmaza, B.; Bauza, D. Determining the damage inflicted by tourists on the Curonian Spit National Park and preventive measures in Dune Creation. Ekológia. 2012, 31, 341–353.
5. Iglesias Merchan, C.; Diaz-Balteiro, L.; Soliño, M. Noise pollution in national parks: Soundscape and economic valuation. Landsc. Urban Plan. 2014, 123, 1–9, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.11.006.
6. Francis, C.D.; Kleist, N.J.; Ortega, C.P.; Cruz, A. Noise pollution alters ecological services: Enhanced pollination and disrupted seed dispersal. Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 2012, 279, 2727–2735, doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0230.
7. Francis, C.D.; Barber, J.R. A framework for understanding noise impacts on wildlife: an urgent conservation priority. Front. Ecol. Environ. 2013, 11, 305–313, doi:https://doi.org/10.1890/120183.
8. Stockwell, C.A.; Bateman, G.C.; Berger, J. Conflicts in national parks: A case study of helicopters and bighorn sheep time budgets at the grand canyon. Biol. Conserv. 1991, 56, 317–328, doi:10.1016/0006-3207(91)90064-G.
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