Environmental Issues In Hasting's Point

Tourism is the world’s largest industry with nature-based ecotourism seeing rapid growth since its initial arrival in the 1980s. It is estimated by the World Tourism Organisation that nature tourism generates 7% of all international travel expenditure (Lindberg, 1997) and this figure will have increased rapidly over recent years. It’s increase in popularity is due to a number of factors; tourists becoming increasingly bored of the typical sun, sea and sand holiday’s, the increase in global awareness or environmental issues such as global

The increase in pollution over the past century is of little surprise to many. Mankind has made great strides in such a short time, however, with these great strides, there are consequences. With the advancement of technology and the ability to harvest different sources of energies, there has been a rise in the amount of wastes and pollution. Actions that most people don’t even consider, such as driving their car and using fertilizers are mundane actions that may not seem like much, but they too, contribute to pollution. Eventually, many types of pollution and waste make their way to the ocean. Therefore, pollution has a significant impact on the ocean and marine life.

The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. The well-being of the ocean is constantly being threatened and needs to stop. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems suffer and become endangered along with the lives of people and marine life. The importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world 's coasts must be recognized because they are truly irreplaceable. If humans are not educated , and become careless about what is thrown on the ground or sprayed on lawns, disastrous effects follow when it comes to the condition of the ocean’s ecosystems, which can endanger life itself, leading to a problem only we can correct. There is historical evidence of ocean pollution, although the problem still shadows us today.

“One of South Australia’s premier nature-based attractions is Seal Bay Conservation Park” . It is a beach where the seals wander freely as tourists watch on from a boardwalk. As a result of tourism, the management of the area has changed significantly over time. Tours are available with a guide to walk onto the beach and get up closer with the seals, which was not always provided. The guides are there to control the tourists and protect the seals from any harm being done to them. The boardwalks have been added to protect the area and minimise the disturbance to the seals. This is a direct environmental impact that tourism has had on Seal Bay. To minimise any more tourism related destruction to the island’s environment, made up of over half “native ‘old –growth’ bushland” , conservation parks are scattered over the island, as seen in figure 1.

As humanity continues to prosper agriculturally, industrially, and in population, companies, as well as local communities, have obsessively used the Ocean to toss their waste without consequences. The formation of dead zones has been intensified by the increase runoff of fertilizers and the burning of fossil fuels. Enhanced primary production causes algae to bloom at a constant rate creating a layer near the surface. This layer acts as a roof to vegetation below resulting in a lack of oxygen which organisms use to live. According to Robert Diaz and Rutger Rosenberg, “Dead zones have now been reported from more than 400 systems, affecting a total area of more than 245,000 square kilometers, and are probably a key stressor on marine ecosystems.” Specifically, the Chesapeake Bay has been polluted to the point where areas have now been uninhabitable to marine life. Although waste disposal is a difficult issue to solve, polluting bodies of water endangers the marine life, environment, and health of organisms.

When it comes to the topic of ecotourism, most of us will readily agree that it is a less harmful alternative to mass-tourism and that it promotes responsible and low-impact travel to areas where flora, fauna and cultural heritage are the primary drawing power. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what the impact of ecotourism actually is and what its long-term consequences are. Whereas some are convinced that ecotourism provides the basis for sustainable development, particularly in places that suffer from exploitation and excessive resources’ usage, and that could only improve the general conditions of the local people, others maintain that we are still far from true ecotourism, for many are those in the

Beginning with the industrial revolution, a major boom in industry and product manufacturing, pollution entered the water system at alarming rates. The main issue was the release of CO2, or carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere which would eventually make its way into the ocean, causing ocean acidification, or the lowering of the PH (potential of hydrogen) levels. According to Richard Feely, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “Many scientists believe that decreasing pH in the oceans interferes with the ability of certain marine animals, such as corals and other calcifying marine organisms, to make their skeletons and shells from calcium carbonate minerals” (Bradshaw, Kate). In turn, this would cause a devastating effect on organisms that utilize those marine animals as shelter, and likely cause a noticeable loss in biodiversity within species of snails, lobsters, clams, and oysters (Bradshaw, Kate). When these types of keystone species (otherwise known as species that are vital to the survival of many other organisms) are at risk, so is the rest of the food web (“What is Ocean…). Over one billion people rely on those keystone species as a main source of food, and many more find employment by fishing them, so preserving these organisms is vital to not only marine

The use of natural resources to attract tourists, if successful, leads to the obligation of an infrastructure upon ‘nature’. Over time, it is the manmade structures that maintain the desirability of the tourist resort, not the natural features that prompted the original.(Ryan, 1991) Thus by focusing too much on attracting tourists

Human intrusions are the largest threat to the ecosystem on the Galapagos Islands. This is due to the increase in tourism over the past 16 years. Tourism has grown at a rate of 14% per year (Watkins and Cruz, 2007). The number of hotels on the islands has increased from 33 to 65 and the number of bars and restaurants has increased from 880 to 1,668 (Watkins and Cruz, 2007). This is definitely an indicator of how much tourism has grown on the islands. This causes massive problems in the ecosystem. The only way to these tourists can get to the islands is by boat. The boats that bring the people to the islands are bringing more pollution and waste. The tourists on these boats are bringing plants and animals with them that carry germs, disease, and insects that threaten the native populations on the islands.

One of the biggest factors effecting the Simpona lemur population is tourists. Although tourists come to marvel on the beautiful agriculture and species that make up Madagascar, they are unfortunately contributing to the decline of the Simpona lemur. As the tourist rates increase destination resorts increase, which then leads to reduced land for wildlife. Tourists are wanting to reside within the forest to be “immersed” in the environment and have the ability to see the wildlife from the comfort of their hotels (Simpona). This has meant deforestation had to occur to make room for hotels located within or right near the undamaged forest. As a result this leads to people questioning why they would go to the extent of damaging the forests and reducing the population of lemurs for the tourists. This is a result of tourism having a major role in the economy. Tourism is a crucial part of Madagascar’s economy and without tourism the economy would plummet. This country has become so reliant on attracting tourists that it has become one of its biggest forms of income (WWF - Endangered Lemur Fights for Survival in Madagascar). Due to tourists being interested in the island's biodiversity Madagascar has attracted visitors for various reasons ranging from family vacations to scientific research. However, the main

The discussion on ecotourism and its essence has led to over eighty different definitions of the topic (Fennell, 2008). However, one of the most used and comprehensive definitions is reported by Weaver (ibidem). It describes ecotourism as “a form of tourism that fosters” awareness, education and enjoyment of the natural environment and the local values in a sustainable way (Weaver, 2001a:15). Hence, ecotourism, while thriving for profitability, aims to promote education and cultural awareness of destinations without compromising their ecosystems. Eco-tourists demand for more authentic and meaningful forms of travel and; according to Orams (1996) (in Weaver, 2001a), they can be classified in two different categories: hard and soft ones. The hard eco-tourists believe in “radical” self-commitment with their destination, in order to ameliorate the natural environment (give back something) through “not-mediated” (Weaver, 2001b:106), challenging physical activities immersed in the site’s nature (ibidem). However, the soft visitors have shallower levels of commitment to the environment than hard eco-tourists. Indeed, while hard eco-visitors tend to organise independently (where high competence and time availability are required and low level of services expected on-site), soft ones rely on eco-tour-operators to organise less physically demanding tours (tab. 1.1a) (ibidem).

One of the largest problems the earth is currently facing, in regards to the ocean environment, is the growth of ocean dead zones. The ocean covers more than two-thirds of the earth’s surface. Dead zones occur all around the world, but an increase can be seen near heavy agricultural and industrial areas (What Causes Ocean "Dead Zones"?, 2012). In 1960 there were 49 known ocean dead zones, now there are 405 dead zones identified worldwide (What Causes Ocean "Dead Zones"? 2012). The dead zones lack oxygen levels during certain times of the year limiting the aquatic animal life in the ocean. This problem isn’t caused by the activity in the ocean, but is caused by the activity on land.

Biscayne Bay is located in South Florida and is home to many terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Over the years, humans have populated the land around Biscayne Bay, which has greatly altered the water quality. In a study done in 2011, anthropogenic affects in the bay were measured by testing for an overabundance of nutrients in the water (Carey et al, 2011). This is just one of the many studies that shows how and why the Biscayne Bay is affected by human activities. A major concern with the increase in nutrient to the water is that it leads to an accumulation of algae, which ultimately causes a surge in algal bloom (Levinton, 2013).

“[P]ollution of the marine environment means the introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the marine environment, including estuaries, which results or is likely to result in such deleterious effects as harm to living resources and marine life, hazards to human health, hindrance to marine activities, including fishing and other legitimate uses of the sea, impairment of quality for use of sea water and reduction of amenities.”

Ocean acidification is happening throughout the oceans at this very moment. Ever since the start of the Industrial Revolution, excess amounts of carbon dioxide have been released to the atmosphere. The ocean absorbs around a quarter of the carbon dioxide released every year, so as the amount of CO2 increases in the air, so does the amount of CO2 in the ocean. Scientists, at first thought this was beneficial to the environment as the ocean was removing greenhouse gas from the atmosphere; however, it slowly changed the chemistry of the oceans. The increase of carbon dioxide in the oceans led them to become more acidic, which affected the marine ecosystems. The PMEL Carbon Program monitored the oceans for three decades and they recently revealed how carbon dioxide affected the coral reef systems in the North Pacific