http://www.galapagosislands.com/galapagos-conservation/galapagos-enviroment.html
Just yesterday we discussed the Galapagos Islands in relation to ecotourism. What we did not mention however, was the negative aspects of ecotourism, as we know from our own experiences the damage tourists can do when allowed to run wild. According to this recent article, the Galapagos Islands, which are viewed as a pristine piece of nature untouched until Darwin began to study them, are facing a wide number of environmental issues.
While reasons include climate change, the rest of the factors are man-created, such as overfishing, overpopulation, introduced foreign species and of course, tourism. In the last 40 years, tour numbers increased 80 times, now at more than 80,000 a year! While the simple presence of humans on the islands does not pose a direct threat to the land, these vast numbers were a catalyst for a 300 percent increase in native population in the last few decades drawn by the tourism industry. This tremendous increase in population has put great pressure on natural resources, while the growing tourist industry mandated the building of a second airport, increasing the pollution that was originally stemming from motor boats, yachts and trash. If this isn’t enough to worry about, introduction of foreign species by humans and commercial overfishing poses a very different but real threat to the native species of the islands.
While tourism can be an economic catalyst for many places and with proper legislation is a wonderful way to appreciate what our earth has to offer, these issues of tourist destruction are a real threat to sustainability. It does not seem logical to close off these areas, as ultimately, these sights are for our enjoyment, nor should we be vary on stepping on the wrong rock. To me, there is clearly some sort of balance that needs to be achieved and maybe the Galapagos Island has some rethinking to do (like that second airport).
Ecotourism has a lot of potential but in this case it is clearly not working. There seem to be a couple things wrong. First, there is too much tourism. The infrastructure of the Islands cannot handle it. Secondly, the locals are not the ones benefiting. The article—and Acid Rain---mentioned that non-natives are moving to the Galapagos at an alarming rate looking for work. This must dilute the benefits to the locals. It would also take away some authenticity, but based on how commercialized this ecotourism sounds (yachts?), it doesn’t sound like the tourists are particularly concerned with authenticity.
ReplyDeleteI think that ecotourism could be a call for a substantial increase in technological innovation. I agree with Acid Rain that places like the Galapagos Islands should not be closed off to tourists. However, the reality is that all of the transportation required in order to reach these places produces a lot of pollution and utilizes a large amount of fossil fuels. Airline companies could use this opportunity to create a new airplane that uses less fuel and thus has less of an impact on the environment. No one should be deprived of the opportunity to see beautiful places on the Earth. Technology can give people that opportunity with a chance to lessen their carbon footprint.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the underlying issue here isn't ecotourism per say, but rather overpopulation. An exponentially increasing global population and increase in living standards will give rise to more tourists each year. Additionally, increased marketing for ecotourism will most likely cause more people to travel to destinations like the Galapagos Islands. As discussed, this influx of people harms the environment and local community since it does not receive a fair share of benefits. I think the issue of ecotourism should include discussion on overpopulation, because tourism (and it's potential negative impacts) will continue to expand with population growth.
ReplyDeleteI think that Acid Rain's assertion that these sights are "for our enjoyment" is a point of contention. As this article demonstrates, it is our use of sights for our enjoyment, or ecotourism in other words, that is contributing to their degradation. We have discussed eco tourism as a potential solution to boosting local economies, but what happens when the industry is destroyed by its own success? The health of an eco tourist industry relies on the services it is able to provide, and the health of the environment it is providing them in. Where is the line drawn then? I think that there should be population regulation on the Island. That there should be a study conducted researching how large of a population the island can sustain. Obviously, it would be difficult (and immoral) to force residents to vacate, but there should be laws set in place to prevent further immigration to the island.
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