Environmental threats for tourism development

 While tourism provides considerable economic benefits for many countries, regions and communities, its rapid expansion can also be responsible for adverse environmental(and socio-cultural) impacts. Natural resource depletion and environmental degradation associated with tourism activities are sometimes serious problems in tourism-rich regions.The management of natural resources to reverse this trend is thus one of the most difficult challenges for governments at different levels. The fact that most tourists chose to maintain their relatively high patterns of consumption (and waste generation) when they reach their destinations can be a particularly serious problem for developing countries and regions without the appropriate means for protecting their natural resources and local ecosystems from the pressures of mass tourism. [Frederico Neto, 2002]


The main environmental impacts of tourism activity are: pollution and waste generation, damage of ecosystems, pressure on natural resources, climate change, etc.Water, and especially fresh water, is one of the most critical natural resources. The tourism industry generally overuses water resources for hotels, swimming pools, golf courses and personal use of water by tourists. This can result in water shortages and degradation of water supplies, as well as generating a greater volume of water waste.Important land resources include minerals, fossil fuels, fertile soil, forests, wet land and wildlife. Increased construction of tourism and recreational facilities has increased pressure on these resources and on scenic landscapes. Direct impact on natural resources,both renewable and non-renewable, in the provision of tourist facilities can be caused by he use of land for accommodation and other infrastructure provision, and the use of building materials.Often tourism fails to integrate its structures with the natural features and indigenous architectural of the destination. Large resorts of disparate design may look out of place in a natural environment and may clash with the indigenous structural design.A lack of land-use planning and building regulations in many destinations has facilitated sprawling developments along coastlines, valleys and scenic routes. The sprawl includes tourism facilities themselves and supporting infrastructure such as roads, employee housing, parking, service areas, and waste disposal.Construction activities and infrastructure development: The development of tourism facilities such as accommodation, water supplies, restaurants and recreation facilities can involve sand mining, beach and sand erosion, soil erosion and extensive paving. In addition,road and airport construction can lead to land degradation and loss of wildlife habitats and deterioration of scenery.