Impact of Tourism on Wildlife Wildlife Animals

Question: Discuss about the Impact of Tourism on Wildlife for Wildlife Animals. Answer: Introduction In recent times, there has been an exponential increase in the tourism industry. With time, the tourism industry has emerged as a mainline industry in different parts of the world (Hardiman, 2015). There is an increase in the number of domestic and international tourists across the globe. There are various destinations across Australia, Europe, and USA that are considered as the top destinations for tourists (Catlin Jones, 2010). There are various advantages of development of tourism industry. However, one of the disadvantages of development in the tourism industry is the negative impact on the wildlife (Birtles, 2013). Worldwide tourism has hit an all-time high. In 2014, record 1.14 billion tourists traveled internationally (Duim, 2015). With it, wildlife tourism has also increased as people attempt to see animals in their natural habitats in Kenya, the Galapagos, Indonesia and Mexico to name just a few. The wildlife tourists have increased in numbers but people have neglected the impact on the wildlife. The increased level of tourism has put a pressure on the wildlife animals and their natural habits (Hughes, 2013). There are different stakeholders responsible for this. These stakeholders would include the private agencies, wildlife conservations parks, domestic and international tourists, governments and society at large (Brooks, 2013). Different stakeholders and governments are taking various measures to minimize the impact of tourism on wildlife (Karanth, 2012). However, it appears that these measures are not sufficient. It can be said that fundamental and radical measures would be required to minimize the negative impact of tourism on wildlife. Negative Impacts of tourism on wildlife This section of the essay would discuss the negative impacts of tourism on wildlife. With an increase in the tourism industry the biggest issue or threat has been on the animals (Moorhouse Baker, 2015). With tourism, there have been several challenges on the existence of wildlife animals. The large and small animals have found it difficult to get water and food. The key negative impacts of tourism on wildlife can be discussed under following headings: Stress on wildlife animals Example: The increase in the number of tourists can create stress for wildlife animals Ecological misbalance Example: The ecosystem can get disrupted with an increase in the number of tourists Polluted environment for animals Example: An increase in the number of tourist can increase the pollution level in forests Positive impacts of tourism on wildlife There are very limited or minimal positive impacts of tourism on wildlife (Bhagwat, 2013). This section would discuss the positive impact of tourism on wildlife. One of the few positive impacts is the standardization across various wildlife reserves and geographical areas (Buckley, 2012). With an increase in the number of tourists, the government and the private agencies are in better place to develop and establish the standards for wildlife conservation (Green, 2014). It is important that different people and stakeholders should work together to increase the positive impact of tourism. It could be difficult to achieve. However, it can be done with a concentrated and focused approach (Katselidis, 2015). Different governments and private agencies should take small steps to reach at a stage where tangible positive impacts could be observed. Stakeholders involved and their roles and responsibilities There are various stakeholders involved in this area. These stakeholders would include the private agencies, wildlife conservations parks, domestic and international tourists, governments and society at large (Moore Rodger, 2010). Different stakeholders and governments are taking various measures to minimize the impact of tourism on wildlife. This section would discuss the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in this area. The headings under this section can be discussed as: Governments as important stakeholders Private agencies as important stakeholders Consumers/ Tourists as stakeholders Society as stakeholders Steps forward to minimize the negative impact This section would discuss the various steps that should be taken to minimize the negative impact of tourism on wildlife. The negative impact could be minimized if people understand their duties (Moore Rodger, 2010). It is important that people in the society should understand that it is their moral responsibility to preserve and to conserve the wildlife in their areas (Granquist, 2013). Short-term plan This section would discuss the short-term plan to minimize the impacts of tourism on wildlife. Long-term plan This section would discuss the long-term plan to minimize the impacts of tourism on wildlife. Tourism and sustainable development There is a need of sustainable tourism associated with the sustainable development (Cong Morrison, 2014). This section would discuss the various aspects of sustainable tourism that can minimize the impact on wildlife (Curtin, 2010). The sustainable tourism would include number of measures like forest preservation, air and soil preservation, etc. The various measures that can aid the sustainable tourism and contribute towards wildlife preservation can be discussed as: Forest and land preservation The wildlife forests are the home for wild animals. The sustainable tourism would start from the preservation of forest area (Karanth, 2012). It is important that different stakeholders should join hands for forest and land preservation (Malkinson, 2013). Air and green environment The sustainable development and the sustainable tourism would depend on the green belt and the environment (Ballantyne Falk, 2011). The sustainable tourism would start from the preservation of air and creating a green belt. Focus on needs of future generations An important aspect of sustainable development is that it focuses on the need of the future generations (Higham Shelton, 2011). With the focus on the needs of the future generation a true sustainable environment can be created. Suggestions, Recommendations and Way forward This section of the essay would discuss the key recommendations for different stakeholders. It is important that all the key stakeholders should join hands to focus on sustainable tourism (Ham Weiler, 2012). The government of different nations would have a key role to play to minimize the impact of tourism on wildlife. Conclusion This would be the last section of the essay. This section would make a conclusion of the essay. In this section, the key points of the discussion would be jotted down. This section would start with a brief summary of the essay and would discuss the best practices that should be used to minimize the negative impacts of tourism on wildlife. References Ballantyne, R., Packer, J., Falk, J. (2011). Visitors learning for environmental sustainability: Testing short-and long-term impacts of wildlife tourism experiences using structural equation modelling.Tourism Management,32(6), 1243-1252. Barua, M., Bhagwat, S. A., Jadhav, S. (2013). The hidden dimensions of humanwildlife conflict: health impacts, opportunity and transaction costs.Biological Conservation,157, 309-316. Buckley, R. (2012). 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