the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

planted and wild animals and rare and endangered species protected (Mathieson
and Wall, 1982).
Lastly, the increasing demand for an unspoilt and protected environment is leading
to an attitude change within the tourism industry. Tourists are becoming less and
less prepared to spend their holidays at crowded, spoilt and unhealthy destinations.
This trend has helped local people realise the importance of conservation for the
economic success of tourism (Inskeep, 1991). As a result, the preservation of
natural environments is becoming a prime consideration for the entire tourism
industry and the bodies which regulate it (Buhalis and Fletcher, 1992).
2.8.6 Negative Environmental Impacts of Tourism
Even though tourism has done much to conserve fragile ecosystems and provide
unique natural opportunities for many, it also brings several environmental
disadvantages with it (Ioannides, 1995). The increasing tourist demand placed on
Third World destinations, especially during the peak tourist period, cannot normally
be satisfied by the limited natural resource base in a host area. Hence, a number of
problems are generated (Buhalis and Fletcher, 1992).
Some of the most common environmental problems that arise from tourist
development include damage to various ecological elements such as wildlife
habitats and flora, which often constitute the tourism heritage of the host country
(Vellas and Becherel, 1995). Tourism development can cause extinction and
irreversible environmental damage. It is noted, for example, that "...there are more
plant and wildlife species indigenous to Hawaii that have become extinct, or are now
considered endangered, due to resort development" (Schneider, 1993, p. 79).
Tourism may also degrade the quality of sensitive natural or historic sites. The
excessive concentration of high-rise hotels along beach-fronts, the building of
durable walkways, stairs, lighting, lookout points and informal areas for tourists, and
the destruction of historical monuments through vandalism and theft can adversely
influence the image of these historic and natural places of interest (Schneider, 1993;
Vellas and Becherel, 1995).
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