The tourism industry, as a whole supports tourists going to distinct destinations, be it locally or abroad, for relaxation, sociocultural, or adventure purposes. It increases the country's economic growth, generates employment opportunities, improves the infrastructure of the country, and promotes a feeling of shared culture among native residents and foreign visitors.
The international demand for sustainable wildlife tourism, in particular, is predicted to be 12 million outings annually, with an average increase of 10% YoY. Not only that, the worldwide wildlife tourism industry is now equivalent to roughly 30 billion pounds. However, with that said, wildlife has all been hugely affected by forest destruction, illegal hunting, and in some places absence of financing to prevent such activities. Wildlife tourism is on the rise and will be instrumental to solve these problems.
In this article, we are trying to help you to understand sustainable wildlife tourism and provide some directions related to wildlife conservation.
Image by Alise Storsul, Unsplash
What is wildlife tourism?
Let's first understand what the term "wildlife" and "tourism" really implies.
Wildlife can be defined as animals, except humans and domesticated animals, particularly mammals, birds, and marine life.
Tourism is the systematic socio-cultural and financial application of travelling that includes the activity of enticing, accepting, and captivating visitors who go to nations or locations outside of their normal routine to satisfy their leisure and adventure needs.
So, as a whole "Wildlife Tourism" refers to the watching of the local species of flora and fauna in their natural ecosystems. Wildlife tourism introduced visitors to the world of wilderness against the backdrop of Nature. Understanding of animal social behaviour, interaction patterns, discipline, inter-species dependencies etc. A clear observation of living creatures responding in a particular manner to a specified context provides hours of entertainment.
Types of Sustainable Wildlife Tourism
The most popular types of the sustainable wildlife tourism industry are as follows:
Wildlife Safaris
A wildlife safari is perhaps the best option to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. From African Savanna to Indian Jungles, wildlife safaris are very popular among tourists. The popularities are such, that the booking starts even 90 days in advance and sold-outs within a couple of seconds.
Sea Diving
Diving is a prevalent type of wildlife tourism, with scuba diving sites such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Egypt's Red Sea, and others. It allows visitors to explore life underwater.
Birdwatching
Birdwatching is the most popular wildlife activity across nations. People across the globe observe and study birds' behaviours in their natural habitat. There are many amateur Ornithologists in every locality.
Whale & Dolphins Observation
Swimming with dolphins and whales is a dream activity for many people. Every year people gathered around Iceland and other Northern bay areas to observe this wonder swim freely.
Rescue Centre
Animal rescue centres and sanctuaries, like the Elephant Nature Park of Thailand and the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary of Australia, are organisations that protect, care for, and rescue animals. They also promote awareness among tourists and support conservation..
Image by Rudney Uezu, Unsplash
Importance of Sustainable Wildlife Tourism
Sustainable Wildlife Tourism helps local people financially by bringing tourists to a specific region where they spend money on hotels, food, transportation, and so on. Increased footfall inside the reserve forest also helps in protecting the site from poachers and various illegal activities. Local people are also inclined towards legitimate business and act as a social representatives to prevent such illegal activities.
Negative Effects of Wildlife Tourism
With wildlife tourism growing in popularity, more individuals are interfering with the wildlife, resulting in the following issues:
Abuse/cruelty to Wild Animals
As per reports, over 500K wild animals are bearing the brunt of a harsh and ruthless tourism sector. For instance, lions are taken from their mothers and locked up separately forever, elephants are physically abused or beaten up.
Spreading of Diseases
Several tourists seek close encounters with the wild animals, which could prove to be problematic for the animals, making them more vulnerable to disease. Foreign visitors could also bring pathogens for which wild animals haven't yet developed an immune system.
Change in Behaviour
Wildlife activities can cause significant disturbances to animals’ natural environments. Such activities can terrify animals, particularly during vulnerable stages of their lifespan, and harm reproduction. Tourists feeding or even annoying wildlife could indeed alter moral behavioural patterns and make them dangerous. For example, snakes can bite, and elephants can stamp on people.
What is sustainable wildlife tourism?
A sustainable wildlife tourism approach integrates the long-term use of wildlife biodiversity to encourage wildlife conservation. Wildlife Tourism could only be considered sustainable if it adds value to the preservation of the wildlife and their habitat by engaging all stakeholders, such as the local community, environment, and government bodies.
Tips for Sustainable Wildlife Management
Here are a few possible strategies to guarantee liability in sustainable wildlife management
As a Tourist
Study the location you intend to travel to before actually going there to gain knowledge about the various nations, ways of life, and languages, as well as a plethora of data available online. You can also speak with your travel guide or agency, who already has extensive knowledge of the venue. Don't get too close to the wildlife as it might bother or scare the animals. Don't tamper with nature by tearing leaves and breaking branches, littering etc. Avoid buying souvenirs containing coral or endangered animal products such as ivory, rhino horns, coral, tortoise shell, reptile skins, plants, etc., as these objects only damage the biodiversity and motivate more unlawful behaviour.
As a wildlife tourism manager
Serve seasonal and locally sourced meals, and not anything from the wild directly. Design walks or crossings fitting for self-guided operations, such as proper signage and interpretation. Create facilities with an adventure theme, such as canopy passageways, walking trails, birdhouses or bird hides. Display signs instructing tourists about how to act around wild animals and birds. Provide activities and educational programs for children such as storytelling, drawing and painting wild creatures, insect collecting, and animal dropping monitoring. Make extra events available, such as trips to nearby villages for genuine conversations with communities, markets, and other places of interest.
Final Words of Wisdom
By preserving wildlife, we must ensure that future generations can experience our natural environment and the amazing life forms that inhabit it. To better protect wildlife, it's essential to comprehend how creatures socialize inside of their habitat and how human and ecological impacts affect them. Hope, we have been able to make it clear about the importance of sustainable wildlife tourism. Let's be responsible for caring for and conserving wild animals together. After all, none of us would like to see them go extinct like the Dodo birds, right?
