We all love
a vacation to the tropics. Just the mere thought of the pristine white beaches
coupled with the promise of sunny blue skies is enough to make us feel one step
closer to heaven, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of our hectic graying
city life.
I’ll be the
first to admit, I love my holidays…but I love the environment that give me that
luxury even more. Irresponsible tourism can ravish nature faster than you
think. Within the blink of an eye, that white sandy beach could very well be
just another picture on a postcard because once tourism sinks its teeth into it;
you’re going to scream scam the moment you arrive.
Which makes
me wonder, do we all only learn to appreciate what we have after it’s gone?
You see the
movement to sustain the environment isn’t quite as popular a march outside the
US, which might hit you as odd, since these are the people who still have
virgin forest and un-ravished natural beauty to boast about.
Back home,
we’re not just fighting to save what we have left of nature, we’re fighting to
bring back what is now lost -an uphill battle all the way! And as advance as
our industries and technological breakthroughs are, sadly so are the effect of
global warming, which makes us the perfect example of what not to let your
environment become.
So why
then, do we see still see nature losing its battle to survive? There are many
reasons, but ignorant tourism is one of the culprits.
Fact of the
matter is, tourists hold just as much responsibility as their host if not more
to keep the environment flourishing
Tourism is
about money, it is just another form of income for the host, so there’s no need
to question which one takes the prize of priority. Hosts will manipulate nature
anyway it takes to bring the tourists in and even though there are responsible
ways of doing this, sadly most don’t come with such foresight so we end up with
scenarios of extinct marine life and ruined coral reefs.
Yet where
there are handfuls, which do their best to ensure nature stays in its virgin
state, it is the lack of co-operation from the tourist which makes the effort a
failure.
You don’t
have to do anything much, just pick up after yourselves and follow the rules.
If the sign says, ‘Marine Reserve Park, please do not take marine life out of
the water’ -then don’t!
The star
fish is beautiful creature and so is the sea cucumber, but take them out of
their environment and that beauty is gone. So come on everyone, baby steps go a
long way to protecting and preserving our environment. I still want to have a picture
perfect tropical beach to go to, don’t you?
Image Source: Perhentian Guide
