Introduction
Tourism is considered to be the world’s largest industry in terms of revenue generated by it. It also involves a large number of people and a variety of sectors. Apart from the tourists themselves, there is the destination, the tour operators, resorts, support personnel, government and its agencies, ancillary sectors like agriculture, health etc. according to the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation, the tourism industry has seen strong sustained growth from 2000 onwards and also a forecasts similar growth for the year 2008. the total number of tourist arrivals during the year 2007 was 898 million international tourists. The United States also saw an increase 10% of arrivals during that year. (Inside the regions, World Tourism Exceeds Expectations in 2007 – Arrivals Grow From 800 Million to 900 Million in Two Years, Media, World Tourism Organisation, Committed to Tourism, Travel and Millennium Development Goals, 2008). Over the years, this rapid rise in tourism (both domestic and international) has raised serious concerns about sustainability and ecological damage. Due to this concern, the concept sustainable and eco-tourism is gaining in popularity as a means to have a balance between environmental protection, profits and protection to the society. It has come to such an extent that sustainable tourism has become a necessity and many countries are looking to develop projects that will follow the above concept.
This paper aims to look at sustainable tourism and its various aspects in general and with reference to the Everglades National Park in particular. This particular destination was chosen because of its popularity and also its ecological sensitivity. The Everglades has seen extensive damage since it began to be inhabited by white settlers.
The Everglades
The Everglades National Park has been one of the most popular tourist nature destinations in the United States. “Named a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve and Wetland of International Importance, the Everglade National Park located on the southern tip of peninsular Florida is a nature lover’s dream.” (Florida – Everglades, Kasbah.com – The World’s most powerful travel resource). It is also an example of successful sustainable tourism. The original Everglades once covered 11,000 square miles until human settlements began to drain the large expanse of water. The first white human settlers had begun to live there from 1920s onwards. The everglades now only cover 4,300 square miles. The State of Florida with the help of individuals and other organizations has embarked on one of the largest environmental ecosystems restoration projects in the world. The project aims at improving the lives the inhabitants of along with “preserving America’s Everglades and Florida’s Liquid Heart – Lake Okeechobee – and protecting natural wildlife and plants for future generations.” (Brief history of the Everglades, Everglades forever, State of Florida, 2006).
Natural environments and built environments
As mentioned earlier, tourism industry is a mix of the destination, many diverse sectors and the people involved including the tourists. In such a scenario, it would be worthwhile to understand and review the basic components or environments that any tourist destination will have. These environments can be broadly classified into two namely, natural and built environments.
Natural environment
Since Florida Everglades National Park is a natural habitat destination, it basically (and to a large extent) has a natural environment. “This category constitutes the fundamental measure of supply – the natural resources that any area has available for the use and enjoyment of visitors.” (Supply Components, Page 329, Charles R. Goeldner, J. R. Brent Ritchie, Tourism- Principles, Practices, Philosophies). Any feature that is naturally formed in a tourist destination can be classified in this category. It includes the air, the climate of the place, the water bodies, the landscape, the animals, the birds and other life forms habiting the place, the plants and its overall beauty. Air is included because the cleaner it is, the more appealing it would be to the visitors. Water bodies include the streams, the lakes, the rivers, and the sea any of which are present in the destination. The quality of the water and the level of pollution are also factors. Like air, the cleaner the water the better. Diversity in flora and fauna are also welcome. On the other hand some places may be known for hosting a particular type of plant or animal like kangaroos in Australia. Some areas may be famous for the plant life it holds. An example would be the sequoia trees in the United States. The General Sherman sequoia tree is famous as the largest piece of living wood in terms of volume in the world. It is 274 feet tall and has a circumference of 102 feet at the base. (More Sherman Tree Statistics, The General Sherman Tree).
The main attraction of the Everglades National Park is the natural beauty and the plant and animal life present there. The natural resources present there are briefly mentioned here. The Park is actually a wetland once though to be uninhabitable until it was drained by human settlers. Since the Park is situated near the southern part of the country, the climate is generally hot and humid especially during the summer months. “Summer is a bad season to visit the Everglades: mosquitoes, humidity and afternoon storms make visits uncomfortable and reduce most of the park activities.” (Best time to travel to the Everglades Park, Everglades National Park in Florida, Best time to travel). Summers can also bring in flooding of the park making it accessible only by boat. According to the article the best time would be the winter months, probably between October and March. Climate wise, Florida is at a disadvantage even though visits to the park are not prohibited during any time of the year. Even though there is pollution for neighbouring places like Florida City, the air inside the Everglades Park is very clean. The low level of rainfall in the area (60 inches per year) is usually offset by the high temperature- caused evaporation and hence the area may face shortage of clean water during summer months. “Competing demands for water — for residences, agriculture, and the Everglades and other natural areas — are placing stresses on south Florida’s water resources.” (Water resources, Page 4, Climate Change and Florida, EPA – Environmental Protection Agency). Hence this is also a setback with regards to tourism especially during summer. Everglades National Park has a long coastline with the Gulf of Mexico. The Park has a wide variety of flora and fauna. The landscape is lush green and is practically flat throughout. The main flora is mangrove and the tree islands made up of a plant called bayheads. Many varieties of exotic plants are also found. A wide variety of birds especially water birds is found there. Reptiles and amphibians are also found in large numbers. Alligators and the Burmese python are the main types of reptiles found here and they are of the maximum interest to visitors. Mammals are limited and only small ones like musk rats, raccoons and white tailed deer are common. (Everglades: Flora and fauna, Forest Encyclopedia Network – Bridging the gap between knowledge and application). The only large carnivore found here is the Florida panther.
Built environment
As mentioned earlier, a tourist destination will also have a built environment alongside its natural environment. This is necessary to provide the different facilities, infrastructure and amenities required for the tourists, staff and other people associated with the destination. A built environment can be defined as “A complex techno-socio-economic system comprising: physical components (e.g. bridges, roads, ports, rail, schools, healthcare facilities), and the institutional, management and operational relationships among these components and with society that it serves”. (Definition of built environment, Slide number 3, Phil Hendricks, CSIR ESTABLISHMENT OF BUILT ENVIRONMENTEK UNIT, CSIR – Your technology partner). This definition clearly states the purpose of a built environment in a society which is also relevant in the context of a tourist destination. The bridges, roads, ports and rail are primarily for transportation to and from the destination. The healthcare facility is also essential in case of injury or sickness for tourists or other personnel associated with the park. The school component may not be relevant in this instance. It also states that there is a complex relationship which includes technical, social and economic factors among the various components of the built environment.
The built environment is explained with the help of the layout of the Park given below. It can be seen that the primary mode of travel inside the park is though hiking trails, motorways and waterways. It is to the Park authorities’ credit that motor vehicles are allowed only on the main park road. Seeing the Park on horseback is allowed under special permit only and no pets are allowed on any of the trails except on the main park road. Bicycles are permitted on the main park road and selected trails only. The Wilderness Waterway (shown as a blue line in the map) is the best way to explore the park. It stretches almost across the entire length of the Park. Motorised boats are not allowed on this waterway. But is should be noted that this is a natural waterway (natural environment) and, only minor alternations as to make it more navigable have been made. (Hiking guide, Everglades National Park Hiking and Biking Page). There are two camping grounds with the facility for group camping. There are a number of building serving as visitor centres and offices. But they are located primarily on the southern and south western part of the park and the rest of the area is left free as wilderness areas.
It can be seen that built environment inside the park proper is minimal as a part of sustainable tourism. There are many hotels and hostels that serve tourists, but none are located inside the park premises. There are also many tour operators and tour packages available.
Problems with built environments: Built environments are man-made and there is every possibility that such environments will affect the environment negatively even if the greatest care is taken. The affects are usually in the form of air, water and noise pollution. For example, effluents from factories, homes and agricultural farms may pollute the atmosphere and water of a tourist destination. “Built environments influence local ecosystems: wildlife, plant life, air, soil, water, and people”. (The built environment is tightly entwined with the natural environment, Built environment, Smartlink – Where donors go for great ideas). Another instance would be soil erosion due to cutting down of tress and plants to make way for buildings, roads etc. excessive use of machinery, vehicles etc will also give rise to noise pollution. in the case of Everglades Park it can be seen that built environment is minimal and very little of the above problems will affect the park in any great way.
Impact of tourism on Everglades National Park
Sustainable tourism is impacted by the arrival of tourists and also by the communities that reside in nearby areas. “Sustainable Tourism refers to a level of tourism activity that can be maintained over the long term because it results in a net benefit for the social, economic, natural and cultural environments of the area in which it takes place”. (Sustainable Tourism, Glossary, European Institute of Cultural Routes).
Some of the impacts with specific reference to natural and built environments have already been discussed in the above sections. It is also necessary to see how other factors like socio-cultural factors, political factors, economic factors and environmental factors have affected this great wilderness destination.
Environmental impact
As mentioned earlier, the original Everglades had shrunk to about one fourth its original size by the time the need to prevent further degradation was noticed. Although appearing to be inhospitable to white settlers, the Everglades were inhabited by a couple of native Indian tribes for many years. “The original inhabitants, the Tequesta and Calusa Indians, had already disappeared due to the earlier arrival of the Spanish explorers. White settlers shunned the area, which they considered a wasteland.” (Living in the Everglades: The Native Americans, Susan D. Jewell, Restoring South Florida’s future, Department of the Interior, USGS – Science for a changing world). It was the white man who forced these tribes to flee their original homeland in North Florida and settle somewhere undisturbed. They adapted to the land and the climate and managed to coexist peacefully with the ecosystem. By the start of the twentieth century white settlers began to appear and through ingenuity managed to drain the wetlands so that dry land would be available of construction and farming. They were successful to such an extent that the Everglades itself became endangered. This was the primary social factor that was most damaging to the great wetlands. But once the National Park was set up, very little damage was reported within the ecosystem. The only problem that continues to plague the humans and the inhabitants of the Everglades is the shortage of water during the summer months. Human settlements near the Park depend on water from the Everglades for their consumption and this has put enormous strain on the numerous lakes and waterways in the Park. It is to be noted that these water bodies are shallow even though they cover enormous areas. The rainfall is also scanty in the area and the high heat takes most of it away through evaporation. But during the rainy season, the problem of flooding of agricultural land also occurs. The Friends of the Everglades, and the resident Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, had filed a case against the South Florida Water Management District for pumping polluted waste water form cities into the water bodies in the park. “The suit alleged that the South Florida Water Management District, an agency of the State of Florida, is violating the federal Clean Water Act by collecting and dumping untreated run-off into the Everglades rather that treating it or enforcing pollution laws against landowners.” (EVERGLADES POLLUTION SUIT IN U.S. SUPREME COURT, Friends of the Everglades).
This is an instance of imbalance between socio-economic factors and environmental factors. It is an irony because the same department along with the US Army Corps of Engineers had launched a multi-billion dollar project to restore the Everglades ecosystem. The National Research Council in its report released in 2008 that the effort is making very little progress. Unless such practices stop, real sustainable tourism cannot be practiced and the efforts of the Park authorities and environmental protection groups will be wasted. The tourism industry is industry is indirectly responsible since they are fed by the agriculture produce from these lands. They are also indirectly responsible for the waste because they stay in these communities (in hotels, homesteads etc).
In order to sustain the socio economic factors, the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) and the environment, a sustainable development plan was put forth by the Audubon Society of Florida. The plan calls for sustainable agricultural development without harming the ecosystem of the National Park. The plan also mentions that there have been proposals to replace agriculture with mining, residential and commercial purposes. If such a thing happens, the future of Everglades will be uncertain. The restoration plan has three major objectives in mind namely
- “Everglades Restoration (water storage, water treatment, habitat, and water retention),
- Sustainable Agriculture,
- Sustainable Communities.”
(A sustainable Everglades Agricultural Area includes the following components, VISION FOR A SUSTAINABLE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA, 1000 Friends of Florida, Audubon of Florida).
The area outside of the National Park is prime agricultural land and nearly 700,000 areas of land is owned and farmed on by settlers. This land is thirsty for water and depends on Lake Okeechobee, situated north of the National Park. The water bodies in the Park also are dependent on the lake for replenishment. This lake is practically pumped dry during peak seasons of water requirements and will only become full after the rains. The lake is also very shallow having only an average depth of 3 feet. The Audubon society has also provided a map showing how sustainable agricultural (and through it, sustainable eco-system) can be done.
Socio-cultural impact
This is essentially the same as what has been given above. The communities that are living near and around the Park are socially responsible to maintain their environment. The problems mentioned in the previous section are caused by these communities.
Political impact
Policy wise, the local, state and national governments in the country are fully supportive of the restoration of the Everglades. But if the government allows mining or commercialization of agricultural lands, then it can hit sustainable tourism very badly.
It can be seen that the plan has provisions for water storage and water treatment. Land lying adjacent to the sustainable agricultural lands is readied for water retention also. The communities will live sustainable close to the lake and the agricultural lands.
Economic impact
The influx of tourists who stay in communities near the park, are indirectly responsible for the problems mentioned above. But the Park itself seems to maintain a balance between economics and environmental sustainability. For example motor boats are not allowed on the waterways. Vehicles of all types are not allowed except on the main park road. The Park could have earned more money from taxes, rentals etc had they allowed these inside the Park
Conclusion
The sustainable tourism project of the Everglades National Park has been discussed here. It can be seen that the Park is run in a very sustainable way, by balancing the environment, economic and social aspects. The problems (mainly environmental) faced by the park are from the nearby communities. The two main problems faced are pollution of shortage of water. Unless the communities themselves take steps to correct the issue, much of the efforts of the Park authorities and the many environmental protection groups will be wasted.