Managing ecosystems
It is vital that we manage ecosystems in a more sustainable way. This means that future generations will have the opportunities to enjoy them.
Management of our water supplies
We need to restrict water supplies in areas of the world where water is scarce. Preventing the development of large golf courses or encouraging A type of garden landscaping which uses plants such as cacti instead of tropical, water hungry plants, which are often more desirable. landscaping are two ways we can reduce our demand for water.
Managing our tourist industry
Ethical tourism, responsible tourism and sustainable tourism are three ways we can reduce the harm caused to our environment. By staying local, carbon emissions are reduced. If a tourist is responsible while on holiday then local families and businesses may benefit. Ethical tourists are also highly respectful to the environment, for example snorkelling over the coral reefs to learn about the wildlife and how to protect the environment.
Ecotourism is a form of sustainable tourism which benefits local people and conserves the environment. Eco-tourists have a low impact on the environment and support the conservation of habitats and wildlife. Often, eco-tourists visit locations around the world, volunteer in conservation programmes and learn about local culture.
In Iceland, many people visit the northern fjords to learn about the arctic environment, the A mythical story about the history of Iceland. and whales. This is a form of ecotourism which benefits the local economy, conserves the local culture and supports local businesses.
Restoring ecosystems
We should do everything we can to restore damage done to ecosystems, and conserve those which are in danger of damage.
In Borth, west Wales, Cors Fochno (Borth Bog) is a salt marsh ecosystem which is threatened by rising sea levels and human developments. This marsh provides natural protection from flooding because it stores and filters water. In 2014, £10 million was spent protecting the beach at Borth by building new sea defences, including an off shore reef. This development was intended to not only protect the salt marsh at Cors Fochno, but also the sand dunes further along the coast at Ynyslas, which is a small scale ecosystem and vital natural defence to the sea.
Managing tropical coastlines
Encouraging countries and individuals to better manage their fish stocks is vital to fresh-water and marine ecosystems around the world. In some regions of the world such as south-east Asia, the demand for fish is extremely high.
In Bangladesh, Tropical evergreen trees which help protect coastal zones. are often destroyed to make way for other forms of agriculture and tourism. In addition, mangrove forests are destroyed so that shrimp farms can be constructed in the ponds which are flooded. Unlike fishing at sea, shrimp farms are a form of intensive farming where shrimps are purposely grown, and not caught from the sea. Some groups of people argue that this is a more sustainable form of fishing although others have major concerns because of the original damage to the mangrove forest.
A better way to make fishing more sustainable is to introduce new laws and legislation. As a result of the near collapse of some fish populations, the European Union (EU) introduced regulations to To save and protect. fish stocks.
These regulations include:
- Setting fishing Restrictions placed on a product which limits how much can be used. In this example a quota is placed on the number of fish that can be caught per day. for EU countries and for individual fishing vessels, which limited the amount of each species of fish which could be caught. By catching fewer fish, more are left to breed, so in time the population should recover.
- Limiting mesh size of the nets. By increasing the size of the holes in nets, only mature, full-sized fish can be caught and immature fish can escape and eventually breed, allowing the population to recover.