Dive Tourism
Dive tourism can have negative and positive influences on coral reef ecosystems. It is very important to have tourist education programs to reduce stress on coral reefs caused by tourists who are unaware how easily damaged corals can be. One such negative effect of tourism that can easily be avoided is people walking on coral, and breaking it. Walking near corals also can lead to sediment being stirred up and covering corals, which leads to coral death and makes it very difficult for corals to re-colonize the area. Dive tourism can be beneficial to coral reefs by creating funding for protection programs, including Marine Protected Areas. By simply charging dive fees at certain dive sites, money can be generated for the conservation of coral reefs.
Read more about this topic: Southeast Asian Coral Reefs
Famous quotes containing the words dive and/or tourism:
“Go! dive into the Southern Sea, and when
Th’ast found, to trouble the nice sight of men,
A swelling pearl, and such whose single worth
Boasts all the wonders which the seas bring forth,
Give it Endymion’s love, whose ev’ry tear
Would more enrich the skilful jeweller.”
—Sir William Davenant (1606–1668)
“In the middle ages people were tourists because of their religion, whereas now they are tourists because tourism is their religion.”
—Robert Runcie (b. 1921)