Forests that are scarred by celebrities and bloggers
Some other tourists follow the recommendations of bloggers on Instagram and YouTube and impleme them in nature; without harming nature. At the same time, many couries of the world are looking for the developme of the tourism space; But they do not face this amou of destruction.
“Hamid Abolqasmi”, CEO of Rafsanjan Nature Lovers Group, tells “Kejaro” about the behavior of tourists towards nature:
With the significa increase in the human population, the exploitation of natural resources also increases; Therefore, the human population is forced to use natural resources to meet all kinds of needs, both material and spiritual. Tourism can be one of these forms of human use of nature. We cannot be indiffere to nature, nor can we prohibit or limit the use of natural resources.
He coinues about the importance of sustainable tourism developme:
If the way we use nature is unsustainable, the result will be the destruction of natural resources; Especially when we talk about nature-orieed tourism; Because in this form of tourism, we are directly facing ecosystems and natural habitats. If we do not think about sustainable tourism, we cannot expect that nature will not be damaged and destroyed; However, for the exploitation of nature, specific solutions must be developed, the definition of specific mechanisms, laws and frameworks for the sustainable exploitation of nature in the field of tourism must be developed. It should be made clear to the people that their activities outside these frameworks are considered violations and will be dealt with legally.
tourism without education; A threat to natural resources
This wildlife supporter says about the differe behavior of some tourists in differe situations:
Sometimes we see that people’s atteion is drawn to the protection of a specific species in stories like the “Pirouz” story; But at the same time, in other places, for example, by cutting down trees and holding various tours, they harm the environme, and such behaviors can only be evaluated as a result of a lack of environmeal awareness and education. Since the 80s, educational activities in the field of environme have been formed in the coury and a significa part of the society has become more aware of the importance of protection. But in the field of natural tourism, such as being in forests, islands, or in sensitive habitats, this awareness has not yet spread enough. For this reason, the amou of damage increases with the increase in the number of visitors; Therefore, increasing public awareness about the importance of natural resources is the key to preveing these damages, and tourists should know what behaviors they should not do in nature.
According to the extensive advertisemes of tour operators in the virtual space, he explains:
When extensive advertising is done to hold differe tours, routes and related facilities should be provided in a standard way; Otherwise, even good ieions for tourism and nature tourism can inadvertely lead to the destruction of nature. For example, we advertise, consider the need for developme, and may even provide training; But if we don’t create infrastructure and if we don’t consider each of these things, we can’t reach the right result.
Abolghasemi says about iernational experiences in the field of sustainable tourism:
If we refer to iernational experiences, they operate specifically in protected areas, on the site of parks and even in national parks around the world; But they also have the highest level of nature protection and at the same time accept a high amou of tourists; At the same time, there is no destruction. In this situation, planning, zoning and protection and exploitation frameworks are determined, comprehensive plans are determined and implemeed, training and awareness are also done, and after exploitation, it is also managed seriously.
Sustainable tourism is not possible without infrastructure and education
The CEO of Rafsanjan Nature Lovers Group, stating that if tourism is advertised and they are invited to the forest, peak or mouain, all the needs of a tourist will be measured and met, he adds:
A professional nature tourist, professional mouaineer or wildlife expert or family and friend groups may eer nature, each of them has a differe need for exploitation and their view of nature. A professional hiker may need a campsite; But a family needs accommodation, food, bathroom, etc.; Therefore, all these needs are measured and provided. For example, in this situation, a family knows where they can take advaage of nature and if they deviate from the specified path, or if they throw garbage, or if they stay overnight in a place other than the specified place, they will be fined; Therefore, infrastructures, definitions and training should be given first, and then crimes should be defined. In this situation, sustainable tourism developme can be achieved.
Finally, it should be said that the issue is neither against traveling nor celebrating; Rather, it is a matter of our presence in nature. One should not look at nature only as a photo background or a scene of night celebrations in the forest; Nature is a place where differe animal species live and life flows there, and with the slightest neglect, they may not be restored at all. If Damavand is going to be registered globally or the Hyrkanian forests are still alive, first of all, travel culture, tourism education, and the developme of infrastructure and monitoring should be taken seriously.
