Environmental Impacts of Tourism on Lakes

Abstract

Ecosystem services are the benefits provided to people by ecosystems and biodiversity. Fresh water is a 'provisioning' service referring to the human use of fresh water for several purposes. The hydrological cycle also sustains inland water ecosystems, including rivers, lakes and wetlands. These ecosystems provide regulating, supporting and cultural services that contribute directly and indirectly to human well-being through recreation, scenic values and fisheries. To maintain ecosystem health or ecosystem integrity, external or internal perturbations must be kept below the carrying capacity.Anthropogenic disturbances of freshwater resources as a consequence of tourism are diverse. In many regions of the world, lakes and ponds in particular are important freshwater habitats providing significant attraction for the public. Impacts to lakes from tourist activities occur directly to the lake water and shoreline, or can affect the water body indirectly through various actions in the catchment. The response of a specific freshwater ecosystem depends on the type of interference as well as the type and size of the lake. Shallow lakes are affected and hence behave differently from deep lakes. Large lakes react in a different way than small lakes. Impacts are also modified and mediated by the characteristics of the catchment, such as morphology, size, land-use and population structure.Impacts to tourist lakes are classified as direct and indirect effects and are analysed and exemplified.

Impact of climate warming on European inland waters

“…The resulting multitude of internal changes affects water quality and trophic level Teubner 2011, Winder 2012). Additional stress can come from tourism in many regions (Dokulil 2014). Whether eutrophication promotes climate change through positive feedback is still under debate (Moss et al 2011).…”

The impact of tourism with vacation homes (second homes) on the rural environment at the Fântânele Reservoir- Apuseni Nature Park.

“…Of course, there are impacts positive too, some authors claiming that the owners of the second homes are much better educated ecologically and often are against the development of industrial activities that can bring negative effects of the natural environment (Roca et al, 2011). Also, many authors talk about the impact of tourism activities (Cooper, 2006, Dokulil, 2013 on the natural environment of the area catchment of the watershed (it is important to evaluation and focused attention on catchment areas, because the impact from the chatchment can be significant, that is shows in Fig. 2, there are a significant number of second homes both in the Warm Somes Area (Doda Pilii, Smida localities) as the ones spread along Beliș and its tributaries, and may represent an important source of water pollution that is subsequently transmitted in Fantanele Lake.…”

An Evaluation of the Impact of Hiking Tourism on the Ecological Status of Alpine Lakes—A Case Study of the Valley of Dolina Pięciu Stawów Polskich in the Tatra Mountains

“…The location of tourist facilities and tourist activities such as fishing, sunbathing, and sailing, promotes the degradation of the area. The result is, among others, trampling, littering, changing the shoreline of lakes, disrupting animal reproduction and other effects regarding the degradation of aquatic ecosystems [19,66]. According to Dokulil [19], a lake that is suitable for tourism should be characterized by easy access, availability of tourist infrastructure, warm surface water temperature (preferably above 20 • C), and high water quality (clean water).…”

“…It is assumed that lakes are particularly vulnerable to various negative effects of anthropogenic pressures (also in the form of tourism), such as eutrophication, habitat degradation, as well as introduction of alien species, which are frequently inter-related [18][19][20]. With the listed effects, water eutrophication is one of the most serious human-induced changes in the natural environment.…”