Impacts of increased tourism on polar environment – case studies from Svalbard and Iceland

Abstract

The increasing number of visitors in polar regions and demand for outdoor extreme activities create a pressure on local fragile ecosystems. Two examples of mechanical disturbances of the glacier forefields are presented in this study to demonstrate the impacts of different frequencies of visits on the local environment. Foxfonna study site experience only minor disturbances in comparison with the Langjökull study site on Iceland. This is due to the number of tourists visiting the two localities and also the means of transportation used for reaching the ice caps. It is likely that with still ongoing increase of number of tourists coming to these localities, the anthropogenic pressure will continue to grow. The combination of human pressure and ongoing climate change can have irreversible effects on sensitive local environment especially in places easily accessible for tourists.

The rise and fall of Pyramiden: The story of a town in a wider geopolitical and environmental context

“…Since the 1990s, the tourism and hospitality industry has grown rapidly. Until the end of 2019, Svalbard received 60,000 visitors annually, equalling to an income of around 32 million USD (CIA World Factbook, 2018;Kavan & Anděrová, 2020). However, the rapid increase of tourism activities has ceased recently due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions applied to foreigners travelling to Svalbard.…”

“…Indeed, besides pollution, the most visible effects are also related to the construction of transportation infrastructures and transportation itself (e.g. Kavan & Anděrová, 2020). The overall economic development of Svalbard with the intensification of mining activities led to a spread of the settlements, industrial zones, and related infrastructures.…”

The need for stewardship of lands exposed by deglaciation from climate change

“…For instance, people respond to global warming by moving frost‐tolerant crops further upslope (or to colder microclimates; Hussain et al, 2018 in Nepal; Skarbø & Vandermolen, 2014 in Ecuador; Sayre et al, 2017 in Peru), potentially facilitating biological invasions to higher elevation. Similarly, grazing (Speed et al, 2012), human‐caused fires, and frequent disturbance by tourists (Barros et al, 2020; Kavan & Anděrová, 2020) may modify the natural advance of alpine plants to higher elevation. But land use can also mediate negative effects of warming in alpine environments (e.g., Klein et al, 2007).…”