Explain How Tourism to Increasingly Exotic Locations, Such as Antarctica, Can Cause Conflicts. How Can These Conflicts Be Managed?

Ecotourism has started growing in popularity as criticism has arisen over ordinary mass tourism. Mass tourists exploit tourist destinations in such a way that can cause environmental degradation. Ecotourism attempts to make tourism sustainable – that is, it encourages preservation of environmental quality and of traditional cultures, it educates tourists and it enables the local people to participate in certain services offered to the eco-tourists. As ecotourism extends towards increasingly exotic tourist locations, such as Antarctica, sustainability becomes all the more important. Thus ecotourism does have its advantages towards the environment. However, conflict can arise between different interest groups concerning debatable issues in ecotourism – as opposing groups (such as environmentalists and scientists) have different interests as to how to go about with an extremely exotic area such as Antarctica. Greenpeace, the famous environment conservation company, has a different view about fishing in Antarctica, than do fisherman. Fishermen argue that it brings them family income and their families are dependable on fishing and no-one has a right to stop them making a living. However Greenpeace argues that fisherman can get by doing something different than putting marine life off the coasts of Antarctica into danger. They insist that fishing be banned or catches be strictly controlled, and that Antarctica is overly fragile. Fisherman say that they will control their catches if everyone else does – this is not the case thus over-fishing is a continuing problem in Antarctica and surrounding areas. As a consequence to animal catchers killing unnecessary numbers of seals, in 1972 Greenpeace managed to launch the ‘Convention of the conservation of Antarctic seals', which protects seals in the Antarctic area (Seals are now an endangered species), however over-fishing persists.

The World Wide Fund (WWF) has an ongoing conflict with various mining and oil