Take the Sustainable Approach to Wildlife Tourism

Many of us who love the oceans dream of seeing their majestic inhabitants first hand in their natural habitat; whether that includes a glimpse of a killer whale or a more leisurely explore of a coral reef and its bright residents. Many of these activities provide a once in a lifetime chance to engage with nature up close, yet few people consider the impact they may be having on the animals themselves.

Most commonly, people partake in tourist activities to help them see our marine creatures up close and over the last couple of decades, wildlife tourism has expanded wildly as business owners have finally realised that these animals are much more precious to us alive than dead. For example, whale populations were hunted to a fraction of their original size as people sought profit from their blubber and meat yet today, whale watching is an enormously popular activity around the world which brings visitors and their money to coastal areas. Quite often, these areas are rural and wildlife tourism provides a much-needed boost to the economy whilst offering a new range of employment opportunities. In fact, the potential of this sector is enormous, with commercial wildlife watching being one of the fastest growing tourism segments worldwide. If activities and tours are run in the right way, by protecting species and their surrounding environment whilst providing employment for local communities, wildlife tourism could be a great way to achieve sustainable development. These activities also have a fantastic influence on the people who take part in them by allowing us to witness the natural world first hand, helping us feel more connected to the environment and in the long term, this is thought to be a crucial factor in determining whether people take actions which benefit the planet. Wildlife trips are also a chance for experts to pass on their wealth of environmental knowledge in surroundings that are so much more exciting and enticing than the classroom. 

An astonishing 40% of tourism worldwide is wildlife tourism, with some of the most popular activities including wildlife sea safari boat trips, snorkelling or scuba diving, visits to seabird colonies and swimming with certain species. Around the world, the animals hitting the top of everyone’s wish list are whales, sharks, dolphins, manatees, turtles and seals. However, many of these species already have enough problems on their plate, from plastic pollution to warming waters to the threat of becoming bycatch, so they don’t need our holiday activities to constitute yet another hazard.

So how can we tell which provider to choose and which activities we should be participating in? Quite often it comes down to the day-to-day practices of each business and whether they truly have the welfare of animals and the environment at heart. For example, companies which offer diving tours around coral reefs should encourage these simple rules to help minimise disturbance. Divers should not be allowed to touch any of the corals as they are extremely fragile and easily damaged whilst their recovery rate can be very slow as they only grow between 0.3 to 10 centimetres a year depending on the species. It is also important not to touch or remove dead corals from the seabed as no matter how badly you want a souvenir, these dead pieces of reef need to decompose in the water where they can then provide the nutrients which will sustain new life. Many companies have wetsuit gloves as a mandatory requirement for divers as it prevents them from trying to touch parts of the reef. As a diver, you should also be careful not to step on any corals or hit them with your flippers. Moving slowly through the water can also reduce the amount of sediment that is stirred up and this prevents corals being smothered with sand which affects their ability to grow, feed and reproduce. As intriguing as some multicoloured alien looking fish may be, it is important not to chase animals but let them come to you as otherwise, over time, they may be scared away from areas which are critical to their survival in terms of feeding and breeding. It is also important to choose an operator that does not feed fish to attract them towards tourists as this can cause wild creatures to become reliant on humans to survive. Researchers have now observed that fish being fed become more aggressive, are more likely to be sick and have an increased likelihood of leaving their nests and young alone, unprotected from predators, in order to secure a good meal. Finally and something you may not be aware of is the option to wear reef-safe suncream. These products do not contain chemicals such as oxybenzone and octinoxate which leach off your skin into the water and can cause coral bleaching and damage their reproductive abilities. Whilst this might sound like a lot of rules and regulations, most of them are common sense and won’t take away from the experience of being underwater in one of our planet’s most diverse and stunning ecosystems but will help leave it in a good condition for the next group of ocean loving explorers.

Taking a boat trip in order to see a certain species, such as humpback whales, whale sharks or common dolphins are arguably one of the most popular forms of wildlife tourism but it is definitely worth doing your research and choosing a responsible operator. There are certain rules which are considered best practice in this industry to ensure the animals do not become stressed. For example, boats should not follow too closely behind animals or persist to follow them over a long distance. Instead, skippers should approach animals slowly and from the side, allowing them to see that the vessel is heading towards them and giving them space and time to move away if they wish to. Many limit the amount of time they stay with an animal to 20 minutes before moving on to search for another group. There should also not be a large number of boats crowding the wildlife and where possible, it is best to opt for a sailing boat or a vessel with a quiet engine as many of our marine species have highly tuned hearing and are easily stressed by noise pollution. Of course, if you would rather not have any impact on these animals at all, you can choose to visit one of the many spots around the world where marine mammals can be seen easily from the coastal cliffs, such as Hawaii, Dominica and Scotland. It is also important to ensure you choose a tour that does not bait the animals. For example, some tourist operators in the Philippines found that if they fed whale sharks, they could encourage large groups of them into one area which was a great selling point for tourists. However, researchers found that the long term impact for the sharks themselves was not so positive. They became reliant on a diet of measly shrimp and small fish which led to malnutrition whilst some of their behavioural habits changed, seeing them depart on their annual migrations later and swimming closer to boats which led to an increase in propellor injuries. The leftover bait fish that was not eaten lay decomposing on the reefs below which led to a boom in microbes which caused algal blooms and diseased corals.

However, there are thousands of brilliant and worthwhile trips available all over the world that benefit not only you but the animals themselves. For example, in the case of whales, whale heritage sites have been designated globally and their wildlife activities are governed by strict rules to help protect the species visitors have come to see. These areas include Hervey Bay in Australia and The Bluff in South Africa as well as locations in Tenerife and California. Many of these businesses and others around the world actually log their wildlife sightings and submit them to conservation organisations which helps them learn more about the size and health of our wild populations. Individuals can upload data too and there are many different apps focusing on various locations and species which allow you to upload photos and log sightings. Unique individuals from species such as grey seals and humpback whales can actually by identified from these photos, allowing researchers to track their journey and health over time. In fact, there are many trips you can take which allow you to be involved in marine conservation projects whilst also living out your dreams of getting up close to some of our wild species. For example, courses which teach you how to scuba dive can also be coupled with undertaking coral surveys to help track reef health whilst some beaches seek volunteers to help ensure turtle hatchlings make their perilous journey from egg to sea successfully. Even carrying out a simple beach clean whilst you are on your trip can give our marine creatures just that little extra helping hand. 

So when you are planning your next wonderful wildlife encounter, just bear in mind that there is a lot more to consider than value for money. Spend a bit of extra time researching tour operators and identifying whether they have the welfare of the animals at their heart. If in doubt, you can always give them a call and ask about their practices, if they can’t give you a straight answer, it probably means they aren’t operating as environmentally-friendly as they could! Those who are passionate about what they do and their local environment often have sustainability and wildlife-friendly activities at the forefront of their business and are proud to say so. If true sustainability is what you are aiming for, also remember to consider whether the money from your trip will be supporting the real local economy and workers. We can all make the choice to act as responsible travellers, allowing not only ourselves but our children and grandchildren to enjoy these thrilling experiences over and over again.

By Neve McCracken-Heywood