by Christina Kamp, freelance author
Natural history museums, zoos and botanical gardens do just what ecotourism in many cases also tries to achieve: creating awareness and sharing knowledge of biodiversity. They reach large numbers of people, educate and have a high recreational value while avoiding the large ecological footprint that travel – despite all good intentions – entails. Like ecotourism products, they generate funds to finance nature conservation efforts.
The conservation of flora and fauna in its natural ecosystem (“in situ“) is of course of highest priority. Biological diversity does not just include the diversity of species on this planet and the genetic diversity within species, but also the diversity of their often unique habitats. The decline in biological diversity over the past few decades has been so dramatic that many endangered species can be saved from extinction only by “ex situ“ protection and breeding under human care. A prominent example are the takhis (Przewalski’s horses) which were long considered extinct in the wild. Thanks to an international breeding programme, small populations could be reintroduced in Mongolia and have become one of the country’s tourist attractions.
For many other species less prominent than pandas or takhis, even this kind of help may be too late. According to estimates by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services(IPBES), one million species may be threatened with extinction over the coming years and decades. The loss of species is accelerated by climate change, but also by deforestation, draining of wetlands, water pollution, invasive species that displace native species, and deadly diseases. Tourism also plays a role in disturbing or destroying natural habitats by infrastructure and tourist use.
Tourism as stress factor
The extent to which especially marine habitats are affected by tourism is described in an exhibition at Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum in Düsseldorf: “Tourism is an important economic and recreational factor for many people. At the same time, it is also a major stress factor for marine habitats. Apart from sewage and waste disposal, increased demand for energy and scarcity of freshwater resources, and air and noise pollution, hotels, parking lots, harbours, roads and coastal protection measures encroach upon beaches and coastal areas. Areas where sea turtles, birds and marine mammals lay their eggs or rest, reproduce or nurse their offspring are severely obstructed, irreversibly damaged or destroyed“.
Illegal trade in animals and animal products
This makes responsible tourist behaviour all the more important. As part of the species protection campaign “Vietnamazing“, zoos that form part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) provide information on the unique biodiversity of Vietnam and invite visitors to jointly protect it, by donating money, raising awareness or travelling in Vietnam in a responsible manner. Travelling responsibly with regard to biodiversity means not to disturb wildlife and to refrain from buying illegal animal products. The campaign warns that many animals which are sold as exotic pets have been poached. The illegal trade in animals or animal products is driving endangered species towards extinction. Travellers interested in pets are urged to ensure that it is legal to keep them and that there is reliable information available on where they come from.
Diseases and invasive species
This also applies to plants that are obtained abroad as house plants. Wilhelma in Stuttgart, which is both a zoo and botanical garden,shows that tourism also poses dangers to rare plants such as some of the South American bromeliads. Many tourists are not aware that in many cases importing plants is prohibited. Even plants that are not protected species must be confiscated by customs and destroyed in order to prevent pests and plant diseases from being introduced.
The example of European crayfish at Aquazoo Düsseldorf shows what can happen when alien species are introduced: American crayfish introduced into our water bodies transmit the crayfish plague. While American crayfish are immune to it, large numbers of European crayfish die from it.
Tourists may spread invasive species when introducing seeds, insects or their eggs in clothes, shoes, luggage or vehicles or when importing plants or animals. Invasive species threaten biological diversity as they compete with native species, are often more adaptable or lack natural enemies in their new habitat. Erlebniszoo (adventure zoo) Hanover shows that amphibians in particular are among the losers of globalisation in this regard.
Think globally, encourage local commitment
The Erlebniszoo also looks at biological diversity in an economic context, in line with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN-CBD) which also aims at the sustainable use of biodiversity and the fair sharing of benefits derived from it. Using the example of a snail farm in Nigeria, the Erlebniszoo shows how in a region with widespread poverty income-generating farming and sale of giant snails could convince poachers to give up illegal hunting of endangered species. By integrating development-related content Hanover‘s adventure zoo is a successful model of an extracurricular learning venue for sustainable development. Many other zoos are still far from making use of their potential in this area.
The small but attractive Phyllodrom rainforest museum in Leipzig shows how museums can also be active in this regard. Chairwoman Bettina Grallert describes its objective: It was founded 25 years ago in order to give those a chance to experience biological diversity who may not have the opportunity to travel around the world. By organizing a variety of events and in cooperation with the Academy for Environmental Education in Aceh, Indonesia, the museum promotes understanding of rainforest ecology and commitment to its protection, especially among children and young people.
Complex interdependencies
Übersee-Museum in Bremen also cooperated with partners in the Global South to develop the exhibition “The Blue Continent“. It shows how livelihoods of people in the Pacific are inextricably linked to the ocean. The exhibition visualises complex interdependencies, using the example of sharks which in coral reefs control the population of smaller predatory fish which, in turn, prey on smaller herbivorous fish. In the absence of sharks, the number of predatory fish increases and the number of herbivores decreases. As a consequence, algae can spread and damage the corals. Sharks have already become extinct in twenty percent of the coral reefs. The economic loss is dramatic, also for the tourism sector. According to estimates in the exhibition one reef shark, in the span of its life, has a touristic value of up to two million US dollars.
