Tourism putting stress on Pakistan environment: study
Tourism putting stress on Pakistan environment: study
Stating that the mountainous regions of Pakistan offer some of the most spectacular and fascinating landscapes and ecology in the world, a study released by the World Bank has warned that tourism in these areas is placing increasing stress on the local environment, leading to increased pollution, natural habitat loss and pressure on endangered species.
“These effects can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which tourism itself depends,” warned the study titled Pakistan: Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Mountain Areas.
According to the study, reliable estimates on the quantity and characteristics of waste are not readily available in mountain areas, as these vary significantly depending on tourism influx, regional characteristics, and seasonal factors. Additionally, mountain areas present unique challenges such as sudden spikes in the quantity of waste generated during tourist season, widely varying waste characteristics including large volume of plastic and other special waste and constraints of land availability for waste treatment and disposal, it says.