Environment
Tourism can negatively impact the environment of a natural area in many ways. Since Uluru is in a national park, bins and sanitary facilities aren’t provided on the tours and trails, leaving only a select few spots for tourists to leave their rubbish. Many choose instead of holding onto their waste to litter their rubbish over the grounds, damaging local ecosystems and wildlife. The rubbish left by tourists can also attract unwelcome guests in the form of invasive species such as rabbits, foxes and cats (see figure 1). Camels, which can be ridden by tourists, are another animal that have significant impacts on the environment as they also consume large amounts of vegetation leaving the soil open to erosion.
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Society and Culture
Though tourism is able to create connections between people, it also can also create disconnections when people behave disrespectfully. The climbing of Uluru is a good example of this. Climbing officially started in the region in the 1930s, and despite it being disrespectful to the Anangu people and with clear signage at the base of the climb showing this, it has continued into the 21st century, only closing in 2019. Uluru is a sacred site for the Anangu people and has been a part of their culture for centuries, with archeology showing that the area has been inhabited for at least 30,000 years. In 2017 an announcement was made that the climb was closing for good, this came after less than 20 percent of visitors chose to climb. Many tourists are opposed to the closure of the climb and the announcement created a frenzy as thousands of people rushed to climb the world’s biggest rock in the months leading up to its closure in October (see figure 2).