Tourists regularly flock to beautiful locales to take in nature in all its glory. Crucially, the travel industry generates significant revenue that can be used to help protect wildlife and aid in imperative local conservation efforts.
But tourists who disregard and blatantly break rules and regulations designed to protect both the visitors themselves and local wildlife can be extremely frustrating. They can ruin these locales for everyone. One such encounter was recently captured on Instagram.
In the startling video, the poster captures tourists brazenly disregarding clearly defined boundaries and approaching an active volcano at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
"I didn't get the ranger… but every single person got a ticket," read the caption.
Obviously, boundaries near natural tourist sites exist for several reasons. In the case of an active volcano, it is there to protect people from serious injury.
But they also exist to preserve local ecosystems. Trespassers might trample and kill plant life native to the area. They might leave behind litter that can be accidentally consumed by animals or even accidentally destroy habitats.
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The bottom line is that tourists might harm the delicate ecosystems they traveled a great distance to see.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident of tourists acting irresponsibly. Hikers in Madeira, an archipelago off Portugal, were seen trespassing on trails that were closed due to wildfires in the area.
Other tourists have been found trespassing at Mānoa Falls in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and over hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.
In fact, there are so many tourists who act irresponsibly at Yellowstone that a popular dedicated account called TouronsofYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) exists.
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Definitely 👍 There are many ways to be a responsible and respectful tourist and appreciate nature. First and foremost, travelers should always be aware of local rules and regulations, especially those designed to protect ecosystems.
In addition, travelers can choose eco-friendly travel destinations. They can also consider low-impact travel options, or even search out cool vacation spots closer to home to minimize their environmental impact.
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