Antarctica Diminishes With More Tourists Arrivals
This tourist season in Antarctica, hardy types will still venture to this frozen
land even with its unfriendly snow, ice, isolation, high winds and raging seas, and about the 11,200 tourists gearing for the trip shall arrive from cruise ship travel while only 130 of them will come from other transportation.While that total is only about 400 more than the number of visitors last season mid November through February, it is 70 percent higher than the 6,585 previous seasons. Some of the watchers of the white continent state that there could be thousand more annual Antarctic voyagers and this could be a concern for its environment.
Cruising around the White Continent entails paying $20,000 for just one person, for an average two week cruise amounts to $6,000 to $7,000 however this does not stop for he will still have to purchase a round trip ticket as he will originate from Tierra del Fuego found in Ushuaia, Argentina, where 90 percent of the travelers choose to depart from. Underneath the idea that Antarctica appears to be indefatigable despite the growing number of tourists, with the cost of going there even the harsh climate and geography, people still pose threats to the ecosystem, as stated by many environmental experts.
The distinguished director of the Antarctic Project said that while he is all for people seeing the great beauty of Antarctica, there must be a cap on the number of visitors per year and a strong limit on exploiting new sites.
Spanning 40 different countries and with a membership of 40 countries, this Washington based project is the according secretariat. It is just so sad that even if most who head to Antarctica come back swearing to abide by everything to ensure this continent's conservation, the fact that there are just too many explorers coming into this fragile land and they are loving this in dangerous ways.
One area which has the biggest concentration of seals, birds and penguins is the one place frequented by many tourists so this director is pushing for a 6,000 yearly limit for visitors especially in this 800 mile long Antarctic Peninsula. But then tour groups reaching land does not exceed a hundred visitors per time. It is sad that animals are bothered as they rest, and neither can they get some food for their babies or for their own selves so this is very harmful.
But as to a long term effect, even science, unfortunately cannot answer that, she states. Tourists touching the plants and not abiding by garbage disposal laws are two of Antarctica's environmental quandaries. Thanks to the systems patterned after the Antarctic Treaty, visitors go ashore with staff making sure that they cause no impact to the environment and all tour operators are able to strictly abide by this.
Such series of agreements including the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, since agreed on by 43 countries along with an environmental protocol signed last January 14, 1998, put a restriction on mining and oil drilling, on top of providing other environmental safety measures along with limiting fishing trips and seasonal cruises around the White Continent.
The tour association, based in New York City saw that their members adhered to the 100 person limit for shore tours and this also called for the use of zodiacs, motorized rubber vessels. This season, some 9 out of the 15 vessels in Antarctica soar with the flags of Russia. With the Soviet Union's break up, an opportunity for tour operators came as several small ships have been made available.
A ship that is called an icebreaker, along with several other ships with hardened hulls to face tough ice can accommodate 40 to 80 individuals. But for the meantime, there is persisting and growing concern toward the white continent's state of environment.
It would be possible that in the future, we all would look back and with relief say, no problem, we just grew concerned about it when there was no need to. But now that science is far from coming up with a good answer, let us all contribute by limiting our travels to the continent know as the Earth's final frontier.
by: John Chambers Halloween Party Costumes Are Fun For Everyone No Climate Bill This Year Three Prominent Attractions In Virginia Beach Walking On Your Vilaflor Holiday In Tenerife Queen Yang Jinhua Ratings Speak For Taiwan As Shoes (photo) Kylie Minogue 2011 Tickets | Kylie Minogue Tour 2011 | Kylie Minogue O2 Arena Tickets Important To Know Insurance Coverage Before Traveling Little Bo Peep- A Great Halloween Costume Idea Try Kefalonia Holidays For A Change A Comparison of Payday Loans VS Other Loans How You Can Address Franchise Cost And Franchise Financing In Canada Some Good Tips Before You Travel To Cuba. Scary Adult Vampire Costumes For Halloween To Sink Your Fangs Into Halloween