How does recreational activities affect the environment

Changes in aquatic habitat due to habitat disturbance and pollution. Off-highway vehicles OHVs , including all-terrain vehicles ATVs, or quads , argos, dirt bikes and off-road vehicles, driven through or across streams and other waterbodies can lead to habitat destruction and degradation, including loss of streambank stability and erosion.

Disturbance of wildlife can occur when human activity occurs too close to an animal or its habitat. Spawning and nesting sites are particularly susceptible to damage or disturbance through physical destruction of streambeds and riparian vegetation, and through human noise.

Pollution of aquatic habitats can occur when humans introduce foreign substances into waterbodies. Increased access to remote areas by off-road vehicles can lead to increased pressure on fish or wildlife in previously inaccessible areas. Regulations for managing populations may not adequately protect these resources from increased harvesting pressure. Increased awareness about aquatic ecosystems, including their fish and animal inhabitants, can be a positive impact resulting from wilderness tourism and recreation.

Golf courses are encountering the same hard scrutiny as freeways and factory yards. When a developer builds a golf course, they have to go through one environmental hearing after another before they get approval to start. There are more than 13, golf courses in the U. An average of courses are built annually, each consuming approximately acres.

This gobbling up of the land is furthering the depletion of wildlife habitats. Those animals that are attracted to the meadow-like expanses are met with flying balls, electric carts, and a relentless parade of humans. There are also environmental damages from golf courses. Fairways are regularly doused with volumes of chemical turf-care products such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers that runoff into our waterways and pollute them with toxins.

There is also the constant use of water to keep those greens verdant and velvety. Before hitting another hole-in-one, consider the environmental effects of supporting golf courses.

Of course, there are other recreational activities that can be damaging to the environment such as snowmobiling and ski-jets. Second, the biodiversity and ecosystems can be disrupted. For example, water crafts have destroyed parts of coral reefs and have even been responsible for the deaths of sea animals such as manatees.

In addition, off-road vehicles can disturb wildlife and erode the soil. Third, individuals engaging in recreational activities can cause pollution. Sporting events and camping outdoors can be enjoyable, but people can cause air, soil and groundwater pollution. When you look deeper into the effects of recreation on the environment, you will find that the impacts are even more specific.