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Of Unruly Travellers and their Poops

GIL MILAN

While many travellers are conscious of the leave no trace principles in natural tourist sites, there will always be that person who has no respect for nature. This has become apparent as more and more Pinoys started making and ticking off travel buckelists locally. This article talks about unruly travellers, their poops and path of destruction.

The question now is, are these undisciplined tourists just a mole of the total horde or is it just the norm? Is capturing the perfect Instagram picture more important than preserving nature?

Here are examples of the most common violations of LNT principles.

Vandalism

At the top of the most common LNT principle violation is vandalism. Usually, tourists would like to leave their mark on the place by etching or writing their names on cave walls, river boulders, etc. This practice however, causes a damage on the integrity of the stone or wall surface making it more susceptible to degradation.

I WAS HERE. A vandalized wall at the entrance of a famous cave. It is obvious that this is not a work of a single person but a succession of vandals.
LOVE TANDEMS. Aside from the typical I-was-here vandalism, high school love tandems are also commonly etched upon stones, walls, etc.
Another I WAS HERE. A vandalized stone formation inside a cave.

Garbage Problem

Proper disposal of garbage is another topnotcher among LNT violations. The best example in the locality is the closure of Boracay and now also becoming a problem in El Nido and Panglao (Adel, 2018).

This problem is not a secret to the public as more social media accounts are posting examples during events and in popular destinations. Hopefully, lamentations on garbage problems related to tourism being posted in social media will slowly awaken the mass in instilling self discipline.

A WIPES LEFT ON A DWARF BAMBOO. An orientation is given to all tourists about Do’s and Don’t’s as well as the LNT principle before going up to this tourist destination. However, it seems that its all for nothing. A jerk will always be a jerk!

If garbage is unceremoniously dropped under broad daylight, what more in the dark recesses of caves. Fortunately, guides are trained and are doing their best to take these out of the caves.

Human Poop

Human excrement is becoming a big problem in booming tourist destinations. As reported in Philippine Lifestyle News website, dangerous levels of pollution caused by human excrement has been detected in the waters off 60 per cent of popular Philippine beach destinations (Martin, 2018). Out of the country, this is also documented like in Iceland (Shearman, 2018), Majorca (Sobot, 2018), and Mt. Everest (BBC, 2019).

In my experience, this is a real problem in our country. The last time that I went to Mt. Pulag, there were a lot of human excrement on the camp site. Previous campers had indiscriminately pooped at the corners of clearings for tent pitching. This happened despite the availability of latrines in the camp site. So, again, it goes back to self-discipline.

A screenshot of comments in a Facebook post about a new tourist destination up north of the country.

As seen from above, a comment was given saying “Just leave that cave alone! Keep it that way, unexplored and untouched. Inkayo manen agibati ti basura yo, turkak, isbo ken tak ki yo [emojis]. The last part of the comment can be translated as You will again just leave your garbage, spit, urine and feces.

Another person agreed on the above comment saying “Agpayso ti kunam, leave that place alone, saan da mamen nga mangiyeg ti tak ki, tak ki ket rugit da. A rough translation of this would be What you said is true, leave that place alone, don’t come yet again and leave your feces and rubbish.

Collectors [or just Thieves!]

Collecting mementos is a common practice of tourists to places they’ve been to. However, they still indulge in their hobby even in places where such practice is not allowed. For example, tips of stalactites are smuggled from caves where spelunking activity is not yet organized; even artefacts are stolen from burial sites, too.

Aside from the heavy vandalism this cluster of stone formations have suffered, undisciplined spelunkers also cut a couple of stalactite tips.

What can we do?

While it is true that there will always be a rotten tourist among the group, it is highly advisable to take action to prevent these violation of nature from happening again.

Most places have instituted rules that no one can enter a cave without a local guide. This is for proper guidance and prevention of untoward activities inside the cave as well as preserve the safety of the spelunkers. In other areas, constructing barriers such as gates in entrances are practiced.

A gate is in place at the entrance of Sierra cave to preserve the natural wonder inside from possible thieves and vandals.

Closure and rehabilitation of popular places have also been done, like in Boracay. Prompt revision of rules is also highly needed. Construction as well as addition of comfort rooms are also recommended in destinations with heavy tourist density.

Unfortunately, even when the best rules facilities are in place, the lack of discipline of tourists will always drag these places to destruction and decay. There are a lot to remember and practice to be a healthy tourist, however, I do like to emphasize the following:

References

Adel, R. (2018). Beyond Boracay: El Nido, Panglao face environmental problems too. Retrieved on 11 Aug 2019 from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/04/10/1804659/beyond-boracay-el-nido-panglao-face-environmental-problems-too

BBC. (2019). Poo on Mount Everest: Mountain waste is a big problem. Retrieved on 11 Aug 2019 from https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/31711591

Martin, M. G. (2018). Majority of Philippine beaches dangerously polluted by human excrement. Retrieved on 11 Aug 2019 from https://philippineslifestyle.com/excrement-pollution-philippine-beaches/

Shearman, A. (2018). Exploding growth of Iceland tourism creates sizable & odd challenge. Retrieved on 11 Aug 2018 from https://medium.com/@alishearman/exploding-growth-of-iceland-tourism-creates-sizable-odd-challenge-3b972818e1f1

Sobot, R. (2018). What a waste: Tourists in Majorca left disgusted by human POO and toilet paper in sea that ‘smelled of urine’. Retrieved on 11 Aug 2018 from https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/7257757/majorca-tourist-poo-toilet-paper-sea-room/

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