Explain the environmental issues caused by tourism industry in the northern and north-west mountain?
Answers
Explanation:
People who live in mountain areas are usually much more aware of the limitations of their environment because of the limited habitable area and environmental extremes associated with steep topography and high altitudes. That is why there is a special unit on mountain problems. There are parallel units on other special environments, like islands and drylands.
Mountain environments are most significant in the Himalayas of central Asia, the Alps and their eastward extensions in Europe, the Pyrenées between France and Spain, and the chains of mountains along the western margins of North and South America.
WIDESPREAD ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
The following are qualitative descriptions of the most pressing environmental concerns facing most mountain areas.
Water Management
Mountains are often the major water sources for surrounding continental areas. An accumulating snow pack in the winter melts in the spring and summer, helping to even out the runoff through the year. If there are glaciers, they provide even greater water storage and regular runoff, but with climate change and global warming, they are fast disappearing. Dams are often built in mountain areas to generate hydroelectric power and for flood control.
To maintain these important functions of mountains in water management, care must be taken to maintain vegetation cover in watersheds, or erosion and landslides or avalanches may result. Mountain lakes and streams are naturally poor in nutrients and are particularly susceptible to pollution.
Soil Loss
Steep mountain slopes are particularly susceptible to soil loss through erosion if the vegetation cover is damaged or removed. Soil is very slow to regenerate in mountain areas, so eroded areas may be permanently degraded. The productive soil is not only lost from the mountain slopes, but it pollutes streams, reducing habitat for fish, and fills lakes and reservoirs. Many dams have lost their usefulness prematurely because the lake behind the dam filled with sediment from upstream, reducing its capacity. In an extreme case, denuded mountain sides may cause landslides, cutting roads, burying villages and damming rivers, with the possibility of later catastrophic flash floods downstream when the dams finally break.