Examine the ways in which the unique indigenous lifestyles found in wilderness areas are under threat

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Examine the ways in which the unique indigenous lifestyles found in wilderness areas are under threat

A significant proportion of the world’s population – about 300 million people – are described as indigenous, or native, peoples. They belong to a rich and diverse array of cultures spread across the globe. Indigenous peoples are defined as the descendents of those people who inhabited an area before it was colonised by Europeans, or before a modern state was established there. Where groups of indigenous peoples have survived it is often because they live in extreme geographic and climatic conditions – very wet or cold, extremely hot or dry. They are places where colonisers have not wished to settle, and which are so remote and inaccessible that governments simply have no authority. They range in size and location from the Scottish Highlands to Antarctica.

    Many indigenous lifestyles that inhabit wilderness areas today have existed for thousands of years. For example, the Kuku Yalariji people, one of thousands of Aboriginal Australian tribes in the country, are believed to have occupied Daintree rainforest for more than 9000 years. These are peoples with a keen sense of their identity and their historic links with the land. They see their future as bound up with their environment, and are determined to hold on to their own languages and cultures. But these are not static societies. Indigenous people are constantly having to adapt in order to survive, because their lifestyles are increasingly coming under threat. Improved technology and affluence in the industrialised world has made wilderness areas more accessible, so that they are increasingly sought after by resource developers. This leads to conflicts between indigenous people, wilderness quality, and the resource developers.

   Indigenous peoples’ way of life and control of and access to their resources and environment has become more pronounced with the globalisation of the world economy. Indigenous peoples are paying a high price for tourism. In their drive for profits, transnational corporations which dominate the international tourist industry have, with the complicity of governments (particularly those of the Third World), have devastated the lives and lifestyles of indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples have been evicted from their traditional lands, their control and access to their natural resources compromised. They have suffered social degradation brought about by foreign influences and the commercialisation of their culture. Even the rich biodiversity of their natural resources has suffered from pollution and environmental damage, unable to support the growing number of tourist arrivals. For example, in the Cook Islands in the Pacific, a 204-room hotel was built on land sacred to the local people. The construction has caused environmental damage amounting to over $1 million.

    In the Russian Federation’s Providenskij and Tchukogskij regions, home to the indigenous Tchukchi peoples, the development of tourism in the past years had affected their source of livelihood. Known areas of walrus concentration such as those in Rugor’s Bay and the isle of Arykamchechen have become tourism destinations. Sightseeing groups ride on motorboats to walruses’ breeding grounds. Visitor arrivals have caused stress among the walruses, causing a decline in their population. This has in turn affected the quality and quantity of walrus catch, traditionally the Tchukchi peoples’ source of livelihood.

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   Indigenous communities, which have otherwise been left untouched by traditional tourism activities, have now been targeted for a new tourism venture, ecotourism. A relatively new variant, ecotourism is described as environment-friendly, sustainable and nature-based. It came about as a response to the world’s growing environmental awareness. This activity involves “visiting relatively undisturbed natural areas with the aim of studying, admiring and enjoying the scenery, wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural aspects.” Ecotourism now accounts for 25% of all leisure trips abroad. However, it is important to note that ecotourism destinations are more often than not ...

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