the destination you will write about is (somewhere specific) in the Hawaiian Islands–coral reefs, shipwrecks, a place tourists like to scuba dive (writer can chose what specific location, body of water, and what island is most interesting to write about, but be specific
Make ecotourism/impact on the environment a focus point.
****Read the full uploaded instructions first and answer all of the questions in thoroughly.
Use 1-5 sources and however many pages you need–but try to keep it to a minimum.
Maui Marine Center
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Maui Ocean Center
Maui Ocean Center houses an aquarium as well as oceanography that attracts tourists attracts tourists across the world (Vargas et al., 2017). The site is situated at Maalaea on Hawaii island. Maui ocean center covers 3acres of the Hawaiian island, hence recognized as the most significant tropical reef aquarium in the continent of America. The site encompasses different exhibits on humpback whales, coral reefs environments, swindlers, and sea turtles. Vargas, 2017, states that the aquarium is created on artificial coral reefs and is only exposed to the wild after development. The growth of the artificial coral reef results from a fast reduction of the coral populace in Hawaii caused by over-tourism and climate change.
Maui Marine History and Development
The Maui aquarium has fostered considerate, esteem, and sensation for the marine life of Hawaii since 1998 (Brooker et al., 2020). Thus, it draws a vast number of guests from all over the world. From 1998, the aquatic center has been operating by complying with the Maui county regulations, which prohibits the cetaceans exhibit, such as whales and dolphins. Therefore, it provides an exploration of such aquatic species among other marine animals via interpretative shows. The marine park has resulted in replicating the best marine species of the Hawaii island through meticulous marine research (Prideaux and Pabel,2018). The ocean species featured in the Maui center include a vast number of different fish species among other native species of Hawaii island.
Prideaux and Pabel (2018) denote that the marine ocean landscape comprises the prime number of live Pacific corals across the globe. It has over sixty exhibits, outside tide ponds, and hosts 20+ daily oceanic ecosystem presentations by marine environmentalists. Moreover, the center has 750,000- Open gallon Oceanic exhibit consisting of a 240-degree sight acrylic channel. Such a site allows the tourists to enjoy walking subsurface underpass encircled by ocean life consisting of stingrays, swindlers among other marine fish species. In a nutshell, the Maui marine center can be deemed the best scenery to preserve the aquatic species in the ecosystems through its ability to replicates Hawaii’s native life species.
Maui structures
Volunteer and organization engaged by Maui Ocean Center
Maui ocean center marine Restoration Institute is a nonprofit organization located at Maui in Hawaii islands. It was established in 2016 and revealed at the IUCN World Conservation Legislature in Honolulu (Brooker et al., 2020). The Maui center has cooperated with the MOC nonprofit institute to preserve and conserve the native species of the Hawaii species. The institute’s primary goal is to stimulate enduring eco-friendly stewardship by ensuring the coral species and sea turtles survive in Hawaii via science-created conservation education, outreach, and efforts. MOC institute has the capacity of educating people, requesting funding, and updating the Maui community on modern developments through its nonprofit website.
Due to rising ocean temperatures lead by climate change, many reef-vital species of coral globally have become stressed, hence reducing the population of the coral reefs on the earth (Amato et al., 2016). Therefore, the institute comprises a “coral bank housing,” offering care to a large number of the Hawaiian coral reefs. It also provides cultivation programs that effectively spread coral species, ultimately returning them to their usual habitat in the nearby waterbody. Researchers point out that institute is a thriving restoration center where wounded or even ill aquatic species become nursed to fitness and eventually taken back to the world (Amato et al., 2016).
Maui Media Volunteer Initiative
The media’s prime mission involves educating and entertaining the Maui grassroots with radio shows of multicultural and grassroots-correlated programming. Moreover, its emphasis on both local FM broadcasting on the Maui region, and serve their worldwide audiences on digital/ social platforms such as live internet streaming, among other social media. As a 100 percent volunteer station, the Maui media platform encompasses volunteer staffs with considerate, imaginative, and inspiring music (Corlew,2015). The media helps Maui ocean center to advertise the upcoming exhibition’s events on the artificial aquatic species. Besides, the radio station is used to emphasize the cultural heritage of Hawaii Island, and the species needed to be preserved in the region.
International Eco-tourists
Yearly, hundred-thousands of visitors across the world visit the marine center. A significant number of visitors attracted to Maui are Eco tourists from the US and Asia (Brooker et al., 2020). The interactive shows, touch ponds alongside other enjoyable exhibitions, encourages the ecotourists to visits the place. Such exclusive experiences with nature help the tourists advance an understanding and gratefulness of the uniqueness in the aquatic environment of Hawaii.
Brooker and colleagues (2020) pinpoint that the collected species are taken care of with a lot of integrity to continue conserving Hawaii’s species. The tourists are entertained through Maui programs such as green sea turtles, which involves hatching and releasing marine species. Such species are given a robust head start and finally unconfined to the wild. Sharks have been the most used species is alternated from the aquarium to the water bodies, specifically ocean (Brooker et al., 2020). Every year, the Hawaiian people conduct certain rituals before the shark is released to the wild, it must be blessed by cultural advisors of Hawaii, for the fish was recognized as scared to Hawaii’s gods by Hawaii’s ancestors. Such activity might take place in the ecotourist’s presence, subsequently enjoying the shark’s release activity.
Maui marine species
Positive and Negative Consequences of Ecotourism for the Hawaiian Population and Local Environment.
The ecotourism activity in the Maui ocean center has both positive and negative consequences for the Hawaiian people (Prideaux and Pabel, 2018). Tourism has created jobs for the local people in the area, hence improving the region’s wealth. Through ecotourism, the local cultural customs are preserved since most of the Eco tourists enjoy such displays, such as shark release shows. It has also created more demand for regional foodstuffs and crafts as many tourists visit the site.
On the other hand, seasonal ecotourism may result in loss of created jobs since they are seasonal based or even due to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, etc. Cultural activities carried in the center can be altered by technological advancement in duplicating or even new forms of releasing fish species in the wild. The local foods might be sold at an increased price in the local shops, hence affecting the local population, which is less wealthy than the tourists. Also, according to environmentalist’s tourism activities have both positive and negative impact on natural or human-made environments (Vargas et al., 2017). Ecotourism helps to protect native species on the environment; for instance, Maui’s ecotourism activity has resulted in preserving Hawaii’s natural coral reefs. Tourism helps in conserving both marine and dry land-living animals.
On the other hand, the negative environmental influences happen when the degree of tourists’ utilization is larger than the environment’s capability to cope with such use. Unrestrained conservative tourism might pose potential threats to various natural in the local environment, in this case, Hawaii’s environment. It accounts for several pressured hazardous impressions to the natural environment (Corlew, 2015). Due to the use of fossil-fueled vehicles to the center, carbon emissions occur, resulting in air pollution in the local environment. Some tourists might throw food wastes in the ocean, which might affect ground microorganisms in the soil.
Overcoming Tourism Limitations Consequences, and Potential Benefits.
In efforts to overcome the negative tourism consequences such as pollution in or within the region, tourism management should reduce the number of tourists visiting the area. A limited number of tourists should be allowed to visit a specific part annually (Prideaux and Pabel, 2018). The management should double the entry fee to overcome the loss of job opportunities, which could maintain revenue of the region during off-peak seasons. Also, the administration should embrace sustainable tourism, which contributes to less impact on the local population’s culture and regional environment. However, the proposed recommendations could have both benefits to the local people and the environment. For instance, the income could be used to secure workers in off-peak season and sustain them in the tourism parks. Tourism sustainability enhances ecological management and forecasting of tourism activities. Tourist facilities, such as hotels, benefit the natural environment. For instance, a cleaner hotel management approach becomes a vital tool in planning and operating tourism services to reduce water or even soil pollutions. On the other hand, sustainable tourism encompasses law and policies which offer positive experiences for the local population, tourists, and tourism industries.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Maui ocean center is one of the largest tourist sites on earth, due to its ecology potential, such as coral reefs among other marine species. Over the last decade, its conservation has become a primary concern for the local population and Eco tourists. Environmentalists have since started practicing sustainability activities by introducing artificial marine species in the wild to sustain the native species. In the future, there is a need for the center to emphasize more on sustainable tourism to attract more Eco tourists.
References
Amato, D. W., Bishop, J. M., Glenn, C. R., Dulai, H., & Smith, C. M. (2016). Impact of
submarine groundwater discharge on marine water quality and reef biota of Maui. PloS
one, 11(11), e0165825.
Brooker, A. M. S., Aversa, J., & Shaker, R. R. (2020). Identifying Tourist Experiences in Maui,
Hawaii using Mobile Location Data. Papers in Applied Geography, 1-19.
Corlew, K. (2015). Disaster and climate change preparedness in Maui: a handbook for
communities. Honolulu, HI: East-West Center.
Prideaux, B., & Patel, A. (Eds.). (2018). Coral reefs: Tourism, conservation, and management.
Routledge.
Vargas-Ángel, B., White, D., Storlazzi, C. D., Callender, T., & Maurin, P. (2017). Baseline
assessments for coral reef community structure and demographics on West Maui: data
report.
