Dear Professor,

I am writing to you today on behalf of the residents of coastal areas all over the world. That includes not just humans but all creatures large and small that inhabit the beaches. The natural world is under attack on all fronts from all angles, from chemicals in the air to deforestation to ocean pollution. One might wonder, why do we continue to allow such atrocities to happen to the only known planet that can provide us with all we need? The answer is that certain people in positions of power believe that profit is more important than the planet. Unfortunately, this is especially true in coastal environments like Virginia Beach, where people prioritize city development for tourism to improve the economy without regard to the natural resources but at risk. Because of this, I beg the question, ‘Does tourism cause significant harm to marine ecosystems?’

For my entire life I have lived on the beach, and over the course of the past 19 years I have watched it deteriorate. I have noticed the influx of people that invade my home during spring and summer breaks, bringing with them an unprecedented amount of destruction and litter. After watching the fiasco that college students and other tourists bring into my town and being familiar with the fragility of the world we live in, I want to know what the real damage being done is and if we can do anything to prevent any more harm to be done to my home.

Multiple studies have shown that during tourist seasons there is a significant increase in marine pollution and harmful human activity. According to studies done by researcher Affatati, vacationing activities done by tourists like dolphin and whale watching can harm animals by disrupting their surfacing patterns. Culhane concludes that the chemicals introduced into the water from human activities such as boating and fishing can pollute the water, leading to habitat degradation and reduced biodiversity. Finally, Garcés-Ordóñez found that during tourist seasons, litter and pollution are significantly increased, putting people and animals at risk. Given this troubling information, I am inclined to ask for your permission to write a research paper on this topic. The fate of our very planet is at risk, and I believe that the responsibility of spreading the word should fall upon someone who has seen with their very own eyes what the consequences of excessive tourism are. Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Celina Clark-Evans

Affatati, Alice. “The Role of Operators in Sustainable Whale-Watching Tourism: Proposing a Continuous Training Framework.” PloS One, vol. 19, no. 1, 2024, pp. e0296241–e0296241. PLOS One, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296241.

Culhane, Fiona. “Assessing Impact Risk to Tropical Marine Ecosystems from Human Activities with a Southeast Asian Example.” The Journal of Applied Ecology, vol. 61, no. 12, 2024, pp. 2897–911. British Ecological Society, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14812.

Garcés-Ordóñez, Ostin. “The Impact of Tourism on Marine Litter Pollution on Santa Marta Beaches, Colombian Caribbean.” Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 160, 2020, pp. 111558–111558. Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111558.