Tourist industry and its negative effects on mount Kilimanjaro ecosystem, Tanzania

Abstract

Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) has recently been a centre for attraction for both local international visitors. This is because of its aesthetic and scenic beauty, which has been very appealing and an adventure of a lifetime for those who have had an opportunity to climb it. The tourist and related activities at KINAPA have been contributing tremendously to the national economy. However, these activities have some negative impacts to the mountain ecosystem. Such effects include soil trampling and littering by the tourists, guides and porters. The study characterized these impacts in four eco-climatic zones namely Mountane Forests, Low Alpine, Heath/Moorland and Alpine Desert. This study was conducted in the KINAPA, but the attention was taken to Marangu and Mweka route trails. The data were collected through using interviews with different stakeholders such as tourists, guides, porters, officers from KINAPA and local communities. Participant observation was the highest proportion of data collection process. Of the four eco-climatic zones studied, waste comprised of different items such as plastic materials, Polyethylene materials, decomposable materials and glass materials has been observed to increase with an increase in altitude. The eco-climatic zones arranged in the order of increasing litter were: Montane Forest, Low Alpine, Heath/Moorland and Alpine Desert. The soil trampling was mostly observed in the two eco-climatic zones namely the Low Alpine and Heath/Moorland compared to the Alpine Desert and the Montane Forest. Littering was pointed out to cause risk to animals as well as other aquatic and non-aquatic life of other organisms when feed on the litter and make use of water. The study recommends that there should be appropriate litter collection measures and education to stakeholders on the disposal of waste materials.