Tourism, Recreation and Trail Impacts - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 137

Figure 5.4 A squirrel waiting trailside for tourist handouts by the 'do not feed the
squirrels' sign at the Grand Canyon
incursion by becoming more nocturnal, or ground-based animals could
potentially evolve into more arboreal creatures.
Fourth, increased traffic on scenic car routes during high season inevita-
bly results in fatal accidents - for animals and tourists (Coffin, 2007; Gerow
et al. , 2010). Insects, reptiles, birds and mammals all fall victim on occasion
to seasonal traffic on scenic byways and other motorized routes. Few scenic
highways in North America can be driven during peak season without seeing
roadkill (dead animals) on or beside the roadway.
A final perspective on wildlife is the effect of underwater trails on coral,
a corporeal invertebrate that lives in compact colonies throughout the
oceans of the world, forming coral reefs, or underwater configurations made
of calcium carbonate emitted by the corals (Ríos-Jara et al. , 2013). Marine
parks are home to many underwater trails, which are often interpreted with
corrosion-proof signs and markers. In the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park,
Australia, snorkelers cause noticeable damage to corals along the trails.
Although the suboceanic courses are used only lightly (approximately 15
snorkelers per trail each week), the damage caused by users is measurable and
is most heavily concentrated along the trails, leading Plathong et al. (2000)
to recommend that snorkelers need better training and that interpretive
signs can be used better to inform participants of their potential damage.
Tangible heritage
Cultural heritage is a completely non-renewable resource. Once it has
disappeared, it is gone forever and cannot be resurrected. However, it can be
reproduced and often is in many inauthentic ways. As such, the tangible