Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 September 2009
Man is dependent on his natural environment, and not all the modern developments of science can alter this fact. This, the ecology of mankind, may be considered in three ways: the economic, which is the use of the soil and mineral wealth; habitation, which is living space; and recreation. Modern man, during a short time each year travels and becomes a nomad as his ancestors were. Sometimes he wishes to be at one with nature, to visit mountains, valleys or the sea shore, and this is the only aspect of his travels with which “nature protection and tourism” is concerned. To what extent then can nature protection co-operate with tourism and, where they seem incompatible, how can their difficulties be resolved ?
Nature protection depends upon the knowledge and love of nature in contemporary mankind and finding this rather meagre, acknowledges in tourism a means of arousing it.