There is no denying in the fact that humans have accomplished a lot over the past few years. With the creation of industries and technological advancements, life has truly been “simplified” for everyone. But unfortunately, even with all these advancements and simplifications we have not been able to protect the very nature that has led to our creation and have instead caused it immense harm.
This has, in fact, led to the destruction of some the most incredible places of the world to which one can’t put a price on.
Here are some of the major invaluable attractions ruined by the sheer ignorance of people.
1. The Chacaltaya Glacier, Bolivia
This place was once a major attraction for skiing, but because of the effects of climate change, the glacier disappeared, replacing the bustling place with an empty and isolated one.
In the last 20 years, 80% of the glacier disappeared, with the remaining disappearing 6 years earlier than the scientists had predicted.
2. Boracay, Philippines
This gorgeous destination spot was recently closed down for six months in the month of April, 2018 after the Filipino President called the place a “Cesspool’ because of the incredibly poor sewage system there. This action was taken after it was reported that almost 200 businesses were dumping filthy water into the ocean.
3. Maya Bay, Thailand
The clear blue waters that wash up against the white beaches filled with luscious greenery was made to shut down in 2018. The hot tourist spot which was made famous by Danny Boyle’s film ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Di Caprio was made to close in June in order to make sure of the re-growth of the aquatic life and the coral reefs.
4. The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan
The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is a vision in itself. It is an exotic land covered with high mountains, lush valleys and pristine forests.
However, tourism has had a harmful impact on the beautiful place. The government being mindful of it has made it a must for the tourists to go through a tour guide while paying around £200 per day. But despite the restrictions laid on the tourists, Bhutan continues to suffer because of the pollution.
5. Bali, Indonesia
The beautiful attraction featuring gorgeous beaches, vast rice fields and pristine temples found itself in a bit of trouble recently. It was declared that the island going in the middle of a ‘garbage emergency’ due to the amount of tourism that had taken place over the past few years.
After the amount of waste that was found on the beaches a massive clean-up took place by environmental groups and local workers to get the place back in shape again.
6. Pig Beach, Bahamas
Big Major Cay is a mysterious place in the Bahama’s where you will find wild pigs – the sole inhabitants of the island – accustomed to swimming in the sea. This phenomenon had what drawn most tourists to the island in Exuma.
Things got tricky when more than a couple of pigs were found dead and the tourists were blamed for it. It is being said that the excited tourists who fed the animals were not feeding them properly, leading to the death of these pigs.
7. Cinque Terre, Italy
This beautiful and dreamy Italians Riviera also has been ruined by tourists. The buildings of the town and the tourists have found themselves injured because of landslides on multiple occasions.
Fortunately, new initiatives are being brought up in order to both reduce traffic around the area and raise money to protect it.
8. Manchu Picchu, Peru
This UNESCO World Heritage site which is an old landmark found way high up in the Andes has played as a major attraction for tourist. Because of the number of tourists that gather each year and due to fear of landslides, in 2017, the Peruvian government tried to limit the number of tourists that came there. Just like in The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, tourists in Manchu Picchu are also only given access to the site with a tour guide at specific times.
These strict measures were taken when the National Geographic raised concerns regarding landslides taking place due to overcrowding. They also warned that the overcrowding could also lead to the damaging of the Inca Trail.
9. Venice, Italy
Venice is among the world’s most popular tourist spots. The food and the jaw-dropping buildings have attracted tourists for years together. However, the amount of tourism has lead to frustrated locals who marched the streets to protest against mass tourism which is leading to tremendous amounts of pollution being caused by enormous cruise ships.
10. Palmyra, Syria
Located right in the middle of the Syrian desert, this place which has been part of the Roman Empire has long been among the most important cultural centres of the world. The humungous ruins found are known for their art, architecture and religious monuments.
Today the place is unfortunately been seized by the ISIS, the place’s unique building have been destroyed by the explosives.
UNESCO has also spoken up about the destruction, expressing devastation over the loss.
11. The Aral Sea, Uzbekistan
This was the fourth largest lake one in the world which covered about 26,000 square miles around the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Though after rivers that were directed to the lake were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects, it took only a while before nothing was left but rusty boats in the middle of the place where the lake was once situated.
The destruction of the place has not only led to affecting the fishing communities, but it has also affected the population of the place. This barren land now only attracts people who want to take eerie pictures of the place.
Final Words
It is absolutely devastating the human actions lead to such a devastating end of these wonders of nature. It is about time that people took up the responsibility to protect the very nature that created them. If the ignorance is not attended to, the consequences will be detrimental.
