Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
131-144
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
23 February 2025
ACCEPTED
20 March 2025
PUBLISHED
29 April 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 04 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Ecotourism and Its Impact
on Development in Karbala
Governorate Green Tourism
as an Example
Dr. Haqqi Ismail Gafel Alyasari
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research, Ahl Al-Bayt University (AS), College of
Islamic Sciences, Department of Religious Tourism
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
"It is He who made the earth a cradle for you and traced out paths for
you in it, and sent down water from the sky, with which We brought
forth diverse pairs of plants." (Surah Taha, 20:53)
Abstract:
Ecotourism is one of the best global tourism
styles at present because of its advantages that have
made it at the forefront of Tourism styles, being a clean
tourism that works to preserve natural areas and try to
be environmentally sustainable and invest them
optimally for the great benefit of all parties involved in
the tourism process.The importance of ecotourism is
manifested through the positive effects it provides,
such as increasing the revenues of the local community,
preserving natural areas, improving the level of the
environment, developing infrastructure, improving and
developing tourist attractions, as well as preventing its
negative effects, such as destroying the quality of the
environment, defacing tourist areas, water and air
pollution, the Holy province of Karbala has the
components of ecotourism, which qualifies it to be an
excellent tourist interface, which is reflected in
increasing national income and achieving community
well-being, as well as being one of the factors of
recreation and relaxation a large and important
segment of society
The research was based on the premise that it is
necessary to activate and apply the concept of
ecotourism from During the increase of environmental
awareness of citizens and relevant authorities using the
correct policies and criteria to pay attention to this type
of tourism, the research found that there is no clear
strategy for ecotourism, which has the components of
ecotourism and the weak location of Tourism
Development in development plans, which reduces its
importance on an ongoing basis, and then developed
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some recommendations and proposals that would
develop ecotourism to achieve development in the
province, it should be noted that the research has been
divided into two researches in which the researcher
dealt with the concept of ecotourism, the geographical
components of the city of Karbala and the extent of its
impact on development.
Keywords:
Target Costing Technique, Quality Function,
Improving Product Value, Production Costs.
Introduction:
Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing
types of tourism in many countries of the world.
Developed countries have been seeking for three
decades to apply the concept of tourism sustainability,
which depends on three important aspects, first: the
material returns of entrepreneurs, and the social
dimension, considering that these institutions are part
of the local community.
Second: benefiting from local expertise and
competencies as much as possible, in addition to
involving the local community in the environment;
attractive tourist elements are part of the environment,
and therefore tourism planning should be third:
Therefore, Karbala governorate has important and
significant tourist attractions with its civilized and
natural environment, but it is a spring that pulsates
with history, heritage and beauty, which are
represented by the Tar caves, akhidar Fort, Khan al-
Rabi, Lake Razzaza, water eyes, Imam Ali's Katara and
its large agricultural areas and farms, and these tourist
elements are available only in a few regions of the
world, and if attention is paid to them and study ways
to establish ecotourism in the province and benefit
from the experiences of others and the application of
international standards, the results will be accordingly,
the research focused on highlighting the concept of
ecotourism and the geographical distribution of the
most important regions Tourism in Karbala
governorate, in addition to the impact that tourism can
have on the local economy.
The Research Problems
The research proceeds from the following main
problem, from which a group of sub-problems emerge.
ecotourism is one of the most important tourist styles
currently, but it has not taken its place and its natural
role in the city of Karbala, despite the fact that it has
multiple and diverse natural tourist attractions that are
suitable for practicing ecotourism in various forms, as
well as the lack of studies that deal with ecotourism in
the city of Karbala), the secondary problems are as
follows:
1.
What is the concept of ecotourism?
2.
What is the impact of ecotourism on development?
3.
What are the elements of ecotourism?
4.
How does ecotourism affect Karbala governorate?
5.
What types of ecotourism in Karbala governorate?
Research Hypothesis
The hypothesis is represented by the following answers
that were put forward by the researcher, which are as
follows:
1.
the environment and tourism are united by an
integration and interdependence relationship.
Without a sound environment, tourism cannot
exist, and without organized eco-tourism planning,
the environment will disappear.
2.
there are many features and benefits that
ecotourism achieves, the most important of which
is that it works to preserve the environmental
heritage from loss.
3.
the province of Karbala abounds in a diverse
biological environment that can be exploited by
creating nature reserves that contribute to
activating ecotourism in the province.
The Importance of Research
1.
to explain the concept of ecotourism and its types
and to indicate the extent of its impact on
development.
2.
the importance of this research is manifested by
the importance of ecotourism as it highlights
ecotourism as one of the most important types of
modern tourism in the world.
3.
statement of the most important types and
elements of attracting ecotourism in Karbala
governorate.
4.
highlighting this type of Tourism for the purpose of
attracting tourists from all social strata.
Research objectives
1.
Identify the concept of ecotourism and its impact
on the development process.
2.
introducing the importance of ecotourism as it is
one of the most important types of modern
tourism.
3.
highlighting the elements of natural tourist
attractions in the city of Karbala and the multiple
and diverse tourist elements that this city enjoys.
4.
investing the positive effects of eco-tourism in the
city of Karbala and preventing the negative effects
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of it.
5.
preserving the components of natural tourist
attractions
through
their
environmental
sustainability.
Research Methodology
The nature of the research required the use of a
descriptive analytical approach by explaining the
concept of ecotourism and its types, as well as the most
important geographical distribution of types of
ecotourism in Karbala governorate and their impact on
development, so the study included this vocabulary and
was discussed in detail.
Spatial and temporal boundaries
The reason for choosing this time period is the
emergence of many environmental development
projects in the city of Karbala after this date, while the
spatial boundaries are represented by the Karbala
governorate as shown in map No. (1).
The First Search
Eco-tourism
Preparation
Ecotourism with ecological balance is a new
phenomenon that aims to research, study and reflect
on nature, flora and fauna, provide comfort to humans
and contribute to sustainable development. the
advantage offered by ecotourism is to link investment
and productive projects of the local community with
the protection of the environment and the biological
and cultural diversity of tourist areas, according to a
single development equation, by preparing tourism
programs based on directing tourism towards
ecologically distinctive sites, with emphasis on creative
and entertaining tourist behavioral practices, without
compromising the quality of the environment or
affecting it, hence it is necessary to mention:
First: the concept of ecotourism
Ecotourism is a concept that has not been defined
accurately and in detail until now, as it is constantly
being reviewed and analyzed due to the difference in
the period and time of the appearance of this term, as
some attribute its origin to the English writer and
sociologist William Morris, being the first to advocate
ecotourism by paying attention to the cleanliness of
cities and the Climate, others attribute it to Hector
lascorin, a Mexican architect and one environmentalist
in 1983.(1)
It is tourism, which concerns the implementation of the
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rules of sustainable tourism in general and
Environmental Protection at the destination in
particular, and therefore it includes all types and forms
of tourism in order for the destination to be suitable for
visiting on the one hand and the consequent
development of approved behavioral controls and
instructions to be implemented and adhered to by the
tourist and visitor in the field of Environmental
Conservation on the other hand. (1).
Ecotourism is a process of learning, culture and
education about the components of the environment,
and therefore it is a way to introduce tourism to the
environment and engage in it. therefore, the World
Tourism Organization has defined it as tourism that is
practiced in Virgin natural areas to enjoy and increase
knowledge about it. (2).
The International Society for the conservation of nature
and Natural Resources has defined ecotourism for a
year 1999 as responsible travel to natural areas that
preserves the environment and ensures the continued
well-being of its indigenous people".(3).
Hassan Abd-el-Kader also defined it in general and
considered it as" a geographical phenomenon, its
natural environmental base, its economic structure, its
human-driven and its pioneer psychological and mental
pleasure" (4).
Ceballos Laskurin defined it as tourism that requires
traveling to unspoiled natural sites in order to study,
appreciate and enjoy these sites, as well as benefit from
the cultural heritage of the areas that include these
sites". The World Environment Fund defined it as
"traveling to natural areas that have not been affected
by pollution and their natural balance has not been
disturbed in order to enjoy their landscapes, wild plants
and manifestations of civilization past and present. This
type of tourism is very important for developing
countries because it represents a source of income in
addition to its role in preserving the environment and
consolidating the culture and practices of sustainable
development".(1)
The researcher believes that the concept of ecotourism
is (traveling to natural areas that have not been
affected by pollution and their natural balance has not
been disturbed in order to enjoy their manifestations,
plants, wild animals and manifestations of civilization in
the past and present).(2)
Second: Types of ecotourism
There are several types of tourism that can be exploited
and benefited from, they may be related to nature or
cultural heritage, it is a tourism that depends on nature
primarily with its picturesque scenery, so we find that
the activities related to eco-tourism are represented by
(1):
1.
Land hunting for birds and sea fishing for fish
2.
Green tourism in the steppes, forests, parks
and zoos.
3.
Contemplate nature and explore everything in
it.
4.
Underwater diving tourism, water games, coral
reef watching and hiking on the beaches
5.
Excursions in the forests, observation of birds
and animals.
6.
Explore the valleys and mountains.
7.
Desert tourism where there is tranquility, Bird
and reptile watching, sand skiing and desert
racing.
8.
Setting up campsites and camps.
9.
Mountain climbing.
Third: Tourism and its impact on development
Ecotourism in particular has received great attention
from those working on environmental issues, which has
resulted in a number of studies in this field, and many
studies have shown that ecotourism activity, just as it
achieves various economic and social benefits, can at
the same time cause environmental damage that may
be difficult to remedy when not taken into account
when planning ecotourism, and ecotourism has many
effects:
* Environmental impacts: if tourism development is
planned well and tourists are monitored in a successful
way, the environment can be preserved and improved
in various ways, namely:
1.Preservation of important natural data: tourism helps
to justify the payment of costs for the preservation of
important natural sites, such as the development of
operations for the region and the establishment of
national and regional parks, as they are elements of
tourist attraction.(1)
2.Financial
contributions
tourism
can
directly
contribute to the conservation of sensitive areas and
habitats revenues from the park entrance fees and
similar sources can be specifically allocated to pay for
the protection and management of sensitive areas
between special fees for park operations or
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conservation activities can be collected from tourists or
tour operators. (2)
3.Improving the quality of the environment: tourism
provides incentives to clean up the environment by
monitoring air, water, pollution, noise, waste disposal
and other problems, as well as tourism contributes to
improving the image.
Aesthetics of the environment through landscaping
programmers, appropriate structural designs, the use
of signage and building maintenance. (1)
Economic impacts:
Tourism is important in the
economies of many countries, and the economic
effects of ecotourism are summarized as follows:
1. Increased employment opportunities Tourism has a
positive impact on increasing employment and
employment opportunities in tourist countries because
it is often associated with development because
tourism is a complex industry that includes many
industries and commercial activities that still depend on
the human factor mainly, and therefore proper tourism
planning and tourism development of tourism projects
have a significant economic impact related to work
because the increase in tourism movement creates job
opportunities for a large number of people and as a
result, tourism absorbs a large part of the labor force
either directly through work in hotels, restaurants and
tourist villages.(2)
2.Creating economic balance within one country:
tourism leads to economic balance within one country.
Ecotourism usually escapes from areas of industrial
concentration and commercial recovery to tourist areas
that
are
areas
of
economic
and
social
underdevelopment, thereby solving the problem of this
underdevelopment. (1)
3.Providing hard currency and the resulting
improvements in the quality of life and standard of
living of the local community and support for
comprehensive development at the national and
regional levels. (2)
The tourism sector contributes significantly to the
provision of a part of foreign exchange for the
implementation of development plans.
4.Improving the balance of payments tourism, as an
export industry, contributes to improving the state's
balance of payments. This is achieved as a result of the
inflow of foreign capital invested in tourism projects
and tourist revenues. tourist revenues represent the
value of services provided to tourists within countries,
such as accommodation, food, beverages, gifts and
purchases. these items help to stimulate the national
economy in various fields, such as food and postal
telephony. their impact extends to agricultural and
industrial products. tourism also leads to an increase in
banking activities in terms of transactions, transfers
and the sale and purchase of foreign currency. (3)
•
Social effects: tourism leads to many social
effects through mixing with tourists with different
languages and Customs, and these effects are:
1- Cultural exchange: awareness of cultural exchange is
one of the most positive effects of tourism, as local
traditional communities are tourist attractions for
many
visitors to learn about their lifestyles, and this
participation may generate for local communities the
issue of self-esteem as a result of the attention and
respect they have touched from visitors (1)
2-Ecotourism works to improve, develop, maintain and
restore tourist attractions such as religious, historical
and archaeological places and display them within the
product of the tourist destination (2).
3-Cultural growth: creates a social movement, which
means the influx of foreign tourists to various countries
of the world or the tourist moving from one region to
another to stay there for a certain period for rest and
recreation, as well as determining the human energy to
face working life immediately after the expiration of
holidays. This movement leads to the generalization of
relations between tourists and local citizens in the
receiving country of tourists and encourage social
borrowing and cultural exchange between them, which
leads to building bridges of good relations (3)
Elements of ecotourism
Ecotourism in its practice has its own system, which
derives its specificity from the nature of this practice,
its field, methods and tools, where it is subject to each
of the following elements: (1).
1.Mental and intellectual well-being resulting from
maturity, awareness and awareness of the importance
of preserving the integrity of the environment and the
importance of living in a healthy environment free from
pollution.
2.The Environmental return, return and gain, and its
superiority over any other material and moral return,
and the extent of its sustainability and continuity for
present and future generations.
3.Instrumental and developmental environmental-
kinetic balance and its effectiveness in achieving
security, safety and environmental health.
4.Spreading the culture of Islam and the collective
sense of responsibility towards the world's issues in
order to commit to the benefit of all mankind, and that
pollution is a danger that threatens the entire world
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and that the responsibility is comprehensive and
includes all individuals, as it includes all countries and
organizations.
5.Ecotourism is a permanent and continuous
connection between a person and an individual and the
surrounding place, and therefore it is a permanent and
continuous relationship between a framework for
movement and moving elements.
The Second Topic
Geographical Features of Karbala Governorate
First: The City of Karbala Geographically
Sees a team of historians and linguists, including son
you're the reflection of Mary remembered I the word
of Karbala mentioned in the books of researchers and
sculpted from two words Ashur two (crappy) at a
temple or denied and the second (th) in the sense of
God in the Aramaic language and the (temple of God),
and Karbala province in the central region of Iraq at the
eastern edge of the Plateau, Western, west of the
Euphrates River confined between latitudes 30-40) and
(26-44) (0) To the East is bordered to the North and
west of Anbar province in the eastern province of
Babylon, and on the south, the province of Najaf and
Karbala is an area of (104) south of Baghdad, looking at
map (2) in the West
The Western Sahara, which include Lake razzaza and
the city of appointed dates and Fort Archaeological
techniques have revealed the ancient man lived in the
Tar caves near Karbala during the modern era, and it
ends with the civilization of the Semitic peoples in Iraq,
especially the Babylonians, because of its proximity to
Babylon, it was also a bridge for Semitic and Arab
migrations between the Levant and the Arabian
Peninsula and the blackness of Iraq, and the peoples
who inhabited it were dependent on agriculture,
fertility, soil, abundance of water and scattered
throughout (1).
Despite the small area of Karbala governorate, which is
estimated at (
٥٠٣٤
) km2, which constitutes (1.1%) of
the total area of Iraq, the surface of the governorate is
a wide and undulating plateau and empty desert lands
due to its location within the hot and dry desert climate
zone in summer, and in some areas many valleys were
formed not by torrents formed by rainwater, which falls
in winter permanently and at intervals (1).
Map number (2) Karbala governorate
Source: Ministry of municipalities and Works Department of administrative units" https://moen.gov.iq
One of the most prominent features of the climate of
Karbala governorate is that it is hot and dry in summer
and the average monthly temperature reached (23.8)
degrees Celsius and the average temperature for the
month of July is (32.2) degrees Celsius and the average
annual temperature reached (30.8) degrees Celsius and
the highest rate in July is (42.9) degrees.
The region's winter is characterized by mildness, with
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an average temperature of (10.5) degrees Celsius for
the month of January, an average maximum
temperature of (170) degrees Celsius and an average
minimum temperature of (4.1) degrees Celsius. The
amount of rainfall is low, as the rainy period extends
between December and May, and the highest amount
of rain fell in January (31.4 mm), while the relative
humidity varies between winter and summer, with the
highest rate in January (70%) and the lowest rate in July
(28%). (1)
Second: Geographical distribution of the types of
ecotourism in Karbala Governorate
Karbala Governorate abounds with many natural
environmental tourism sites, as it is the mine and safe
of antiquities as they say, and despite the presence of
the religious factor and its direct impact on the quality
of tourists, it must be said that this is a strength of the
city that allows millions of visitors and tourists to come
to it, and this means, of course, the contribution of
developing ecotourism with developing religious
tourism will provide us with an integrated tourist region
that achieves the desired benefit, and in this axis we will
show the most important types of ecotourism in
Karbala Governorate:
- Hussaini and Abbasiya Shrine Nurseries: The Holy
Shrine of Al-Husseiniya has established nurseries whose
purpose was to take care of the gardens surrounding
the Holy Mosque and the facilities and installations of
the Holy Shrines, in addition to the main streets leading
to the city and the main streets of the city's
neighborhoods.
Image (1) Al-Kafeel Nursery of the Abbasiya Threshold
Source:- Fadak Palm Cultivation Project
The Fadak Palm Cultivation Project is located in the
western side of Karbala Governorate, 23 km away from
the city center near Lake Razzazah, the project area is
(2000) dunums and the work is divided into a series of
phases, the first phase of which has been implemented
(400) dunums planted with palm seedlings and work
has started on the second phase (another 400) dunums
and the number of seedlings planted has reached
(13,000) so far, which are rare species such as Barhi,
Maktoum and others. The number of seedlings planted
so far (13,000), which are rare species such as Barhi,
Maktoum and others, and the source of the seedlings is
the United Arab Emirates as well as Iraq, and the
method of tissue culture is used in the production
process of the seedlings, as for the financing of the
project is from the agricultural initiative launched by
the government in 2014, and the spaces between the
rows of palm trees will be planted with fruit trees such
as figs.
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Reference:
- Fadak Palm Cultivation Project: The Fadak Palm
Cultivation Project is located in the western side of
Karbala Governorate, 23 km away from the city centre
near Lake Razzazah, the project area is (2000) dunums
and the work is divided into a series of phases, the first
phase of which has been implemented (400) dunums
planted with palm seedlings and work has started on
the second phase (another 400) dunums and the
number of seedlings planted has reached (13,000) so
far, which are rare species such as Barhi, Maktoum and
others. The number of seedlings planted so far
(13,000), which are rare species such as Barhi,
Maktoum and others, and the source of the seedlings is
the United Arab Emirates as well as Iraq, and the
method of tissue culture is used in the production
process of the seedlings, as for the financing of the
project is from the agricultural initiative launched by
the government in 2014, and the spaces between the
rows of palm trees will be planted with fruit trees such
as figs.
Pomegranates, olives, olives and Sidr, and irrigation is
carried out according to a modern drip irrigation
system. The main objective of the project was to
employ labour, exploit desert lands and develop the
agricultural reality in Karbala, in addition to the
strategic objective of preserving the rare and good
varieties of Iraqi dates from extinction and producing
new varieties of dates(1) . See image (2)
Image (2) Fadak Palm Cultivation Project:
Source:- Abu Al-Ahrar Agricultural City
The land is located on the Karbala-Razza road, 10
kilometres from the centre of Karbala.) It has an area of
(1499) dunums, and the land has fresh water from the
Euphrates River, which is fed in the form of main, sub
and secondary lined channels according to scientific
sizes and lengths distributed evenly over the land, as
well as buried field sluices, and the soil is good for
agriculture and has good drainage. (2)
For water, the project is divided into three branches,
namely; plant production: It is a multi-unit project
divided into seven main projects, namely: Wheat crop
cultivation project, yellow maize crop cultivation
project, barley crop cultivation project, sorghum
(fodder) crop cultivation project, alfalfa crop cultivation
project, mash crop cultivation project and jat crop
cultivation project, in which the cultivation is staggered
between one crop and another, thus optimising the use
of land and time.(1)
- Imam Hussein Agricultural City: Located on the
Karbala-Najaf road, 12 km away from Karbala city
centre, it has an area of (1000) dunums, and the land
and water are suitable for the establishment of
agricultural projects, and the project includes the
production of strategic crops such as wheat and barley,
and fodder crops such as jat, alfalfa and white corn.(2)
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These crops are used as feed for the sheep breeding
and fattening station project, which increases the
production of fresh meat and knowledge of the source
of nutrition, and this project contains greenhouses with
an area of (2500) m2 each, i.e. a whole dunum, and is
divided into five overlapping houses (2500). All kinds of
crops are grown in the off-season, by controlling the
temperature and humidity, and the first crops grown
are tomatoes and cucumbers. See image (3)
Image (3) Image of Imam Hussein Agricultural City
Source: Lake Al-Razzaza
One of the largest bodies of water in Iraq and the Arab
world and the eighth in the world, it was formed in its
current state in 3013 AD after the flooding of the
Euphrates River as the Abu Dabis and Salt Sea
depressions merged. The lake is located south of Lake
Habbaniyah, northwest of Karbala and thus falls within
the administrative borders of Anbar and Karbala
governorates, the area of the lake at its highest level
(42 m) is (1810) km with a water volume of (25,750)
billion cubic meters and a percentage (46, (6) % within
the boundaries of Karbala Governorate and (534) %
within the administrative boundaries of Anbar
Governorate, noting that the lowest level is (17) meters
above sea level Lake Razaza is one of the most
important natural formations in the research area and
is considered an attractive area for ecotourism and
tourists throughout the year, especially in the spring
and summer seasons. In particular, the southern and
western coast of the lake, which is suitable for tourism,
including swimming, boating, fishing, etc.
The length of the indicated coastline is (42) km, which
is characterized by blue waters and picturesque
geomorphological formations ( ). See image (4)
Image (4) View from the western coast of Lake Al-Razaza
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- Orchards: The lands of lush orchards are spread along
the Husseiniya and Bani Hassan irrigation streams and
the streams that branch off from them, which take
water from the right side of the Hindiya dam on the
Euphrates River.(1) The area of these lands is 132,000
dunums for the Husseiniya irrigation project and
128,000 dunums for the Bani Hassan irrigation project.
The lands of these two projects are located in the
eastern parts of the province and make up 15% of the
area of the province, and these lands abound with
scenic landscapes, as they are characterised by the
density of palm trees, fruits and citrus, good soil and flat
lands, which enable them to
They are very suitable for receiving tourists and
providing comfort for them, as well as the availability of
spacious spaces and their distance from the noise of the
city and the congestion of the streets with the
availability of tourist restaurants and others.(1)
Map No. (3) Orchards of Al-Husseiniya and Bani Hassan projects in the east of Karbala city
Source: Directorate of Water Resources, Land Reclamation Department, Karbala Governorate
- Khayrat Abi al-Fadl Farms: The project is located on
the Karbala-Najaf road with a land area of (1500000) m
containing a number of (9) greenhouses with an area of
(2500) m each, planted with various crops and
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vegetables (2).
Third: The impact of ecotourism in Karbala
Governorate on development
Ecotourism plays a prominent role in the development
of all different sectors, perhaps the most prominent of
which is the economic sector through the financial
income it generates through investments that
contribute to the development of tourism facilities and
according to the reports of the World Travel and
Tourism Council, tourism creates 12.8% job
opportunities, so we see a prominent interest in the
field of ecotourism in Karbala Governorate, whether by
the public sector government or private for what this
tourism contributes to supporting the province at all
levels and developing it from the urban aspect and
making it an attractive area.
In particular, ecotourism has received great attention
from those working on environmental issues, which
resulted in a number of studies in this field, and many
of these studies have shown that ecotourism activity,
just as it achieves various economic and social benefits,
can at the same time cause environmental damage that
may be difficult to remedy when not taken into account
when planning ecotourism, and ecotourism has many
effects, namely:
- Positive Impacts of Ecotourism
a. Increased revenue for local communities: Ecotourism
is an opportunity for business development and job
creation as well as stimulating tourism investment and
supporting local services even in remote communities.
(1)
B. Decrease in important natural resources: Natural
resources are one of the most important tourist
attractions, and without exploiting these areas for
tourism, they can be left to the hand of neglect, and the
region loses an important environmental heritage, the
most prominent example being East Africa, where the
preservation of the natural environment led to the
demand for tourists to visit this region (1).
Improving the quality of the environment: Improving
the quality of the environment is one of the positive
effects of tourism activity that appears through interest
in the environment and showing how to preserve and
upgrade its components and prevent its degradation or
pollution because the clean and beautiful environment
is the primary material for environmental tourism
activity, and it is also a major factor in the
establishment of tourism activity in general (2).
C- Raising the level of inter-tourism awareness that
ecotourism works to create a state of ecotourism
awareness at various levels so that it has enacted laws
to preserve, protect and maintain ecotourism sites ( 3).
D- Infrastructure development Eco-tourism activity
often has a good impact on the environment and its
elements, as this requires man to intervene with his
modern techniques and good planning to beautify,
improve, prepare and prepare the environment
appropriately with the inter-tourism activity through
the development of infrastructures that are compatible
with this tourism activity and environmentally friendly
(4 ).
E- Improving and developing tourist attractions
Ecotourism works to improve and develop tourist
attractions, maintain and restore them, such as
religious, historical and archaeological places, and
display them within the tourist product of the tourist
destination (1).
Negative effects of ecotourism
A- -A- Destruction of the quality of the natural
environment The use of natural sites by tourists leads
to the destruction of the quality of the natural
environment, whether due to excessive use, such as the
increase in the number of tourists, which represents a
burden on tourist facilities such as tourist transport or
hotels, or on public facilities such as transport roads,
water, electricity and others. (2)
B-. Distortion of tourist areas: The defacement of
tourist areas comes from the failure to treat the waste
of tourists, i.e. waste by feeding animals or bad
behavior towards public property such as picking
flowers and trees, lighting fires or collecting shells and
coral and others, and it is worth noting that tourism
produces (35) tonnes of solid waste annually according
to the United Nations Environment Programmed
(UNEP). (3)
Water pollution Water is polluted by directing
wastewater to rivers, lakes and seas, which
contaminates the water with germs and substances
hazardous to public health and environmental health
due to the lack of application of
Salt water and sewage treatment systems for all tourist
facilities, which leads to water pollution (1).
Air pollution: Air pollution may result from the
maximum use of tourist transport used by tourists in
some tourist areas, and carbon dioxide emissions from
transport in the tourism sector, accommodation and
other activities are estimated at about (4-6%) of the
total global emissions (2).
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Conclusions and Recommendations
The researcher has reached a set of conclusions and
recommendations:
First: Conclusions
1.
Ecotourism is one of the best types of tourism in
the city of Karbala.
2.
The city of Karbala is characterized by the presence
of multiple and diverse natural tourist attractions
such as farms, parks, nurseries and caves such as Al-
Tar Caves.
3.
The importance of ecotourism stems from the fact
that it is a clean tourism based on visiting,
preserving and sustaining natural areas.
4.
Lack of interest in the principles of ecotourism in
the city of Karbala, despite the importance of these
principles in the development of ecotourism.
5.
Neglecting the application of ecotourism rules in
the city of Karbala because these rules represent an
understanding of the pillars of ecotourism as an
optimal approach to the exploitation of
ecotourism.
6.
Lack of attention to the negative effects of
ecotourism, such as destroying the quality of the
natural environment, defacing tourist areas, and
water and air pollution.
7.
Lack of attention to the positive effects of
ecotourism, such as increasing the revenues of
local communities, preserving natural resources,
improving environmental quality, developing
infrastructure, and improving and developing
tourist attractions.
8.
The lack of a clear strategy for ecotourism in
Karbala Governorate, and thus the lack of
development in areas that have potential for
ecotourism.
Second: Recommendations
1.
The researcher recommends the need to pay
attention to ecotourism as it is one of the most
important and most recent types of tourism in
Karbala.
2.
Work to develop the importance of ecotourism
from the environmental, economic, social, cultural
and humanitarian aspects.
3.
Focusing on the rules of ecotourism in the city of
Karbala as it is the optimal approach to invest in
ecotourism.
4.
The researcher recommends the need to pay
attention to and capitalise on the positive effects of
ecotourism.
5.
Increasing cooperation and coordination between
official and unofficial bodies and institutions
concerned with ecotourism.
6.
The need to use the expertise of the World Tourism
Organisation in the field of ecotourism.
7.
The need to utilise the experiences of tourism
countries in the development of ecotourism in
Karbala.
8.
The need to spread tourism awareness and the
culture of ecotourism among members of the
Karbala community.
CONCLUSION
The level of advancement and development progress in
any society is measured by the changes that
development brings in the social and economic life of
members of society without the negative impact on the
environment. From this point of view, the importance
of this study was the adoption of the tourism sector,
which is one of the activities that have an important
impact on the global economy and control the
livelihood of millions of people around the world.
Tourism can have major impacts in combating poverty
and achieving progress towards the desired
development goals. Due to the dependence of tourism
on a healthy global environment, it is therefore highly
sensitive to changes and degradation caused by several
factors such as chemicals, waste, increased pressure on
Water Resources and the effects of climate change.
Through this study, it was concluded that excessive
dependence on tourism, especially in some developing
countries, and their lack of consideration for the
tourism potential of natural environments highlights
the need to strive to achieve balanced growth, as
unsustainable tourism would create environmental
problems for tourist regions. Thus, they negatively
affect the natural, cultural and physical environment,
and the cultures of local communities are endangered,
disappearing over time. This study also found the need
to preserve the environment with all its elements. By
using it rationally, it ensures the needs of man today
and for a longer period, while at the same time
preserving the share of this stock for future
generations.
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