Importance of Marine Tourism and Environmental Protection: In Some Selected Indian Ocean Islands

Marine tourism activities may have a parasitic relationship with the environment, in which resource are destroyed relentlessly for economic benefits, if not managed in a sustainable manner. Therefore environmental protection is necessary in order prevent any irreversible environmental degration that may arise from marine tourism. Such degration includes sedimentation over coral organisms by sheer human physical impact, beach erosion, mangrove clearance etc. This article consider the consequences of marine tourism formisland states such as Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar and the Maldives and the importance of environmental management for sustainable marine tourism development. Finally the article consider the importance of monitoring the marine tourism environment using the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) approach as opposed to the 'carrying capacity' analysis