translated from Spanish: How Instagram tourists became an environmental lynom

After a winter, spring came to Southern California, and with it the wildflowers. It’s a beautiful landscape to miss. Until about 50,000 people came in search of the perfect shot.
The result? The delicate poppies were trampled, ripped off and destroyed. The worst part is, they won’t grow back. It is the result of tourists who give them more the photo they will upload to their social networks than to destroy a beautiful place by nature.
Invasion of tourists
What used to be a family gathering place, overlooking the Colorado River near the Grand Canyon, has become one of the most popular places on Instagram in the United States.

Thus, Horsehoe Bend went from attracting a few thousand visitors a year, to a couple of million. Parking lots are being expanded to accommodate crowds clogging up trails and causing traffic.
It’s not the only place. Shortly after photographer Johannes Holzer posted a photo of a Bavarian lake, where he grew up, influencers quickly flocked to the site.

Now, it seems as if the trail to reach the lake had been trampled by a battalion, said German broadcaster Bayrischer Rundfunk. It is also full of trash and cigarette butts, it is no longer the quiet place it used to be.
It also happened in an Austrian village of only 700 inhabitants. After it became the perfect postcard in Instragram, the influencers soon arrived.

On average 80 buses and 10,000 tourists started arriving every day. Locals complain that tourists get into their properties to look for the perfect angle. This alters the peace and quiet of this town.
Damage to the ecosystem
Playa Jardín in Tenerife, Spain, is a very popular place among photographers who build small towers with stones collected from nearby beaches. Your designs can be spectacular for taking photos. However, they damage the ecosystem, as spiders, insects and lizards can no longer shelter under the stones.

In addition, plant organisms essential for soil health are torn off when stones are repositioned. The environmentalists have launched the #pasasinhuella campaign to disarm these stone towers. However, days later the influencers began to assemble the towers again.
It also happens at La Oliva beach in Fuerteventura, which has become an attraction for influencers. This beach has algae that resemble popcorn and many have taken them as souvenirs. It is estimated that 10 kilos are disappearing a day. To raise awareness, The Clean Ocean Project has started posting these photos on Instagram.

With over 10 million images on Instagram, Iceland has become a popular destination for influencers. But to get the perfect photo damage nature. They sit on the glaciers, walk on the moss, which can die, and fly drones on wild animals. The tourism centre has launched initiatives to promote the behaviour of tourists.

The anonymous Instagram account “Public Lands Hate You” denounces irresponsible behavior. This account posts photos of those who have broken the rules. This has led to brands breaking their agreements with some influencers, and even being research material. But it has also generated controversy, as they appoint people without their consent.

Original source in Spanish

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