Over past two decades, there has been impressive growth in tourism within the region. This growth has generally led to the creation of additional employment, an increased flow of foreign exchange, increased infrastructural development and the restoration of cultural, religious and heritage sites. However, the growth in tourism has also resulted in significant negative environmental impacts, particularly in relation to important ecosystems, namely mangroves, forests and coral reefs, etc. Unplanned development of infrastructure too close to the shoreline has affected natural coastal processes leading to beach erosion in some places, particularly Fiji, Indonesia, Maldives, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. However, with the introduction of EIA, such unplanned developmental activities have been stopped.
Coral reefs are one of the main tourist attractions in the region.
Trade Promoting liberal trade while maintaining and strengthening protection of the environment and natural resources is one of the great policy challenges of the decade. There has been a widespread inflow of polluting industries and hazardous waste from developed nations, and also an outflow of raw materials and resource intensive industrial products to developed countries. The direct effects of agricultural trade liberalization on Asian environmental resources are not yet clear. However, increasing product prices are likely to lead to a greater demand for agro-chemicals. The demand for water could also rise, which is an important consideration in countries with seasonal water scarcity, such as Thailand.