Natural protection
We often think of nature as something to shape, mold, and manage to fit our needs. We cut down trees for a view, flatten hills for better roads, or remove dunes for beachfront properties. It feels like progress, right? We believe we’re improving the world around us. But sometimes, we forget: Nature isn't something to be tamed, it’s a force that works with us, and when we ignore its power, it can become a dangerous enemy.
Take the tragic events of the 2004 tsunami, for example. On Sri Lanka’s coast, a hotel made the decision to remove sand dunes to improve the ocean view. A seemingly small, harmless decision. Yet when the tsunami struck, those dunes were gone. The result? 27 lives lost.
Meanwhile, just a short distance away, an eco-tourism center and ranger station in Yala National Park stood unharmed. Why? The sand dunes, which many saw as a mere obstruction, acted as natural barriers, protecting the land and the people. They were nature’s silent guardians, resilient, protective, and strong.
This isn’t just an isolated case. Around the world, we’ve seen how humanity’s attempts to control nature have led to dire consequences. In places where natural habitats have been altered or removed, we’ve seen increased vulnerability to natural disasters. Coastal cities that built walls against the sea, only to face flooding; forests that were cleared for agriculture, leaving communities exposed to landslides.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
We don’t need to fight nature. We need to understand it, respect it, and work with it. Just as the sand dunes in Yala National Park protected the eco-tourism center, nature offers us solutions if we’re willing to look.
For instance, there are entire communities worldwide that are thriving by building in harmony with the environment. From sustainable, off-grid hotels that blend into the landscape, to cities designed around green spaces, nature isn’t just an obstacle to be overcome, it’s part of the solution.
Take, for example, the growing trend in regenerative tourism, which doesn’t just aim to minimize damage but actively seeks to restore and improve the ecosystems tourists visit. This approach doesn’t see nature as something to be controlled, but something to be cared for, nurtured, and, yes, protected. It’s about rethinking what tourism could be, shifting from exploiting to preserving, from dominating to co-existing.
The choice is simple: we can continue to fight against nature, ignoring its warnings, pushing it out of the way, and dealing with the consequences. Or, we can listen. We can learn. And we can adapt.
When we design tourism experiences that work with nature, we make the world a better, safer, and more sustainable place. Nature will always have the last word, but we can choose to be its ally, not its adversary. It’s time to rethink how we interact with the world around us. Because in the end, nature isn’t something to be conquered, it’s the key to our survival.
Let’s choose wisely. Let’s design with respect. And let’s protect what matters.
