Geomorphology, Sport Tourism and Sustainable Development in the Tropics

The “geographical” distribution of tropical islands is very uneven. Islands and archipelagos are found in Central America, the eastern Atlantic, the mid-western Indian Ocean and the western Pacific. They are rarer in the South Atlantic, the Eastern Indian Ocean and the Eastern and Northern Pacific Ocean. The structural origin and morphological evolution of tropical islands determine their uneven distribution on the surface of the globe and the variety of their relief. Despite their apparent immutability, landforms and morphological processes can be impacted by both natural factors and human actions. Due to the high vulnerability of island environments, any development has environmental consequences that can be severe. Tourism has repercussions not only on landforms but also on morphological processes, particularly on the coastline, on biodiversity and on particularly fragile environments such as coral reefs and mangroves. Additionally, the development of tourism requires the construction of infrastructures and facilities such as ports or airports, roads, marinas, hotels, itineraries and development of sites and reception areas. As such, geomorphology is a factor in the location and attractiveness of sports tourism, which finds favourable conditions for its development in tropical islands. This has resulted in an increase in the number of participants, the organisation of events that are sometimes national or international in scope, a diversification of practices, the equipping and development of new sites, the development of tourism and the structuring of territories.