Resort and lodge development in wildlife-rich areas creates wildlife habitat loss and fragmentation even as tourism is marketed on the basis of wildlife proximity.
The paradox of wildlife tourism accommodation is that the wildlife that attracts visitors are harmed by the infrastructure built to host them. Lodge development fragments movement corridors. Lighting and noise disturb nocturnal wildlife. Human food attractants habituate animals to danger. Well-designed lodges that prioritize wildlife corridors, minimize lighting, and manage waste to avoid habituation can genuinely minimize these impacts. But development that prioritizes wildlife proximity as a marketing asset while ignoring wildlife welfare as a design criterion causes net harm to the animals it claims to celebrate.