Tourism is a human activity that involves material flow and energetic flow. The effects, positives and negatives, can be observed on all fields of activity. There are many benefits: employment, foreign currency, investment and the provision of services and facilities. However, it also has a negative effect. An example is in the Balearic Islands, the excessive and uncontrolled tourist development has caused the destruction of natural resources and economic dependence of the tourism so this has showed its negative effects.

From the fifties, Mallorca's environment has experienced a big transformation with the development of installations and tourist activities. The territorial occupation has been direct (accommodation, complementary offer and increment of population density) and indirect or derived like urbanisation, increment of intensive agriculture with more water use, extractive industry, ecosystems modification, etc.

The damaging operations as overexploitation resources, tourist-related activities, building-up, etc. on beaches, sandy areas, marine beds and other coastal formations affect the values on which the potential for tourism development is based.

The most important effects of tourism on the environment are the following:

• Over the see.
  Marine environment has a high value for the variety and richness of its depths. The main negative impacts are the disposal of solid waste and sewerage and sand extractions from the seabed. An example of environmental damage is the decrease and deterioration that the Posedonia oceanica beds are suffering due to the increase in water turbidity, the dissolved oxygen and sand extractions to regenerate beaches.

• Over the coastline and coastal uplands.
  Coastal areas have the most important level of tourist occupation. The new tourist constructions (hotels, roads, etc.) and new urban settlements (second homes) have created architectonic barriers and have fundamentally affected the natural vegetation and, sometimes, the destruction or disappearance of wetlands and dunes banks. The yachting harbours building and it uses creates important modifications on the coastline, pollution increment, degradation of the seabed and interference's with the hydrodynamism of the area which one is the responsible of the natural sedimentation of sand on the beaches.The human modifications are frequently very destructive, in particular, in the dunes areas. The opening of paths and the pressure of vehicles, horses, and walkers suppose profound ecological alterations that cause species disappear, the sand and beaches reduction, etc.

• Over the landscape.
  The construction of new buildings and infrastructures has caused a direct occupation of the territory and has led to deep modifications of the soil and the degradation and the destruction of natural area.
  News elements on the landscape have promoted a rupture of its continuity, of its aesthetic value, and also the chance of the traditional land use.
  The risk of fire has increased coinciding with the maximum population density and the dry summertime.
  Another impact is the proliferation of quarries to extract building materials.

• Over the fauna and vegetation.
  Tourist activities usually pass the urban line. The high frequency on fragile natural areas (dunes, cliffs, forests, etc.) promotes the rupture of the ecological balance due to habitat modifications. It causes the introduction of new species. Impacts that you can observe are tracks from off-road cars, wheeled and pedestrian traffic, footpaths, uncontrolled waste, etc.
  The new roads are barriers to the movement of fauna and the extinction of the natural cover, and, as consequence, the biodiversity losses.

• Over the natural resources.
  There are overexploitation water resources with the increment of human and agricultural consumer and we can add the water consumed by the golf courses and aquatic complexes. It causes the scarcity of this resource.
  The aquifer overexploitation provokes the sea intrusion and the salinization of the soils, so the water becomes non drinking water.
  The disposal of sewage and waste cause the surface water pollution so they also are negative impacts on the environment.

• Over the society and the culture.
  The tourism has generated a social change with a heterogeneous social and economical structure, a positive immigration as labour force, a population increase, the transformation of the form and type of economical activities, the modifications of the social values and the consumer model, the cultural heritage losses, etc.