<Li> In recent years ecotourism in the tropics has increased . While rainforests are becoming increasingly rare, people are travelling to nations that still have this diverse habitat . Locals are benefiting from the additional income brought in by visitors, as well areas deemed interesting for visitors are often conserved . Ecotourism can be an incentive for conservation, especially when it triggers positive economic change . Ecotourism can include a variety of activities including animal viewing, scenic jungle tours and even viewing cultural sights and native villages . If these practices are performed appropriately this can be beneficial for both locals and the present flora and fauna . </Li> <Li> An increase in tourism has increased economic support, allowing more revenue to go into the protection of the habitat . Tourism can contribute directly to the conservation of sensitive areas and habitat . Revenue from park - entrance fees and similar sources can be utilised specifically to pay for the protection and management of environmentally sensitive areas . Revenue from taxation and tourism provides an additional incentive for governments to contribute revenue to the protection of the forest . </Li> <Li> Tourism also has the potential to increase public appreciation of the environment and to spread awareness of environmental problems when it brings people into closer contact with the environment . Such increased awareness can induce more environmentally conscious behavior . Tourism has had a positive effect on wildlife preservation and protection efforts, notably in Africa but also in South America, Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific . </Li> <P> Deposits of precious metals (gold, silver, coltan) and fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) occur underneath rainforests globally . These resources are important to developing nations and their extraction is often given priority to encourage economic growth . Mining and drilling can require large amounts of land development, directly causing deforestation . In Ghana, a West African nation, deforestation from decades of mining activity left about 12% of the country's original rainforest intact . </P>

How are tropical rain forest and grasslands threatened by human activities