In honor of this year's World Tourism Day, we invite you to join us in this discussion:
Considering that tourism is calculated to represent 5% of world carbon emissions, is tourism compatible with conserving our planet's biodiversity?
What do you think?
Replies
World Tourism Day celebrations: conserving biodiversity, a collective responsibility
(Forimmediaterelease.net) The official 2010 World Tourism Day (WTD) celebrations held in Guangzhou, China, have underscored the need for increased action by the global tourism sector - as one of the world’s leading economic activities - towards the preservation of biological diversity. Jointly organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), and Guangdong Province, WTD celebrations brought together government representatives from around the world, leading biodiversity researchers, and private industry representatives.
A high-level dialogue on tourism, biodiversity, and sustainable development was convened as the central event of WTD, under the 2010 WTD theme “Tourism and Biodiversity," to coincide with the UN International Year of Biodiversity. As such, the dialogue provided an important platform from which to debate how tourism can contribute positively to biodiversity conservation and the quality of life of local populations, while minimizing potentially negative environmental and social impacts.
“We are delighted that the official World Tourism Day 2010 celebrations are being held in China, one of the world’s leading tourism destinations and a country rich in biodiversity,” said Shao Qiwei, chairman of CNTA, opening the dialogue. “China has identified tourism as a strategic pillar of its national economic policy and is committed to its sustainable development, including the responsible use of environmental resources.”
Calling on the tourism sector to generate momentum and accelerate progress towards the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, UNWTO secretary-general, Taleb Rifai, underlined the value of life on Earth to the long-term sustainability of tourism.
“Biodiversity is at risk on a global scale. Yet the very future of tourism – the millions it employs around the world and its socio-economic contribution to growth and development – depends on the protection and conservation of this biodiversity,” he said.
HIGH-LEVEL PANEL DISCUSSION: DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, AND SHARED BENEFITS
These issues set the framework for the ensuing panel discussion, which included tourism ministers, biodiversity researchers, and private industry representatives.
Moderated by CNN International’s Beijing bureau chief, Jaime FlorCruz, these leading tourism and biodiversity experts were quick to agree that biodiversity is one of tourism’s most valuable assets. This is especially the case for developing countries, where the largest proportion of global biodiversity can be found and biodiversity-based tourism can make a valuable contribution to socio-economic development.
Among the main conclusions coming out of the panel discussion was the need for the tourism sector to assume a collective responsibility for conserving biological diversity and implementing global targets, including government, the private sector, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society.
While the public sector must establish a supportive policy framework and favorable conditions for the sustainable development of tourism, integrating tourism in national biodiversity plans, it is the responsibility of the private sector to implement objectives and assess their performance. This is also relevant for the long-term economic success of tourism enterprises.
The importance of local community involvement in sustainable tourism development and operation was also underlined. While governments and companies must take the lead, participants argued it is only through engaging and involving with the local community that tourism can truly be developed in a sustainable manner. The benefits of developing sustainable tourism, namely decent work and income opportunities, can provide a strong incentive for communities to protect their natural heritage. To ensure this, wealth generated from biodiversity-based tourism products must be fairly and equitably shared at the local level, increasing local participation in the tourism value chain.
The conclusions coming out of the dialogue will be crafted into the document “Guangzhou Recommendations" and officially presented by UNWTO at the upcoming tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10) (October 18-29, Nagoya, Japan).
Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 Email: mrisi@UNWTO.org UNWTO Communications Program Tel: +34 91-567-8100 Fax: +34 91-567-8218 Email: comm@UNWTO.org
There is an ambiguous issue regarding ecotourism - the tourist can do his or her part in going green, but the supply chain must be greened in order to reduce overall impact. Too many people in the same place will likely have a greater impact on the environment, however, if the infrastructure that is in place is well developed, it can likely deal with the impact better than if increasing numbers of people were to travel in very remote places that are not highly developed and don't have much infrastructure. Camping can have a much greater impact on the environment than a well managed hotel, unless the camper is completely savvy and knows how to behave in wild places - i.e. move the tent around, pack your garbage out, take a shovel when using the woods as a bathroom...a lot of people now want a comfortable wilderness experience that does not require them to fit in on nature's terms and so they cause a lot of damage that they are not even aware off. For the environment it would be better if these people stayed at a hotel where the hotel owner at least can do whatever is possible in his or her part of the world to run their operation in an ecologically friendly way.
As far as the impact on local cultures is concerned - people always interact and cultures must change in order to stay alive, however, when big business moves in it just homogenizes everything without any regard for local culture. In the worst case scenario local people are displaced by tourism developments. That is plain wrong. Imperialism under a new guise.
Yet, tourism can also have a positive effect on biodiversity. There are many businesses and lodges that raise money through their tourist activities in order to protect habitat and species - which in turn benefits their businesses, because that is what people want to come and see.
A lot of bad press is levied at airlines with regards to CO2 emissions. While it is true that transportation and especially air travel are responsible for a huge chunk of our CO2 emissions, it pales to 'marginal' compared to the agro-industry, in particular the production of meat, which is very destructive, and on the rise. nobody even dares to address this issue - or the fact that maybe, just maybe there are just too many people in this world to ensure survival of the kind of biodiversity that we all grew up with.
I guess what I am saying is that wilderness travel is not necessarily eco-friendly and that the issue must be addressed from many different angles. Yet, even walking holidays can have a negative impact in terms of erosion (not to mention garbage thoughtlessly thrown out). It all depends on both the tourist and the supplier to minimize the damage.
But, I'd venture to say that someone who is already thoughtful about these things at home will naturally also be thoughtful about them while travelings. While people who have never paid much attention to 'green living' will probably not change just because they are on holiday - so it is to be hoped that the supplier takes that responsibility on their shoulders by providing services that genuinely try to reduce the impact of tourism.
On another front... am I the only one who finds it a bit odd that the country that brought us the Three Gorges Dam and other environmental nightmares is the 2010 host of World Tourism Day, with its focus on biodiversity? I truly hope this means the government of China is finally waking up to the reality that not even economic progress should justify destroying our planet. Time will tell.
I know that's not going to be popular among the pro-business crowd, but folks, if we kill the planet, there won't be any business left to make money on!
I'd like to think that travel can increase sensitivity to the fragile web of life and our interrelation with the environment, but that's likely most true for eco-travelers, and they're not exactly a majority. I doubt the hordes going to Orlando or Vegas or Branson, Missouri, learn anything on their trips that makes them likelier to worry about the fate of the blue-footed booby.
So where do we start? Awareness campaigns may be a good place: educating people about how to travel responsibly. And that's exactly what World Tourism Day 2010 is attempting to do.
Put another way, if more people took eco-vacations like my Panama example instead of going to Walt Disney World or the Costa del Sol, would those eco-resorts and the human and natural environment they aim to preserve still be sustainable?