Top ten tips for eco-tourists
With many people starting to plan their annual holidays, 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播听has released a list of top ten tips for tourists who want to visit some of the most beautiful natural sites in the world without damaging the environment. Tips range from choosing eco-hotels and being mindful of your carbon footprint to avoiding buying souvenirs made from Endangered species and making sure you know that what you鈥檙e eating isn鈥檛 under threat.
Photo: Giulia Carbone
Photo: Giulia Carbone
The tips accompany a recent report by 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播, Sustainable tourism in natural World Heritage, which shows that tourism, if managed properly, can contribute to both conservation and development goals in or near natural World Heritage Sites. From a conservation point of view, tourism can raise funds for protecting natural areas, enhance awareness amongst locals and tourists of biodiversity and conservation issues, as well as discourage local people from carrying out activities that are harmful to nature. The report sets out a range of factors that support and hinder sustainable tourism development in World Heritage sites.
鈥淐areful planning is at the heart of ensuring that World Heritage sites benefit from the high profile that comes with their global status, through collaboration between the private sector, local communities and site managers,鈥 says Giulia Carbone, Deputy Director of 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播鈥檚 Global Business and Biodiversity Programme. 鈥淚f managed sustainably, World Heritage sites can give tourists the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful places that the world has to offer while benefitting the natural environment at the same time.鈥
Top ten tips for eco-tourists:
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Or take this a step further and plan a 鈥渄oing鈥 holiday! Many organizations plan expeditions where you can spend time working on a local conservation project. 2.听 Travel light: limit the packaging you bring with you. This will become waste in your holiday destination. 3.听 Before you travel, learn as much as possible about your destination, about the natural assets, the local people and their culture听and any environmental concerns (for example if there is a drought, if forest fires are a major threat ..). This should help to make your journey more enjoyable! 4.听 Use reputable local tour operators, preferably those who contribute to conservation themselves. Aim to follow any local codes, for example regarding behaviour or dress if visiting cultural or sacred natural sites. 5.听 Pick nature-friendly accommodation: ask hotels if they are truly eco, for example do they have an environmental policy? Have they implemented energy and water saving measures? Do they contribute to local conservation efforts and support local communities? 6. If you can, try to get to your destination by train or coach 鈥 you鈥檒l see more of the country you鈥檙e travelling in as well as reducing your carbon emissions. Consider also offsetting your travel using a Gold Standard supplier () 7.听 When you鈥檙e on holiday, choose wisely what you put on your plate. Choose locally sourced produce that鈥檚 in season and be aware that certain Endangered species may be on the menu without your knowledge - ask local conservation organizations for a list of what to look out for. 8.听 Many wild plants and animals are in great danger 鈥 you can contribute to protecting them by avoiding buying souvenirs made from Endangered species (jewellery made from red coral and turtle carapace,shatoosh and many others). Be careful if you鈥檙e bringing plants or seeds back from your travels 鈥 check that they couldn鈥檛 become invasive species. 9.听 Wildlife watching can be an incredible experience鈥 but don't disturb wildlife, for your own safety and theirs! 10.听 Maintain a relationship with your new friends in the destination, become a member of local conservation organizations. |
More than two million tourists visit the Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area in China each year, generating an annual turnover of US$ 200 million. Effective management of the tourist trade, such as by using a 鈥榞reen鈥 bus system to ferry tourists around, allowing no other transport within the park鈥檚 boundaries and banning visitors from staying in the park overnight, have led to Jiuzhaigou being seen as a model for other protected areas in China. Continued careful planning is needed to ensure that such high visitor numbers and the mushrooming of hotels and restaurants just outside the park鈥檚 boundaries doesn鈥檛 put the long-term sustainability of the site at risk.
鈥淔rom a development perspective, income from tourism may reduce poverty by creating jobs, which can in turn help with biodiversity conservation. Many conservation organizations are seeing the value of setting up small businesses that are based on or benefit the environment,鈥 says Tim Badman, Director of 香港六合彩开奖结果现场直播's World Heritage Programme. 鈥淗owever, if tourism is badly planned and not managed responsibly, it can lead to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and negative impacts to local communities.鈥
The report outlines several World Heritage sites which have suffered from the impacts of tourism, one of them being the Belize Barrier Reef System where uncontrolled lease and development of land for tourism within the site has led to it being included on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2009. Some of the environmental impacts of this include mangrove cutting and coral dredging.
For more information contact:
Nicki Chadwick, Media Relations Officer, t +41 22 999 0229 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting听听听听听听听听听听听听听听+41 22 999 0229听听听听听听end_of_the_skype_highlighting, m +41 79 528 3486, e
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