The United Nations has
said that tourism must not undermine the nature that attracts tourists in the
first place, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The Executive
Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
a United Nations-backed treaty on biological diversity, Cristiana Pasca Palmer,
made this call at marking International Day for Biological Diversity.
“Tourism grows, so
does the risk of harming the environment […] It will be important therefore
such developments do not undermine the very natural beauty that draws tourists
in the first place,” said Cristiana Pasca Palmer, in her message for the Day, which this year is
celebrated under the theme Biodiversity and
Sustainable Tourism.
Many natural areas
with rich biodiversity, such as beaches, coasts and islands, mountains, rivers
and lakes, are popular tourism destinations. Roughly half of the leisure trips
taken globally are to natural areas, she noted.
It is therefore
important to understand that the way tourism is managed will impact
biodiversity and conversely, the way ecosystems are managed will impact the
sustainability of tourism, as tourists will not come to polluted or degraded
destinations.
The Convention was
adopted on 22 May 1992 as the international legal instrument for “the
conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and
the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization
of genetic resources” that has since been ratified by 196 nations.
In 2010, the UN
General Assembly proclaimed 22 May as the International Day for Biological
Diversity.
In his message for the
Day, UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai said:
“Together we can make tourism an ally in fighting loss of biodiversity and
achieving the Global Goals for a better world.”
In that regard, UNWTO
is encouraging more destinations to set up sustainable tourism observatories,
he said.
The UN Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has also been
working with all its partners to explore pathways for ensuring the long-term
sustainability of tourism while also ensuring that it contributes positively to
biodiversity.
“Biodiversity is as necessary for nature and
humankind as cultural diversity, to build stronger, more resilient societies,
equipped with the tools they need to respond to the challenges of today and
tomorrow,” said UNESCO
Director-General Irina Bokova in her message for the Day.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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