IUCN 21 Apr 11;
With many people starting to plan their annual holidays, IUCN 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’re eating isn’t under threat.
The tips accompany a recent report by IUCN, 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.
“Careful 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,” says Giulia Carbone, Deputy Director of IUCN’s Global Business and Biodiversity Programme. “If 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.”
Top ten tips for eco-tourists:
1. Visit destinations which have conservation value, such as protected areas, World Heritage sites or areas where nature is a key attraction. Include in your trip visits and activities related to conservation projects.
Or take this a step further and plan a “doing” holiday! Many organizations plan expeditions where you can spend time working on a local conservation project. See for example http://www.earthwatch.org/expedition/
2. Travel light: limit the packaging you bring with you. This will become waste in your holiday destination.
3. Before you travel, learn as much as possible about your destination, about the natural assets, the local people 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. Use reputable local tour operators, preferably those who contribute to conservation themselves.
5. 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?
6. If you can, try to get to your destination by train or coach – you’ll see more of the country you’re travelling in as well as reducing your carbon emissions. Consider also offsetting your travel using a Gold Standard supplier (http://www.cdmgoldstandard.org/GS-Portfolio-Pledgers.287.0.html)
7. When you’re on holiday, choose wisely what you put on your plate. Choose locally sourced produce that’s 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. Many wild plants and animals are in great danger … 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). For more information go to : http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/wildlifetrade/buyersbeware-holidayguide.html
Be careful if you’re bringing plants or seeds back from your travels – check that they couldn’t become invasive species.
9. Wildlife watching can be an incredible experience… but don't disturb wildlife, for your own safety and theirs!
10. 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 ‘green’ bus system to ferry tourists around, allowing no other transport within the park’s 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’s boundaries doesn’t put the long-term sustainability of the site at risk.
“From 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,” says Tim Badman, Director of IUCN's World Heritage Programme. “However, if tourism is badly planned and not managed responsibly, it can lead to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and negative impacts to local communities.”
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.
Sustainable tourism and natural World Heritage report 307KB
