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UNEP/GRID-Arendal
seminar on linking
Tourism & Conservation in Marine Protected Areas
Tourists supporting national
parks, e.g.Kongsfjord, The aim of the Linking Tourism & Conservation (LT&C) initiative is to show, learn from and replicate positive examples where tourism supports the management and development of protected areas. The project supports the targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The initiative started at a seminar on LT&C held in Arendal in May 2007. UNEP/GRID-Arendal is facilitating the initiative and will continue to develop LT&C in cooperation with partners within the "Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism" network.
Financial, educational and political support to biodiversity conservation was identified as the three pillars to recognize a LT&C destination. Challenges and success factors related to the development of criteria were discussed. One challenge is, for example, to have criteria that are adaptable and apply to many diverse scenarios. In order to achieve a successful link between tourism and biodiversity, transparency of information and partnerships with relevant stakeholders were identified as two important success factors.
A summary of the seminar outcomes and further developments can be found at www.grida.no/ltc. All presentations and information about the LT&C study expeditions are also published at this website. For further information: Photo 1 and 3: Peter Prokosch, UNEP/GRID-Arendal |
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Arendal,
Norway, 4-5 June - During two intensive and inspiring days
in June 2010, a group of 25 participants from 12 countries met
to discuss how tourism and biodiversity protection in marine protected
areas can create a win-win situation. Representatives from tourism
industry, conservation management, research institutes, governments
and a number of UN agencies and centers took part in the seminar.
With
inspiration from a number of functioning cases of Linking Tourism
& Conservation, the aim was to identify a set of criteria
that can be used to recognize an LT&C case. Furthermore, it
was discussed how the LT&C initiative relate to the work of
other organizations and certification and/or award schemes. Effective
ways on how to communicate good examples, so that they can serve
as resources for learning, up-scaling, replication and investment,
was another topic at the seminar.
The
next steps for the LT&C initiative include LT&C study
expeditions to Svalbard (August 2010) and Antarctica (November
2010) with the aim to study what LT&C can mean in praxis.
Svalbard is a world leading case where tourism supports protected
areas and tourists benefit from it by in a well managed way getting
close to spectacular wildlife. In Antarctica, tourists are made
into ambassadors for promoting large scale marine protection.
UNEP/GRID-Arendal plans to be involved in a side event on Tourism
& Biodiversity at the CBD-COP10 meeting in Nagoya in October
2010 and offers to produce a rapid response assessment report
in time for this topic.