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ISSN 1108-8931 |
INTERNATIONAL ECOTOURISM MONTHLY |
Year 5-Issue 51, Aug 2003 |
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S. Africa: In a landmark 20-year agreement,
Limpopo's Makuleke community secured the right to commercially develop
24000 ha of land in the northern Pafuri sector of Kruger National
Park, SA's largest game reserve, the first management concession
granted to a community at the park. The community won back the rights
to the land in 1998 through restitution claims and hopes to create 120
jobs to build and manage three lodges. S. Africa: A dispute over endangered birds
is jeopardising an R8-million community tourism project n the Free
State. The controversy is over the exact location of nine tourist
chalets, a small restaurant and an educational centre within the
Seekoeivlei Nature Reserve, a wetland of international importance
under the Ramsar Convention and hosting endangered birds like wattled
and blue cranes. Rwanda: A workshop organised by the Ministry
of Commerce and the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) found that
Sub-Saharan Africa should promote tourism for community-based
development, while the Secretary General of the Ministry, told
reporters the government needs to 'increase the capacity' of tourist
attractions like the Volcanoes National Park situated in northern
Rwanda and home to almost half of the world's mountain gorillas. Seychelles: The Seychelles plans to open up
the Aldabra atoll, four remote coral islands in the Mozambique
channel, to 'a small number of ecotourists' and is looking for
developers. Tanzania: Tanzania's small population of sea
cows is rapidly facing extinction due to entanglement and drowning in
gill nets according to a report. Chile: Four elderly Pehuenche Indian women
are delaying plans for a $570 million hydroelectric dam in southern
Chile. Arguing that the hydro project would flood sacred land and
destroy their traditional way of life, the four have refused to sell
the 103 acres they own along the Bio Bio River for USD 1 million. USA: Residents of eastern North Carolina
oppose the Navy's proposal for a jet-fighter landing strip near a
wildlife refuge. Four miles southeast of the proposed runway is the
town of Roper, population 625, of whom 70 percent are black and 35
percent live in poverty. "Our whole hope for revitalization was
ecotourism," said Mayor Bunny Sanders. The site is near Pocosin
Lakes National Wildlife Refuge known for 100,000 tundra swans, snow
geese and other waterfowl that spend the winter there. Atlantic Fleet
commander Natter recommended that Congress be asked to compensate the
counties for the 'loss of tax base'. USA: An "Ad Hoc Coalition of Travel
Professionals and Clients for Freedom to Travel to Cuba" is
calling on the U.S. Congress and Senate to end all restrictions on
travel by US citizens and residents to Cuba and that President signs
such legislation. India: The 'Sahara group' has submitted a
detailed project report for an 'integrated eco-tourism' project in the
Sundarbans in West Bengal. The project will include barge-mounted
floating hotels, pilgrimage tourism facilities at Gangasagar, bio-food
product parks, craft villages and access to wildlife. India: Kerala Tourism has introduced an
eco-certification scheme to promote eco-friendly tourism. This follows
on the classification scheme introduced recently for grading the
state's two prime attractions - houseboats and ayurvedic centres.
Punjab will focus on religious tourism and encourage private
participation in the sector. The Golden Temple has been recommended to
UNESCO for World Heritage Monument status (the 400th anniversary of
Sri Gurugranth Sahib occurs in 2004). Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib will
be promoted as religious destinations (the Khalsa Heritage Complex,
coming up at Anandpur Sahib, is likely to be completed by 2004).
Harike Lake and Ranjit Sagar Dam will be developed as major tourist
destinations. The Assam tourism department has decided to set up
'model villages' to showcase its ethnic and cultural wealth. The first
village identified for this project is Phumen Ingti, located just
three km from the Kaziranga National Park, home to the largest
population of the one-horned rhino. Indonesia: In a further blow to Tourism in
this country, a bomb damaged a US-owned hotel in the capital Jakarta,
killing ten. Nepal: The Asian Development Bank announced
it would extend loans totalling USD 321 million over the next three
years, 93% of which are for poverty reduction projects that include
ecotourism. S. Arabia: British Airways has suspended all
flights to the kingdom following warnings that its planes could be
terrorist targets, and a shoot out in Riyadh. Pakistan: On the occasion of the UN Fresh
Water Year 2003, the President of the Ecotourism
Society of Pakistan has blamed large Landlords and a 'timber
mafia', arising from political anomaly, as the ultimate source of
watershed degradation in Pakistan. Excerpt from announcement: "Kaghan
was a paradise on earth till early 80s when big land holders did not
have money for infrastructure and they were depending moderate tourism
activities, fruit growing and farming. However, 1985 party-less
elections under the Martial Law rule sponsored and elevated these
landlords against major political parties for creating a apolitical
society. These landlords reached Assemblies and Islamabad, the capital
of Pakistan. Now they had more resources and political power behind
them. This social leap provided them great chances to get power and
money, resulting in massive infrastructure development and
uncontrolled forest cutting. They were in power (of course they are
still in power) so there was nobody to stopped them from illegal
logging. Local small land holders had no power to stop them or raise
voice against them. This "Naked Dance of Power" continued
till no forest left at thickest pine patches of Kaghan Valley. This
change in social fabrics indicates that money and power some times
play havoc with environments under ill-governments and bad political
systems. By earning money through timber sale, this timber mafia
entered into motel and hotel business and now you can see hotels and
motels everywhere in Kaghan Valley even around the most fragile
ecosystem of Lake Saiful Maluk. Nobody stopped them as they were
powerful and influential while Non Government Organisations (NGOs)
failed to play any role to stop this deforestation and unplanned
growth of motels, transportation and housing as they (NGOs) believe
that they (NGOs) can not work without the support of "Important
Locals and Local Leadership" and in major cases this leadership
and important local people are accused and responsible for
degradation." Sri Lanka: The government has rolled out its
first draft of a national ecotourism policy, mapping out development
guidelines for mushrooming ecotourism businesses. Best practice
guidelines are to also be drafted to regulate future projects and
upgrade existing facilities. A National Ecotourism Fund has been
mooted, tied up to the proposed industry cess fund, to raise the
capital needed for management. "Ecotourism activities in
conservation and heritage sites will be managed on the principle of
'user pays'. A co-ordination unit will also be set up at the Ministry
to ensure that all activities are co-ordinated and development
planned. Vietnam: On Van Don Island, actually
composed of 600 islets, in northeastern Vietnam, a joint venture
between Vietnamese and U.S. partners has begun to operate an
'eco-tourism project' on 110 ha with an investment of 120 billion VND,
including a network of stilted houses, shopping centres and water
parks. Greece: In four separate incidents,
controversy has been sparked by alleged 'inappropriate behaviour' by
tourists, during the peak of the mass tourism season in the Greek
islands, ranging from midday oral sex in a popular beach in Kavos,
Corfu, to a drunken tourist loosing a bet and jumping under the wheels
of a garbage truck in Rhodes, to a drunken brawl between tourists of
different nationalities in a bar which lead to one death, also in
Rhodes. Greece receives around 13 million tourists each year, about a
third of whom stay at the islands of Corfu, Rhodes and Crete in the
course of just three months. Bulgaria: An ecotourism and agriculture
theme park will be established near the capital Sofia, by 2012. The
Poleto (Field) Theme Park will span territories around five villages
in the capital city's vicinity as well as parts of Sofia's Northern
Park. UK: Cairngorms National Park, Scotland's
second national park, is due to be opened on September 1, however the
choice of the opening ceremony venue has caused controversy, and
promised boycotts. The venue is a 1097 metre-high restaurant in the
heart of the new park, reached by a new funicular railway that had
been opposed by many environmental groups. Australia: The Arakwal National Park
management committee has begun preparing a draft management plan for
the new national park at Byron Bay in northern NSW. Key issues to be
addressed in the draft management plan include providing for cultural
use, renewal, education and tourism by the Byron Bay Arakwal people. Solomon Islands: Environmental Group, Defenders of Wildilife, alleged that dolphins fall victim to illegal trade in the tiny, war-torn Solomon Islands. Foreign businessmen are paying poor fishermen to capture wild dolphins for sale on the international market. As many as 200 dolphins have been captured already, and bidders are arriving from around the world. Source: http://den.defenders.org
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