TOURISM AND
SENSITIVE AREAS
What are
sensitive areas?
Ecologically
sensitive areas are those where natural resources are critically
endangered by physical changes, for example coral reefs, coastal
areas, and high-biodiversity inland areas. In such areas the
following three basic principles of the Convention on Biodiversity
apply:
Tourism and
sensitive areas
Many sensitive
areas attract tourism because of their exceptional features such
as beautiful landscapes or unique ecologies. Such areas hold the
main assets on which the tourism industry depends, so conservation
is a must.
UNEP strongly
believes that tourism can make a contribution to their protection,
through financial contributions, provision of environmental
infrastructure, improved management, awareness raising and
education on tourist behavior in a natural environment, and by the
creation of protected areas, national parks, cultural and natural
sites.
For further
sources of information on the relationship between tourism and
sensitive areas, please refer to UNEP.net,
which provides environmental data and compiles information from
different scientific institutions to develop comprehensive
solutions to specific environmental challenges.
Background
information on the subject can also be found on the web sites of
the Convention on Biological
Diversity, The United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.
Publications
"Awards
for Improving coastal environment" (Blue Flag), a
publication by UNEP, the Foundation
for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE) and the World
Tourism Organization (WTO).
National
Parks
Natural
Monuments
Nature
Calendar
National
Parks
Natural
Monuments
Nature
Calendar
