Thiruvananthapuram: A Civil Society Meet organised in connection with the first Indian Biodiversity Congress which concluded here on Friday has called for a relook at the concept of ecotourism as a means to protect biodiversity and enhance the well being of local people.
A resolution adopted by participants of the meet said ecotourism had resulted in more destruction to the natural ecosystem and biodiversity and displacement of local residents, including indigenous people all over the world.
There should be a better realisation that biodiversity did not require tourism but tourism required biodiversity. Therefore, responsible tourism managed by local communities and fully sensitive to the ecology and biodiversity of the region should be promoted, the resolution said.
Representatives of government organisations, tribal communities and various people's movements who also participated in the meeting stressed the need to use the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for biodiversity augmentation, including supporting organic and ecological agriculture, forestry management and cultivation of non-timber forest produce.
The resolution called for a national wetland conservation strategy and action plan with provisions to ensure a key role for local self-government institutions in conservation of wetlands across the country.
It urged the government not to allow open field trials or release of genetically-modified crops in India, considering the imminent threat to genetically-modified organisms on biodiversity as well as health and environment.
Source: The Hindu, 2-1-2011
A resolution adopted by participants of the meet said ecotourism had resulted in more destruction to the natural ecosystem and biodiversity and displacement of local residents, including indigenous people all over the world.
There should be a better realisation that biodiversity did not require tourism but tourism required biodiversity. Therefore, responsible tourism managed by local communities and fully sensitive to the ecology and biodiversity of the region should be promoted, the resolution said.
Representatives of government organisations, tribal communities and various people's movements who also participated in the meeting stressed the need to use the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for biodiversity augmentation, including supporting organic and ecological agriculture, forestry management and cultivation of non-timber forest produce.
The resolution called for a national wetland conservation strategy and action plan with provisions to ensure a key role for local self-government institutions in conservation of wetlands across the country.
It urged the government not to allow open field trials or release of genetically-modified crops in India, considering the imminent threat to genetically-modified organisms on biodiversity as well as health and environment.
Source: The Hindu, 2-1-2011
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