Tourism, Poverty alleviation and Biodiversity

BIODIVERSITY

What is biodiversity? It refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels , from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological and culurals processes that sustain life. Biodiversity includes not only species we consider rare, but also every living thing—from humans to organisms such as microbes, fungi, and invertebrates.At the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, we include humans and human cultural diversity as a part of biodiversity. We use the term “biocultural” to describe the dynamic, continually evolving and interconnected nature of people and place.

WHY IS BIODIVERSITY IMPORTANT?

Biodiversity is important to most aspects of our lives: we value biodiversity for many reasons, this means we value biodiversity both for what it provides to humans, and for the value it has in its own right. Utilitarian values include the many basic needs humans obtain from biodiversity such as food, fuel, shelter, and medicine. Ecosystems provide crucial services such as pollination, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests. Biodiversity also holds value for potential benefits such as new medicines. The different values placed on biodiversity are important because they can influence the conservation decisions people make every day.

Biodiversity VS Tourism

Over the last century, humans have come to dominate the planet, causing rapid ecosystem change and massive loss of biodiversity across the planet. It is a vital asset to the tourism industry: a clean environment is each tourist's expectation, and many tourists will not return to polluted destinations.

Tourism

What is the definition of tourism? Tourism is the set of activities and services related to travel and stays made for recreational or educational purposes. The stay is generally not longer than one year and the usual purpose of which is different from the exercise of any gainful activity within the State visited.

THE IMPACT OF TOURISM

The environmental impacts of tourism have gained increasing attention in recent years. With the rise in sustainable tourism and an increased number of initiatives for being environmentally friendly, tourists are now recognising the importance of environmental management in the tourism industry. The quality of the environment is essential to tourism. Many of the negative environmental impacts that result from tourism are linked with the construction of infrastructure and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels etc. The negative impacts of tourism development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends. Tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment . Many destinations promote ecotourism and sustainable tourism.

POVERTY ALLEVIATION

The alleviation of poverty is a vital part of ensuring a sustainable future and of creating an equitable world in which the fight against climate change is a priority for all.