PRESS RELEASE
This year's theme is "Destination Flyways:
Migratory Birds and Tourism" highlights the links between migratory bird
conservation, local community development and wildlife watching tourism
around the world
World Migratory Bird Day 2014 - celebrated in over 70 countries on
10-11 May - focuses on the role sustainable tourism can play in
conserving one of the world's true natural wonders: the spectacular
movements of migratory birds along their flyways.
Thanks to an innovative new project being led by the World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO) and promoted through this year's World Migratory
Bird Day, some of the world's estimated 50 billion migratory birds
should soon be able to benefit from sustainable tourism development.
This year's commemoration will be held under the theme "Destination
Flyways - Migratory Birds and Tourism". Destination Flyways is also the
name of the UNWTO-led project, currently in its preliminary phase, which
aims to develop sustainable tourism at destinations along the world's
major migratory bird routes.
Focusing on a selection of eight key sites for migratory birds in
Africa, Asia and Europe, the project aims to be a vehicle for both
environmental and socio-economic sustainability, benefiting wildlife,
local communities and tourists alike.
By providing an adequate framework for sustainable tourism management, diversifying tourism and channelling its revenue back into the conservation of the project sites and the communities around them, Destination Flyways will work to safeguard the birds' habitats, while creating job opportunities for local communities along the flyways.
With over one billion international tourists travelling the world
every year, generating a global trade income of USD 1.4 trillion and 9
per cent of global GDP, tourism clearly has an immense potential to
contribute to sustainable development.
"Tourism is an undisputed generator of national wealth, corporate
income and local employment. Managed sustainably, it can benefit people
and the planet alike," said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
in a message to the 20th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly.
The annual World Migratory Bird Day campaign is organized by the
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
(CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) - two intergovernmental wildlife treaties
administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). For
this year's campaign, CMS and AEWA are partnering with UNWTO and others
to highlight the mutually beneficial relationship between tourism and
conservation.
"As tourism continues to grow, so too will the pressures on the
environment and wildlife. Without proper management and protection, as
well as investments in greening the sector, thousands of magnificent
species will suffer," said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive
Director Achim Steiner.
"Tourism has been identified by UNEP as one of the ten economic
sectors best able to contribute to the transition to a sustainable and
inclusive green economy. This important initiative will help to
accelerate the transition to the green economy while protecting tourism -
a major source of revenue for many communities - and the thousands of
species it spotlights," he added.
UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said: "Tourism has a major
responsibility in advancing biodiversity protection. Every year,
millions of tourists are wondered by the world's wild flora and fauna
while travelling. Without such enriching experiences, tourism could not
be the vehicle for sustainable growth, job creation and poverty
alleviation that it is today."
"Many people want to experience nature when they travel and there are
millions of people around the world who are particularly interested in
observing birds in their natural surroundings," said Bradnee Chambers,
Executive Secretary of CMS.
He added: "Bird-watching is an important component of a global
multi-million dollar wildlife-watching industry and provides a
significant source of income and employment for a growing number of
communities, especially in developing countries."
One of the eight project sites selected for the Destination Flyways
project is Lake Natron, in the remote north of the United Republic of
Tanzania near the Kenyan border. Home to 75 per cent of the world's
population of the Lesser Flamingo, Lake Natron is the only breeding
ground for this species in East Africa.
For Lake Natron, tourism can be a solution for conservation, provided
that local communities are involved in its development and
implementation and derive tangible benefits from it. It is therefore
critical to make sustainable tourism a true long-term alternative to
other economic activities, such as the proposed mining of soda ash from
the lake, about which serious concerns have been raised because of the
potential danger to the flamingo population.
"The UNWTO-led Destination Flyways Project, the inspiration for the
2014 World Migratory Bird Day campaign, is a perfect example of how
tourism and biodiversity can benefit from each other. On this World
Migratory Bird Day, we invite all to help us turn one billion tourists
into one billion opportunities to protect the world's original
long-distance travellers," said Rifai.
Events to mark World Migratory Bird Day 2014 will include bird
festivals, education programmes, bird watching trips, presentations,
film screenings, the launch of an international photo competition and a
benefit concert to raise funds for international nature conservation.
Both World Migratory Bird Day 2014 and the preliminary phase of
Destination Flyways have been made possible through the generous support
from the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature
Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).
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