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Touring The Arctic - New Guidelines From WWF Keep Environment In The Equation

January 19th, 1998

birds in stream OSLO, Norway -  Arctic tour operators and conservationists have joined forces to create guidelines for sustainable tourism and help protect the largest remaining wilderness areas in the northern hemisphere. Released in December by the World Wide Fund For Nature - WWF, the guidelines link tourism and conservation through a set of principals and codes of conduct for environmentally-sound circumpolar tourism.

The guidelines were developed in cooperation with tour operators, conservation organizations, resource managers, researchers, and representatives from indigenous communities during workshops held in Svalbard, Norway in 1996 and 1997. The next stage of the project will implement the guidelines by establishing pilot projects and evaluating compliance. This will be the subject of a workshop in Iceland in February 1998, and may lead to the establishment of an independent organization to monitor tourism in the Arctic.

Arctic tourism has grown substantially in recent years and this trend will likely continue, presenting both opportunities and challenges to the environment. The flow of travellers could potentially increase awareness of Arctic environmental issues, support for conservation, and provide a sustainable income source for communities in the Arctic region. This growth could also bring environmental and cultural problems if tour operators and tourists do not take on nature into account.

The WWF Arctic Programme began to develop principles and codes of conduct for Arctic tourism, and a mechanism for implementing them in 1995. The goal is to encourage tourism that protects the environment as much as possible, educates tourists about Arctic nature, respects the rights and cultures of local residents, and increases the share of tourism revenue for northern communities. WWF believes that the development of this type of tourism is in the interest not only of conservation, but of residents, business, and government.

From the headquarters in Oslo, Norway, the Arctic Programme promotes circumpolar environmental conservation and projects in Russia, USA,Canada, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and Greenland/Denmark. The Arctic Programme works to raise public awareness and government consciousness of the importance of the Arctic and its need for protection through a variety of mechanisms.

CONTACT:
Brenin Humphreys, WWF Arctic Programme,
Tel: +47-2203 65 17,
Fax: +47-22 20 06 66, E-mail: wwfap@online.no

For further information about the Arctic Tourism Project, or to receive a copy of Linking Tourism and Conservation in the Arctic: Principles and Codes  for Arctic Tourism, write to the WWF contact above.