January 19th, 1998
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.