Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

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E c oCurrents
Editor: Katie Maschman

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Editorial:

SPECIAL FEATURE:
GREEN SKI SLOPES MOVEMENT
GREEN ON WHITE:
REFORMING SKI TOURISM
A WORLD’S FAIR ON
THE ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD
FOR U.S. SLOPES
SKI AREAS’ GREEN IMAGE NOT
BACKED BY ACTION
ASPEN SKIING COMPANY
SUSTAINABLE SLOPES IN EUROPE
ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE: THE CASE OF
SHARK FIN SOUP
GREEN ON WHITE:
REFORMING SKI TOURISM
By: Martha Honey
This issue of EcoCurrents features an examination
1 of initiatives to implement environmentally
sustainable practices within ski resorts. While
ski resort tourism has not generally fall under
1 the umbrella of ecotourism, the sustainable
slopes movement is worthy of TIES’ examination
for several reasons. Our organizational
3 mandate includes promoting efforts to use the
environmental, social and economic principles
that guide ecotourism to help reform the
3 broader tourism industry. For instance, the
rapidly growing “green hotels” movement has
4 gained impetus and adopted lessons from
ecotourism. Similarly, Committed to Green
5 and other programs for more sustainable golf
courses have been influenced by ecotourism
7 practices such as use of native plants and
grasses and recycled water.
Ski resorts make an enormous environmental
footprint. For example, they cause deforestation
and polluted runoffs and consume large
amounts of fossil fuels for lifts and buildings
and water for snowmaking. In 2000, the
Sustainable Slopes Program (SSP) was founded
by the National Ski Areas Association in U.S. as
a certification program to promote “beyond
compliance principles of environmental
management.” TIES has a long track record
in promoting third-party tourism certification
programs with performance based standards to
measure social and environmental impacts. We
therefore wanted to take a critical look at this
certification initiative within the ski industry.
(continued on page 2)

UNEP MEETING ON TOURISM Guest Editorial:

AND THE ENVIRONMENT FALLS
SHORT OF EXPECTATION
GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY
STATEMENT ON TOURISM
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Irresistible
Travel Experiences
available at
www.ecotourism.org
9 A WORLD’S FAIR ON THE ENVIRONMENT
By: Ed Marston & Auden Schendler
The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago showcased World’s Fair brought together what had been
two giant machines – the ‘dynamo’ for the spread in bits and pieces throughout the
11 generation OF electricity and the first Ferris nation.
wheel for generation of pleasure – and thereby
popularized new technologies. Similarly, the It didn’t lecture and rant at the audiences. It
1889 World’s Fair in Paris unveiled the Eiffel showed them:
Tower as the world’s tallest building and The electric dynamo lit 200,000 incandescent
raised the international profile of architectural alternating-current light bulbs in a nation
innovations. where even cities were still dimly lit. And the
Ferris wheel hoisted people 264 feet into the
Today the environmental movement needs sky to show them how easily metallurgy and
something like a World’s Fair to propel it more modern engines could transform their view
firmly into the popular psyche and culture. We and their enjoyment of life.
need a World’s Fair to help demonstrate new
(continued on page 4)
ways of thinking and then living. The Chicago
 Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel
Unfortunately, what we have found is not encouraging.
Today close to 200 U.S. ski resorts belong to SSP, yet none of
the environmental organizations that originally supported
the initiative, including Sierra Club and Natural Resources
ALPINE SUSTAINABILITY FORUM
Defense Council, have remained as partners. They charge
that SSP lacks specific performance-based standards, Melbourne, Australia
independent third-party oversight, and penalties for failure
to comply. These concerns were detailed in a comprehensive
April 28, 2006
report of the Sustainable Slopes Program by Jorge Rivera, a
certification expert at George Washington University who
has also written critical evaluations of Costa Rica’s Certificate
for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program for accommodations.
In a report done with Peter de Leon, Rivera found that in 109
Alpine Resort Coordinating Council
ski areas in the U.S., the environmental performance of SSP announces their upcoming
participants was actually worse than non-participants. forum for
Regrettably, SSP is being used to help“greenwash”companies alpine sustainability.
with poor environmental track records – something we have
seen happen with weak certification programs in other parts
of the tourism industry. It is important that environmentally This will be the second annual
conscious skiers understand these realities and that efforts
are redoubled to create a strong and independently run
Alpine Sustainability Conference.
certification program. Fortunately, there are some exemplary This year’s summit will highlight CLIMATE
ski resorts, including the Aspen resorts in Colorado and CHANGE IMPACTS, specifically its
Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Resort in British Columbia, effects on alpine biodiversity.
Canada which are charting a course towards sustainability.

A second reason for examining ski resort tourism is that

Topics include resource management, green
the realities of global warming are making ecotourism an energy, and the ongoing tension between na-
attractive alternative or supplement to winter alpine skiing. tional park stewardship and tourism.
Global warming is directly impacting ski tourism – both
existing resorts and new developments. Some European Alpine Resort Coordinating Council
banks will not provide loans to ski areas that operate below
1400 meters, and many resorts are now developing a range of
is based in Victoria, Australia.
summer activities to offset losses caused by global warming. The Alpine Resorts Coordinating
Arthur DeJong, the Development and Environment Resource Council was established under the
Manager for Whistler Blackcomb wrote in a TIES report on Alpine Resorts Management Act 1997 and
sustainable alpine resort development for Montenegro: reports to the Minister for Environment.
Climate change has been a reality for Whistler and the
global industry for some time. Knowing what we know
now about climate change, we would not make the
large investment again in skiing. We would be far more
diversified with greater focus on summer experiences
as opposed to snow sports. Summer experiences like
hiking, mountain biking, and ecotourism activities
require far less capital investment and are not necessarily
vulnerable to climate change. In fact, climate change For more information about the
would likely be a benefit to almost all alpine non-winter Alpine Sustainability Forum,
activities. please contact Andrew Fairley
The full feasibility report for expanding ski resorts in
(TIES Board Treasurer), who is also the
Montenegro, is available at: Alpine Resort Coordinating Council Chair,
www.ecotourism.org/index2.php?current. at aef@turtlefiji.com.au.

Martha Honey is TIES Executive Director.

2
Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

SKI AREAS’ ’GREEN’ IMAGE NOT BACKED BY ACTION

Researchers call ‘Sustainable Slopes’ program ‘greenwashing’
By: Bob Berwyn
You buy your veggies “organic,” your chicken “free-range,”
your lumber “sustainably harvested.” And when you go ski-
ing, you look for another green seal of approval — the “Sus-
tainable Slopes” logo, indicating that a ski area has agreed
to meet a code of environmental ethics. But according to a
pair of public policy scholars, the Sustainable Slopes char-
ter is little more than a green fig leaf for its 177 member ski
resorts.
Dr. Peter deLeon of the University of Colorado at Denver, and
Dr. Jorge Rivera of George Washington University in Wash-
ington, D.C., published a report in the Policy Studies Journal,
concluding that Sustainable Slopes provides no third-party
oversight, no specific performance standards, and no sanc-
tions for poor performance. That, they say, means participat-
ing resorts can expect “to improve their ‘green’ reputation”
without actually doing anything beyond what’s required
by existing environmental laws and regulations. The study
reached the shocking conlusion that participating ski areas
are more likely than non-participating areas to score poorly
on an environmental score card compiled by conservation
groups.
to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. At least
71 resorts are now on record as supporting the McCain-Li-
eberman Climate Stewardship Act. And many ski areas are
buying significant amounts of renewable energy to power
their lifts.
Nonetheless, critics from both outside and inside the ski
industry find fault with the charter’s lack of accountability.
Watchdog groups say the charter’s biggest shortcoming
is that it fails to address the impacts of the industry’s real
estate development model. Near many ski resorts, a steady
stream of new slope-side condo and luxury home projects
eats away at undeveloped forestlands.
In recent years, conservationists have launched their own
certification system. Called the Ski Area Environmental
Scorecard, it was developed by the Ski Area Citizens’ Coali-
tion, a group promoting environmentally sound manage-
ment of ski areas. The scorecard rates resorts with grades
ranging from A to F, based on a number of factors, including
the impact of resort-related developments on wetlands, for-
ests, and wildlife habitat.

Geraldine Link is the public policy director for the National
Ski Areas Association, an industry trade group that created
the Sustainable Slopes charter. She sidesteps the main criti-
cisms of the study, but says that the ski industry is making
headway on environmental issues, particularly with regard
Resources:
Rivera, Jorge and deLeon, Peter. (2004). Is Greener Whiter? Policy Studies
Journal, 32 (38).
Bob Berwyn is a free-lance journalist from Dillon, Colorado. He
specializes in outdoor recreation and sustainable travel. © 2005

ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD FOR U.S. SLOPES

The Ski Area Citizens Coalition (SACC), a collection of regional non-profit organizations, conducts annual environmental scorecard of ski
resorts in the western United States. The environmental scorecard is an evolving set of criteria which is determined by the participating
non-profit organizations.

SACC’s 2005/2006 list of most and least environmentally friendly ski resort are as follows:

THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SKI RESORTS THE LEAST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SKI RESORTS
Resort State Grade Resort State Grade
Aspen Mountain Ski Resort Colorado A Breckenridge Ski Resort Colorado F
Buttermilk Ski Resort Colorado A Crested Butte Mountain Resort Colorado F
Sundance Resort Utah A Copper Mountain Ski Resort Colorado F
Alpine Meadows California A White Pass Ski Area Washington F
Mount Bachelor Oregon A Big Sky Resort Montana F
Sierra-at-Tahoe California A Silver Mountain Ski Resort Idaho F
Bogus Basin Mountain Resort Idaho A Crystal Mountain Resort Washington F
Aspen Highlands Colorado A Snowbasin Ski Resort Utah F
Wolf Creek Ski Area Colorado A Bridger Bowl Ski Area Montana D
Taos Ski Valley New Mexico A Keystone Ski Resort Colorado D

3 To learn about the Ski Area Citizens Coalition, participating NGOs, or the full process and criteria, please go to
ww.skiareacitizens.com.
 Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel
What we need today is a World’s Fair that can help us see that writes so many letters to the five local papers, it drives
how we can confront major environmental challenges— some residents crazy.
global climate change, sprawl, a decimated natural world,
loss of species and cultures, and so on. And a World’s Far can The resort that anchors the town, Aspen Skiing Company, is
also demonstrate new approaches—through ecotourism, a national pioneer in green construction, use of biodiesel in
alternative energies, and other innovations that can make snowcats, third party ISO 14001 environmental certification,
our lives better rather than more deprived. sustainability reporting, and carbon emissions reduction.
In fact, the resort offsets 100% of its electricity-related
Happily, such a fair is already under way. emissions with wind power credits.
Recently, Aspen, Colorado COMMA began the Canary
Initiative, a climate-change alliance that would make the The world has big problems, and needs a vision of what is
city the leader on research, discussion, and on-the-ground possible. Aspen—as a living and evolving World’s Fair for
emissions reduction. And that’s in a city that already boasts of the Environmental—is demonstrating what is possible.
57 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources;
a free transit service using some of the quietest, cleanest As Archimedes, the ancient Italian mathematician, said:
hybrid diesel buses on the market; an extensive recycling “Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will
initiative; and a tax on energy-hogging homes that funds move the Earth.” Aspen is both a lever and a place to stand.
energy efficiency and renewable-energy projects. It’s small enough to nimbly change, smart enough to know
it’s on stage, and beautiful enough to inspire the world.
Now, nobody around Aspen thinks compact
fluorescent bulbs are going to hold back
global climate change. That’s not the point. A S P E N S K I I N G CO M PA N Y
But taking a lesson from the Danish theologian
As the second oldest ski resort in the United States, Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) is
Soren Kierkegaard - who, like Aspenites,
a leader in the green slopes movement. ASC is comprised of four mountains: Aspen,
thought each existence is the center of the Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. ASC has made a commitment to
universe—city residents realized that the environmental management over the course of the past nine years. A partial listing
rarefied nature of their hometown gives them of its accomplishments include:
the power to influence the world. Aspen gets
press coverage in China, hosts presidents Philanthropy
and senators, and, of course, entertains the • Contribute $200,000 to environmental and humanitarian causes annually
most influential people on the planet, i.e. the • Raise $30,000 a year for Aspen Valley Land Trust via compulsory guest doations
people with the most money.
Waste and Water Management
• Save 8 million gallons of water with terrain half pipes in Snowmass & Buttermilk
In other words, Aspen can be seen as a World’s • Recycled 88% of the building materials from the Snowmass Lodge and Club
Fair in progress. Modern Aspen was started by • Diverted nearly 6,000 cubic yards of building material from landfills in the project
people who wanted to do more than just let
tourists slide downhill on snow. Some were Education and Interpretation:
vets of U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain ski unit that • Initiate Native-seed revegetation program and high altitude revegetation classes
had just returned to Colorado from World War • Create ambassador guide training program for local volunteers
II. Others founded in 1950 the Aspen Institute, • Buy local products and services
an intellectual center for political and cultural
Buildings account for 33% of ASC’s greenhouse gas emissions.
ideas. Aspen pioneered growth restrictions. It
Environmental Design and Alternative Energy:
created a beautiful town, surrounded by open • Green Building, both the creation of U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in
space—as well as immensely high housing Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program
prices and long commutes for ordinary- • Landscape design to eliminate runoff and reduce erosion
income mortals. But that’s the nature of an • Cirque Lift is Colorado’s first wind powered lift
experiment: Sometimes it bites you even if it (renewable energy equal to 4,000 pounds coal & 82,000 pounds CO2 reduction)
works. • 2 Million pounds/year annual CO2 reduction through emission reducing retrofits.

Now, town council members from all over To access full details of Aspen Skiing Company’s Sustainability Report and
the U.S. are coming to Aspen to see the next Environmental Management, go to www.aspensnowmass.com/environment.
round in the experiment. These include a
huge number of employee housing units and a very good Ed Marston (edhmarston@paonia.com) is the former publisher
mass transit system; model child care; an exemplary local of High Country News.
foundation that protects community health by looking
after its citizens in a multitude of ways; a city that will soon Auden Schendler (ASchendler@aspensnowmass.com) is director
be 80 percent powered by wind; and an engaged citizenry of environmental affairs at the Aspen Skiing Co. © 2006
4
Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel
Sustainable Slopes in Europe
By: Abigail Rome
In 1991, the European Union and Alpine countries passed
the Convention on the Protection of the Alps. The section
on tourism calls for implementing guidelines and programs
to protect the cultural inheritance and natural richness of
the mountain regions. Since then efforts to ‘green’ ski resorts
in Europe has been growing. Here are some examples:
• Saas Fee, Switzerland, the first major resort to sign the
1991 Alpine Convention, has implemented a number of
environmental reforms including recycling, a ‘polluters pay’
policy garbage policy. The Ferienart Walliserhof Hotel has
won an award for its high ecological building standards.
• Three Valleys, Courchevel, France, the world’s largest ski
area with 183 lifts now uses hydor-electric power for all its
electricity needs. Its snowmaking plant is located to cause
minimal impacts, all vehicles use biodegradable diesel, some
toilets use organic composting, and the newest chairlift is
built without cement pylons.
• Zermatt, Switzerland has been a ‘car free’ resort since
1966. Shuttle buses take skiers from the resort town to the
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slopes. Today there are at least 5 other car-free resorts in
Switzerland.
• Les Gets, France uses bio-degradable diesel fuel for
vehicles on its slopes and its snow-making systems run
without chemical additives.
• Serre Chevalier, France gets at least 25% of its power
from renewable sources.
• St. Anton, Austria has banned chemical additives
to artificial snow, increased use of renewable energy
sources, and implemented environmentally sensitive slope
management techniques for winter and summer seasons,
among other innovations.
• Kaprun Ski Area, Austria has the country’s first ISO-
certified cableway, promotes use of renewable energy
systems, and has annual tree and grass planting done with
environmentally friendly methods.
Abigail Rome is a DC-based consultant who has completed research
with TIES on environmental innovations at ski resorts in Europe.
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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel
ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: THE CASE OF SHARK FIN SOUP
By: Annie Vanderwyk
Consumer awareness is paramount in the fight against
environmental abuse. Individual tourists, who feel helpless
to influence any major change in environmental issues, can
play a powerful role by understanding that the tourist dollar
acts like a vote. As tourism continues to expand throughout
Asia; the votes cast with tourism dollars spent on a simple
bowl of shark fin soup support a global marine catastrophe.
However, these visitors are unaware of the pressure their
consumer demand places on host nation resources and
therefore feeding the devastating marine practice of shark
finning.
Shark fin soup is a traditional delicacy of China and East
Asian countries. In partaking of this cultural delicacy the
tourist dollar becomes a vote supporting the slaughter of
thousands of the world’s shark population. Shark fin soup is
a delicacy highly valued and a very expensive commodity.
With the increased numbers of tourist visiting China and
East Asian the demand for this unique culinary experience
has escalated, therefore, putting greater pressure on illegal
fishing of sharks in all ocean areas. Shark fins are harvested,
and then dried to be sold in markets to individuals and
restaurants to be made into shark fin soup and sold to the
public (especially tourists) for as much as $100 per bowl.1
Shark fin soup as a delicacy in China, acts as a status symbol
to that country’s growing middle class.2 The increasing
demands of the tourist industry, combined with its economic
influence, results in the inhumane practice of shark fin
harvest. Wolfgang Leander, renowned photographer and
freediver, writes: “‘Finning’ is a brutal way to slice off the
fins of sharks, often from live animals, then dumping the
helpless creatures back
into the ocean to face
an agonizing death.” 3
WildAid.org,
a non-profit
conser vation
group based
in the United
States, has
published
a call
for Asian
consumer
awareness in
the complicit
practice of
purchasing
7 shark fin soup to
campaign against the horrendous devastation it triggers
to marine wildlife. Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan have
been cited as the main shark fin trading centers. WildAid
states that Asian consumers are unaware of the cruelty and
unsustainability of the shark fin trade.4
We as individuals need reminding of the power inherent
in the role of consumer. As a tourist, individual consumer
decisions practiced in the search for a unique alternate
cultural experience combine with the pressure of consumer
demand and create a powerful determining factor in world
environmental conservation issues. Education programs
led by dedicated individuals are a powerful working tool
for curbing the destruction of sharks. Australian Michael
Aw, one such individual, is dedicated to educating young
Chinese people in the environmental ramifications of the
continued cultural practice of eating shark fin soup.5
Similarly, the actions of another individual has created a
global awareness of the plight of sharks and‘finning’practices.
The horror of shark finning harvests has been brought
to the world’s attention by Dermot Keane. An individual
motivated by a passion for the sea and a dedication to his
conscience, Dermot lives in the tropical nation of Palau and
manages a popular local dive tour company. With the dive
shop in such close proximity to docking facilities for foreign
fishing vessels, Dermot has seen firsthand the shocking
numbers of fishing vessels returning to port with shark
fins blatantly hanging from their rigging. The frequency
of these hauls created deep concern for Dermot, the dive
staff, and their guests as these hauls almost certainly
resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Palau’s sharks.6 With
this shocking body of evidence Dermot brought together
a powerful network of professional marine biologists to
establish the Palau Shark Sanctuary Fund in 2001. Through
the collective efforts of Dermot’s employees, community
members and international marine professionals the Palau
Shark Sanctuary Fund established its mandate to support
worldwide efforts to end the annihilation of sharks with a goal
to ‘achieve a declaration by Republic of Palau, perpetually
establishing all waters within Palau’s Exclusive Economic
Zone, as a World Shark Sanctuary, extending full protection
of the Endangered Species Act to all shark species within.’ 7
Dermot’s single minded dedication and ability to organize
international support have developed one of the most
effective anti-shark finning campaigns. Efforts include
procuring the expertise of marine biologist Ron Leidich,
who led a comprehensive information drive, resulting in the
development of the first “PADI Blue Corner Diver Distinctive
(continued on page 8)
 Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel
Specialty Course.”

Furthermore, the considerable success of the Palau Shark

Sanctuary Fund has attracted international acclaim for the
Republic of Palau by being awarded the Shark Guardian of
the Year award from a German conservation organization
in 20048 and a Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) 2005
Gold Award for Environmental Education Program.9 Dermot’s
initial vision has created a unique combination of social
and environmental consciousness attracting continued
support of a network of experts in marine conservation
globally. Locally, this project has secured the attention of
the Palauan government and initiated legislative change as
a benchmark ruling for continued development and growth
of environmental considerations for a burgeoning nation
����������������������� state. Legislation is reported to be nearing final approval for
passage in to law.
Celebration of Ecotourism & Eco-Holiday Auction Tourism and the individual role of the tourist play a critical
Renowned Ecotourism Vacations role in conservation of sharks and environmental change—
from the individual tourist decision of how to invest the
dollar vote and the innovative development of public
���������� education programs to the dive tour manager creation of
a collective for influencing global opinion and government
������������������������� legislation. The power of each individual’s action to initiate
����������������������������������������������� environmental change through informed choice is critical
����������������������� to sustainable tourism development and responsible
environmental resource management. One person can
make a difference.
Friday, April 21st, 2006, 5:00 – 11:00 pm 1
‘The Reality of Shark Finning’ http://www.sharkfriends.com/sharkfinning.html
2
Onell R. Soto,‘Illicit Fishing Alleged in Shark Fin Seizure’, San Diego Union Tribune, 12.6.2004
3
Wolfgang Leander, ‘Slaughter in Paradise: J’ Accuse!’ http://www.sharks.org/news/050303.htm
������������������������ 4
‘Stop the cruelty towards sharks. While in Thailand, please don’t eat shark fin soup!’
http://www.thailandlife.com/sharkfinsoup.html
������������������� 5
Roberto Coloma, ‘Shark’s Fin Soup’, June 29, 2005, http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/
�������������������� article.3438.html
6
‘A History of Efforts to Save Palau’s Sharks’ http://www.samsgtours.com/sharkbackground.html
�������������������������������������� 7
Shark Sanctuary Fund, Palau Chapter http://www.samstours.com/sharkbackground.html
8
‘Palau Wins ‘Shark Guardian of the Year’ Award Feb. 12, 2004 http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/FISH/
SHARKS/InNews/guardian2004.html
‘PATA Announces 2005 Gold Awards Winners’ 2005-03-02 http://www.hotelnewsresource.com

Tickets:
9

Photos Courtesy of Raw Perspectives (www.rawperspectives.com).

$60 in advance; $75 at the door Annie Vanderwyk is the Washington Coordinator for the Center on Ecotourism
and Sustainable Development. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of
Newcastle in Australia.

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PHOTO CREDITS: LORNE SULCAS©

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8
Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel
UNEP MEETING ON TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT
FALLS SHORT OF EXPECTATION
By: Zoë Chafe
More than 100 environment ministers
joined industry, non-profit, and youth
representatives in Dubai this February
to discuss the increasingly complex
relationship between tourism and the
environment. At twin events hosted
by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP)—the 7th Global
Civil Society Forum and subsequent
9th Special Session of the Governing
Council—governments and civil society
groups considered what can and should
be done to improve the tensions between
the tourism industry and the environment
in which it operates. The seminal series of
meetings was hailed as the first of its kind
to be held in West Asia, and represented
possibly the largest-ever gathering of
environment ministers.
This could not be a more apt time
to address the issue of tourism and
the environment. As one of the largest industries in the
world, and one that continues to rapidly expand, tourism
has the potential to play a crucial role in environmental
conservation and preservation. Because the industry plays
such an important part in many countries’ economies,
however, need for immediate revenues often overshadows
long-term tourism planning. The meetings in Dubai served
as the perfect venue to discuss such tensions.
In preparation for the Dubai meetings, civil society
representatives—elected by their peers at regional
meetings—met in Bahrain to compose a Global Civil
Society Statement. The tourism section focuses on defining
a sustainable tourism approach; valuing ecosystem
services in public and private sectors; understanding
the environmental limits to tourism growth; preventing
economic overdependence on tourism; and strengthening
the role of local and indigenous peoples in tourism
development.
The Global Civil Society Statement recommends the
following national-level actions:
•Integrate the precautionary principle into tourism
planning;
•Think twice before opening tourism markets to foreign
investors;
9 •Encourage cooperation between ministries on sustainable
tourism;
•Adopt and streamline certification
and reporting initiatives for sustainable
tourism.
The Global Civil Society Statement
also calls upon governments to take
the following international actions:
•Address climate change from the
tourism sector, especially the role of
aviation;
•Encourage cooperation among
UN agencies dealing with tourism,
especially as it relates to poverty
alleviation;
•UNEP should convene a meeting
of environment ministers with their
counterpart representatives to the
UNWTO;
•The UN General Assembly should
fund UNEP to adequately pursue work
on tourism and the environment in its
Programme of Work.
In Dubai, delegates had the chance to bring these points
to life, as they sat side-by-side first with fellow civil society
representatives from around the world, and later with
government officials at the ministerial discussions on
tourism and the environment.
During the first several days in Dubai, the Global Civil Society
Forum provided a venue for NGOs, youth, and industry
representatives interested in tourism issues to hammer
out a common platform. Meeting in a working group,
about two dozen participants exchanged information on
certification programs, indigenous involvement in tourism,
transportation and energy implications, and ways of
encouraging sustainable tourism growth. The result was a
set of points that would later be delivered to ministers on
behalf of the NGOs participating in the Global Civil Society
Forum.
(continued on page 10)
 Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
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Phone: 970-963-8855
As the ministerial sessions opened, civil society
representatives took their seats behind placards demarcating
their affiliation, seated at the back of a room filled with
government officials and intergovernmental organization
delegates. The subject of tourism and the environment was
allotted a three hour discussion slot, which proved woefully
inadequate given the amount of interest in the subject from
governments. Moderated by delegates from Argentina and
the United States, the session plodded along as country
representatives delivered dozens of written statements,
many of which amounted to little more than descriptions of
the tourism activities available in their homelands. As time
ran out, a number of
countries remained
on the speaking list
and civil society had
still not been given
a chance to speak.
Frustrated, NGO and
youth representatives
resigned themselves
to making available a
written copy of their
remarks.
This anticlimactic ending to the tourism discussions left civil
society representatives disappointed and confused. When
in the future would the important topic of tourism and its
relationship to environmental issues be discussed at such a
high level again? Information from UNEP indicates that the
agency will convene a brief discussion of its work on tourism
at the 14th meeting of the Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD 14), to be held in New York, May 1-12.
But this does not resolve a larger issue: how are the various
UN agencies engaged with tourism coordinating their
efforts? Civil society representatives sincerely encourage
UNEP, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the UN
Development Program (UNDP) to work together on a well-
coordinated program of work to mainstream sustainable
tourism practices and achieve poverty alleviation through
appropriate tourism development.
For more information--
Global Civil Society Statement:
www.unep.org/dpdl/civil_society/GCSF/contributions/statement_to_
GC9.pdf
NGO Statement on Tourism and the Environment:
www.unep.org/dpdl/civil_society/GCSF/7GCSF_statement_tourism_env.
pdf
Country Presentations at Tourism Discussions:
www.iisd.ca/vol16/enb1653e.html
Zoë Chafe, a staff researcher with the Worldwatch Institute, attended the
recent UN Environment Programme meetings in Dubai as a member of
the North American Civil Society Delegation. She is the former Washington
Coordinator of the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development
(CESD).
10
Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

NGO STATEMENT ON TOURISM AND THE

ENVIRONMENT
February 8, 2006

The NGOs major group is very pleased that the issue of tourism is being
addressed in this forum. After extensive deliberations at the Global Civil Society
Forum, we would like to emphasize strongly the following issues related to
sustainable tourism. Tourism is becoming increasingly important to national
economies, and it must not be underestimated as a means of increasing Presents:
intercultural understanding and promoting peace in our troubled world.
A Practical
�
It is vitally important that sustainable tourism
principles are applied to all aspects of the Certification
industry. Biodiversity, cultural diversity and
sustainable tourism development are crucially Training Seminar
inter-linked. The local community should retain
ownership over tourism development, and be

June 13 - 16, 2006

directly involved in participatory planning and
implementation processes in the short and
long term.

Labelling for sustainable tourism products is an effective way of identifying

tourism products and services that are truly committed to the principles of
sustainable tourism. We request that UNEP join the steering committee of
the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council, a global body to accredit and
harmonize existing certification programs on a voluntary basis. We look forward
to the day when “destination labelling” will further assist consumers in making
sustainable tourism choices.

We call on governments to work vigorously with the International Civil Aviation Trainer: Dr. Alice Crabtree
Organization to lessen the impacts of air travel on environment, especially
because international aviation emissions are not included under Kyoto protocol
Ecotourism Standars Expert
targets. One way of compensating for the environmental impacts of air travel
emissions is to offset the carbon released by investing in renewable energy
products. We call for UNEP to set an example for the rest of us by offsetting all
employee travel in this manner.
June 13-15
Environmental education is also a key component to sustainable tourism. TTES Overview of Global Certification
Through awareness-raising, formal education and training opportunities,
we can educate local populations and tourists alike. To this end, we urgently
Green Globe 21 Training:
support the Decade for Education on Sustainable Development and would like A sustainable tourism certification program
to see this initiative supported by governments and by UNEP.

Tourism is integral to the International Year for Deserts and Desertification. We

June 16
request that governments include, within the provisional agenda of the sixty-first
session of the UN General Assembly, discussion of ecotourism issues in the sub- An Optional Field Experience
item entitled, “Protection of global climate for present and future generations
of humankind.” We have begun a productive dialogue on tourism and the
environment and heard many admirable statements here today. Let it not end To register please contact:
without concrete resolutions on how best to harness the positive potential of
this growing industry. We ask that tourism, as a cross-cutting issue, be given a TIES Director of Training & Education
special focus both in multilateral environmental agreements (MEA’s) and within
the UNEP program of work. Will sustainable tourism by operationalized and christina@ecotouirsm.org
11sufficiently funded at the national level? We hope so. (+1) 202.347.9203
3
 Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

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