Key Message for January: Wetlands, leisure and tourism – take a breath of fresh air

Greetings everyone:

First, we express our thanks to CEPA list  members for their kind seasonal wishes to the Secretariat.

Today we are launching the last of our twelve 40th anniversary key messages Wetlands, leisure and tourism – take a breath of fresh air. It is a fitting end to our key messages over the last year since this year’s World Wetlands Day and the COP11 theme are both focused on tourism in wetlands. At COP11 a draft Resolution on tourism will be debated for the first time, hopefully placing tourism in and around wetlands formally on the Ramsar agenda for the first time.

With their natural beauty and biodiversity wetlands make ideal locations for tourism. The income can be significant and support livelihoods locally and nationally. Wetlands provide other ‘services’ , too, such as water, food, water purification, erosion control ,etc., for the benefit of tourists and tourist accommodation. The income generated by tourism for national and local economies in and around wetlands can be substantial: the Broads in the UK supports the equivalent of 3,000 full-time jobs; over 1.6 million people visit the Great Barrier Reef every year, generating an income of over 1 billion AUS$. But - unsustainable tourism may bring short-term benefits but long-term losses to wetland health, compromising ecosystem services and sometimes local livelihoods.

» Follow the link here to see our key message for this month and additional tools to expand on the message.

» Ramsar 40th anniversary celebrations

With best wishes, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat
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Sandra HAILS
CEPA Programme Officer
Ramsar Convention Secretariat
Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
hails@ramsar.org
Tel: +41 22 9990176; Fax: +41 22 9990169
www.ramsar.org/CEPA-Programme/
facebook: www.facebook.com/RamsarConventionOnWetlands