Re: [Fwd: [CAST] Center for Environmental Leadership in Business Punta Cana Conference]

Thanks for the info on this Conference. I would like to share with you also
the 1st IIPT Caribbean Community Tourism Conference which is hosted by the
Sustainable Communities Foundation in association with the International
Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) Caribbean chapter. We would be
delighted if you all could attend as we will be discussing the future of
Ecotourism in the Caribbean. Ecotourism is a major market for community
tourism.
Please see attached information and we hope to hear from you.
Best regards
Diana McIntyre-Pike
President IIPT Caribbean chapter
----- Original Message -----
From: "Yacine Khelladi" <yacine@YACINE.NET>
To: <CANGONET@YorkU.CA>
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 6:56 PM
Subject: [Fwd: [CAST] Centre for Environmental Leadership in Business Punta
Cana Conference]

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [CAST] Centre for Environmental Leadership in Business Punta
> Cana Conference
> Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003 19:39:10 -0000
> From: "Scott Wayne" <scottwayne@yahoo.com>
> To: sustainable-tourism@yahoogroups.com
>
> Dear Colleagues:
> Below is a conference that may be of interest to some of you.
>
> Cheers!
> Scott Wayne
> Principal
> SW Associates
> Washington, DC
> tel 202-463-7394
> fax 202-463-7393
> scottwayne@compuserve.com
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
> Can Tourism and Conservation Co-Exist in the
> Caribbean?
> The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business
> Convene Tourism Industry Leaders to Devise Caribbean
> Conservation Action Plan
>
> WASHINGTON, D.C./PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC In a
> first of its kind chief executives meeting, the
> Center for Environmental Leadership in Business
> (CELB), a division of Conservation International, is
> convening key decision-makers who are influencing
> Caribbean tourism development. Balancing business
> interests with regional conservation will be the focus
> of Making Biodiversity Work For Your Travel Business:
> Increasing Profitability While Protecting the
> Environment, taking place April 24-26, 2003 at the
> Punta Cana Club and Resort in the Dominican Republic.
>
> Tourism industry leaders will join government
> officials, conservation organizations, scientists and
> local representatives to find solutions for the
> greatest threats facing the Caribbean tourism industry
> and economy: environmental degradation and species
> loss. Keynote speakers include: Captain William S.
> Wright, Sr. Vice President, Royal Caribbean Cruises
> Ltd., Hon. Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, Chairman, Sandals
> Resorts and Air Jamaica, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and Dr.
> Thomas Lovejoy, world-renowned experts in
> environmental economics, and Dr. Sylvia Earle, leading
> international expert in marine science and
> conservation.
>
> Tourism can be both a cause of environmental damage
> as well as a positive force for conservation, said
> Jamie Sweeting, Director of Travel and Leisure for
> CELB. ?This event will bring business leaders and
> conservation experts together to find creative,
> business-minded solutions to the environmental
> problems facing the Caribbean.
>
> Regional stakeholders will collaborate on a variety of
> pressing issues including: protecting the tourism
> industry from the financial risk associated with
> environmental degradation; identifying opportunities
> to protect and profit from the unique ecosystem;
> creating business value through environmental
> stewardship; and analyzing case-studies of
> environmental practices that have optimized
> investments.
>
> The tourism industry today faces many challenges,
> including increasing competition, raising operational
> costs and increasing customer expectations, said
> Frank Rainieri, Founder and President, Punta Cana
> Resort and Club. ?Business leaders who do not
> recognize that an aggressive environmental
> conservation program can help them address all of
> these obstacles will not be successful in this
> changing market.?
>
> Co-conveners include the Centre for Applied
> Biodiversity Science at Conservation International
> (CABS), the Center for Environmental Research and
> Conservation (CERC), the Punta Cana Ecological
> Foundation and the Punta Cana Resort and Club.
>
> Tourism is a particularly important industry in
> several of the global biodiversity hotspots, such as
> the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Large-scale
> tourism involves major infrastructure development,
> increased demands for water, energy and waste
> disposal, and an influx of people, ideas, and
> cultures. The tourism industry has perhaps the
> strongest incentive to conserve biodiversity, as the
> future of its business depends on protecting the
> natural beauty and cultural richness of destinations.
>
>
> One of the most geographically complex regions of the
> world, the Caribbean is a biodiversity hotspot. The
> Earth's 25 biodiversity hotspots combined make up just
> 1.4 percent of the planet?s surface, yet harbor over
> 60 percent of all plant and animal diversity, and are
> under increasing threats. The Caribbean Basin has
> some of the greatest concentrations species found
> nowhere else on Earth. The Caribbean Sea is home to
> over 1,550 species of corals and fishes, a quarter of
> which can be found only in the Caribbean. The region's
> biodiversity and natural beauty attract millions of
> visitors a year.
>
> The popularity of this destination, however, has not
> come without cost. Invasive species have led to the
> extinction of a number of native plants and animals;
> more than 60 percent of coral reefs in the region are
> under threats ranging from fishing and coral
> harvesting to water quality degradation; and the last
> remaining pristine lands on these islands are being
> lost to new resorts and golf courses. Without
> collaboration to balance consumer demand with
> environmental protection, much of this unique
> biodiversity will be lost forever.
>
> Industry executives recognize that they can no longer
> disregard the importance of biodiversity protection
> and how it affects the quality of their products. By
> attending this event, leadership companies in the
> travel and leisure industry are demonstrating the
> importance of reducing biodiversity loss and turning
> conservation into a source of competitive advantage.
>
> Jason W. Anderson
> Media Manager
> Center for Environmental Leadership in Business
> at Conservation International
> D (202) 912.1464
> F (202) 912.1048
> j.anderson@celb.org
>
>
>
>
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Received on Tue Apr 8 23:23:36 2003