Post by LSDeep on Mar 2, 2005 8:43:01 GMT -5
ADELAIDE, Australia (22 Feb 2005) -- The United Nations has blamed tourism development for worsening the effects of the recent tsunami, according to a new report.
The report, undertaken by the UN Environment Programme (Unep), revealed that in areas where mangrove forests or reefs had been destroyed to make room for tourist developments the tsunami had a more devastating impact than it would have had otherwise.
"Severe damage on the coast was observed where coral mining in the sea had been rampant. There were signs of absorbed impact and less damage in locations with healthier vegetation and less disturbed ecosystems," said the report.
In Sri Lanka, the Yala and Bundala National Parks escaped damage because vegetated coastal sand dunes stopped the tsunami, which was able to enter only where the dune line was broken by river outlets.
Naturetrek, a British tour operator, is still taking tourists to both parks on birdwatching and natural-history tours.
Reefs that had been ravaged by mining and fishing by dynamite were also ineffective in protecting the coastline. In one of the case studies in Sri Lanka, the reef in Dutch Bay is reported to have been almost entirely destroyed by the tsunami.
"If coral hadn't been destroyed to build hotels, mangroves removed to make `perfect beaches' and hotels built so close to the shoreline, the death toll may well have been lower," said Tricia Barnett, director of Tourism Concern, which campaigns for sustainable tourism.
Ms Barnett is confident that any rebuilding along the affected coastlines will now be better planned. "Local people recognise the opportunities that this catastrophe has opened up for everyone to benefit from sustainable tourism," she said.
Isabelle Louis, director of the Worldwide Fund for Nature's Asia Pacific programme, which helped compile the Unep report, said that rebuilding should be as environmentally friendly as possible. WWF is helping to ensure supplies of sustainable timber for reconstruction and looking at improving waste disposal and energy provision and providing opportunities for local people.
Telegraph
The report, undertaken by the UN Environment Programme (Unep), revealed that in areas where mangrove forests or reefs had been destroyed to make room for tourist developments the tsunami had a more devastating impact than it would have had otherwise.
"Severe damage on the coast was observed where coral mining in the sea had been rampant. There were signs of absorbed impact and less damage in locations with healthier vegetation and less disturbed ecosystems," said the report.
In Sri Lanka, the Yala and Bundala National Parks escaped damage because vegetated coastal sand dunes stopped the tsunami, which was able to enter only where the dune line was broken by river outlets.
Naturetrek, a British tour operator, is still taking tourists to both parks on birdwatching and natural-history tours.
Reefs that had been ravaged by mining and fishing by dynamite were also ineffective in protecting the coastline. In one of the case studies in Sri Lanka, the reef in Dutch Bay is reported to have been almost entirely destroyed by the tsunami.
"If coral hadn't been destroyed to build hotels, mangroves removed to make `perfect beaches' and hotels built so close to the shoreline, the death toll may well have been lower," said Tricia Barnett, director of Tourism Concern, which campaigns for sustainable tourism.
Ms Barnett is confident that any rebuilding along the affected coastlines will now be better planned. "Local people recognise the opportunities that this catastrophe has opened up for everyone to benefit from sustainable tourism," she said.
Isabelle Louis, director of the Worldwide Fund for Nature's Asia Pacific programme, which helped compile the Unep report, said that rebuilding should be as environmentally friendly as possible. WWF is helping to ensure supplies of sustainable timber for reconstruction and looking at improving waste disposal and energy provision and providing opportunities for local people.
Telegraph