National Conference on Mountain Heritage concluded here at Hunza, Gilgit on June 26 with an agenda to work for better mountain environments, organizing another conference in November 2001 in Pakistan. The conference was attended by a high powered delegation of World Tourism Organization (WTO) headed by Ms. Deborah of WTO and was attended by 160 Monks from South Korea, delegations from China, Canada, UK, private sector and researchers. As many as 250 delegates attended this mega event. The Governor N.W.F.P. Lt. Gen. (rtd) Iftikhar Hussain, Federal Minister for Tourism Mr. S.K.Tressler, Secretary Tourism Mr. Samin Jan Babar attended the conference along with Managing Director of PTDC Mr. Masood Ali Khan. Almost 200 delegates expressed their interest in promoting sustainable tourism in Pakistan and participated actively. The conference was followed by Food Festival of local dishes of North and cultural programs which continued the whole night with dances and local music. In a separate development, Pakistan Tourism Marketing Network (PTMN) has been launched for the promotion of tourism in Pakistan. This decision has been taken by the Ecotourism Society Pakistan (ESP) and ANARCORP to project and promote tourism products of Pakistan at national as well as International level and to provide chance to small stakeholders to sell their products without huge cost of marketing.

New Tunisian course in Ecotourism
by Aloui Ali, Maitre assistant en sylviculture et aménagement des forêts Directeur du département : utilisation et intensification des ressources agroforestières .

Conscient de l'importance du tourisme et du développement de l'écotourisme dans le monde l'institut sylvo-pastoral de Tabarka en Tunisie ouvre une filière de technicien supérieur dans le domaine de l'écotourisme. Les élèves passeront 3 ans après le bac :
-La première année sera un tronc commun qui regroupera toutes les disciplines de la biologie végétale et animale et les sciences de la terre nécessaires aux forestiers et aux spécialistes de l'écotourisme . 
-La 2ème année regroupera un ensemble de disciplines orientés vers la connaissance du tourisme , des activités récréatives , d'histoires , de langues et autres disciplines nécessaires dans l'activité touristique basée sur le tourisme vert et culturel .
-La 3ème année sera consacrée aux stages dans diverses activités ayant traits au tourisme écologique et un mémoire de fin d'étude spécifique.

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"Senegal Campment for sale" 
Popular campment on the shore of Lac Rose, Senegal (West Africa). 800m from the sea in beautiful surroundings. Consists of lease hold 2 hectare site with:- *Bar / restaurant ( seating for 60 +) * Swimming-pool and terrace *Ten huts sleeping up to a total of 23 people All built from traditional materials!!! On going projects with local village.

More Details at the ECOCLUB Ecotourism Business Centre

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Africa

THE PRIVATISING GAME
Economist, East African, ENS.
About a third of the world-famous Masai Mara game reserve, which belonged to the Masai, called the Mara triangle, on the 12th of June was given, possibly after pressure from high up, to a private management firm called the Mara Conservancy, a non-profit organization which will keep half of the revenue for management anti-poaching efforts, and will hand the rest to the local council. Before this development the local council was entitled to almost all of the revenue, however critics say management had broken down, staff was unpaid, and poaching was rife. Uganda will also soon begin issuing licences for private ownership of game Ranches. Among these are plans to "degazette" some of the existing conservation areas, permit the sale of non-endangered wild animals and to share park revenue with neighbouring communities. Permits will be issued to firms and individuals wishing to trade in or export wild animals which are not on the endangered list. So that they may be added soon? One may ask.

SURVIVING SURVIVOR
Environmentalists have threatened court action to stop the filming of the American TV show "Survivor Series III" alleging damages to the fragile ecosystem of Shaba National Reserve

BLUE TOO
S.African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism announces that South Africa has become the first country outside Europe to be awarded official Blue Flag status for its qualifying beaches.

MALAWI vs. CROCODILES
Malawi plans to issue licences for hunters to kill 200 endangered Nile
crocodiles in the country's lakes and rivers.

DISPUTE OVER COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
The Danish Co-operation for Environment and Development alliance (DANCED) "warns" South African National Parks (SANParks) should not try to take full responsibility for socio-economic development of communities neighbouring national parks. SANParks director replies that "the days of involving neighbouring communities by growing vegetables are over".

PHARMACEUTICALS LOOSE, S.AFRICA WINS?
Following a landmark victory over 39 pharmaceuticals, the S. African Health Ministry published 70 pages of draft legislation that would allow it to shop around for the cheapest drugs, particularly those that can treat infections associated with HIV-AIDS. This is a far cry from recent months when the S.African President, for some as yet unexplained reason, kept publicly disputing the link between HIV and AIDS.

ELECTRIC ELEPHANTS
Zimbabwe erects a new solar-powered electric fence to prevent elephants from
destroying crops and endanger the lives of several of Zimbabwe's
rural communities.

GUERILLAS vs. GORILLAS AGAIN
Rwandan soldiers spread out across Virunga National Park to protect endangered mountain gorillas after militia allegedly grilled two male gorillas and ate their meat. Only 355 gorillas remain in the wild. 
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Asia

"ECOTOURISM PARK" IN VIETNAM
The Bach Ma Ecotourism Park is now open as part of the Lang Co-Bach Ma-Canh Duong Tourism Scheme. The new 22-hectare park is located on the top of Bach Ma Mountain at 1,450m above sea level. It is the home of more than 1,200 flora and 723 fauna species. A new 19-kilometre road links the park to National Highway No. 1... 
Web site: http://www.vn-tourism.com

AGREEMENT ON ALBATROSSES
An Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) is signed at Australia's Parliament House by representatives of all southern hemisphere nations surrounding the Southern Ocean (the home range of the birds) and by nations with interests in the region.

"MANAGED ECOTOURISM" IN JAPAN
The Tokyo metropolitan government announced it would restrict tourism to the Ogasawara Islands and introduce "managed ecotourism". Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara visited the Galapagos Islands last month and declared he planned to model the proposed ecotourism tours on those operating in the Pacific Ocean island chain. Let us hope some Galapagos mistakes are not repeated.

RUNNING OUT OF SHAHTOOSH SHAWLS
The International Fund for Animal Welfare says that a rare species of Tibetan antelope whose fur is used to make expensive "shahtoosh" shawls will disappear within five years as it is still hunted in China and its fur openly sold in India and Britain.

RUNNING OUT OF CAVIAR
Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan agree to stop fishing sturgeon for the rest of this year to protect shrinking stocks of the fish, a result of poaching and over-fishing, at a meeting in Paris of the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES. Meanwhile "environmentally friendly" caviar farms are springing up in Lombardy, Italy to cover the caviar vacuum…

RUNNING OUT OF CORAL
Australian Environment Minister Robert Hill announced yesterday that Australia would phase out commercial coral harvesting on the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest living reef formation. Unbelievably, licensed commercial scuba divers are still allowed to chip away at the coral to harvest up to a couple hundred tons of coral a year.

RUNNING OUT OF TIGER PRODUCTS
The Japan Wildlife Conservation Society urges the Japanese Government to stamp out "Tiger products". Japan remains a haven for illicit sales of products containing tiger penises and other body parts, despite a new law intended
to help protect the endangered animal from poachers.

RUNNING OUT OF WATER
Xie Zhenhua, Director of China's State Environmental Protection Administration warned that degradation of China's air, water and soil is progressing faster than efforts to stop the ruin. Deserts are spreading, only 57% of river water met basic standards for purity and ground water is heavily polluted.

BUT PLENTY OF NEPALESE TIGERS IT SEEMS
A tiger from the Royal Chitwan National Park, about 80 kilometres south of the capital, killed four people in nearby villages within five days. Nepal's tiger population up 50 animals in five years. Bucking a global trend, the tiger population in Nepal has grown by 50 to at least 300 animals in the past five years despite threats from poachers, a news report said Sunday.
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Caribbean

ST. LUCIA MINISTER DEFENDS WHALE-HUNTING
7/6/1 - BBC Monitoring Americas
St Lucia's Agriculture Minister, Claris Charles responded to suggestions from journalists that his government could vote with Japan at the upcoming International Whaling Commission (IWC) conference so they will benefit from Japanese financial assistance. Elias took a swipe at the international environmental agency, Greenpeace, accusing it of making significant financial contributions to certain environmental organizations and individuals in the Caribbean for their work in anti-whaling activities (really?). He suggested that this money "did not filter down to fishermen" while the same thing could not be said about Japanese aid.

JUST TWO MORE YEARS BOMBING, PUERTO RICO.
U.S. President Bush announced 14/6 that the Navy will end its bombing exercises on Vieques Island off the coast of Puerto Rico by May 2003. "These are our friends and neighbors and they don't want us there," Bush said in Gothenburg, Sweden meaning Puerto Rico of course.

CARIBBEAN BLUE
The Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA), Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) and the Quality Tourism for the Caribbean (QTC) establishe a regional consortium responsible for the implementation of the Caribbean Blue Flag (CBF) Campaign.
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Europe

GERMAN FOR NUCLEAR IS WIND
The German government unveils plans for massive development of offshore wind power to help the country reconcile its climate protection goals with its nuclear phase-out policy. Chancellor Schroeder and leading energy companies formally sign an agreement to shut down Germany's 19 nuclear power plants!

BRITAIN NOW FOR "PRACTICAL" WHALE-HUNTING!
The Independent reports that the British Government, which led the move to introduce an international ban on killing whales, is to allow "managed" slaughter of populations of minke and humpback whales. Its 180 Degrees policy shift, to be announced at the International Whaling Commission conference in London next month, could lead to hundreds of whales being killed for the Norwegian and Japanese markets. Greenpeace warns that allowing managed whaling to proceed would be the first step to scrapping the international ban.

THE IMAGINE INTERNATIONAL
Liverpool honours John Lennon, by renaming its airport after him. Reuters notes it is the first time a British airport is named after an individual. Liverpool's place in musical history as the birthplace of the Beatles already brings the region around 20 million pounds a year in tourist revenue.

BRIDGING MOSTAR
Stari Most ("Old Bridge"), the historic bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina's ethnically divided city of Mostar was destroyed by artillery fire in 1993. The restoration of Stari Most is viewed as a key step in the process of Mostar's reunification following the 1992-5 Bosnian war. UNESCO, the World Bank, the World Monument Fund and the Aga Khan Trust are all involved in the bridge's $15.5 million reconstruction.

CLEAN AIR OR HOT AIR
Passengers flying out of London's Luton Airport in London are now asked to
pay a voluntary fee to offset the environmental impact of their flights. The airport said money from the passengers would be used to plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide emissions.
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Latin America

ARGENTINA'S FIRST MARINE COASTAL PARK CREATED IN PATAGONIA
In celebration of World Environment Day the Argentine affiliate of the World Wildlife Foundation, Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina (FVSA), acquires a 60,000 hectare farm "Monte León," which takes in 18.6 miles (30 km) of the coast of Patagonia.

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF SHARK FINNING?
ENS reports that A judge in Guayaquil, Ecuador rejected the claim by the owners of an illegal shark finning vessel that their "constitutional" rights were violated by the seizure of their vessel and destruction of their catch. Imagine a constitution article: "Citizens shall have the right to cut the finn of sharks and to dump them back to the sea to see them bleed to death".

ECUADORS ECOLOGICAL (OIL) RESERVES
The Ecuadorian government approves the construction of a billion-dollar oil pipeline project straight through the Mindo ecological reserve, a cloudforest 16 miles northwest of Quito that provides important habitat for more than 400 orchid species and 300 bird species. President Gustavo Noboa celebrates the decision as a "great step for the economy". A great step, backwards.

MEXICO SCORES
Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), the world's fifth largest oil and gas company, becomes the first Latin American company to publicly announce it is taking steps to reduce greenhouse gases. Pemex joins eight other multinational corporations in the Partnership for Climate Action, organized by the U.S. group Environmental Defense.
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North America

FORD'S TIRES TRIES
Ford, under the leadership of its new environmentalist(?) President (Ford), pledges to search for the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of 13 million Firestone tires from SUVs and pickup trucks. Frequent tire recycling options are: highway surfaces, playground equipment, fuel for power plants and cement kilns.

PRINCIPLES AND PRINCIPALS
Associated Press reports that the Mohegan Tribe is pledging $10 million toward construction of the National Museum of the American Indian, as a branch of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum is scheduled to open in 2004. The tribe operates the successful Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Conn.

GRIZZLIES RETURN IN CANADA
British Columbia this fall will begin its most ambitious wildlife
reintroduction effort ever, a long-term plan to increase grizzly bear
populations in the core of its North Cascades mountain range. The
Environment Ministry hopes to increase the population in the 3,800
square-mile area from fewer than 25 individuals to 150 bears by 2050.

BUT NOT IN THE U.S.
ENS reports that the opponents of grizzly bear reintroduction into Idaho and Montana have won. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to withdraw a federal plan to reintroduce grizzly bears into region.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS SHOOT DOWN BUSH ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA !
House Republicans shot down a proposal restricting the ability of environmental groups to get plants and animals added to the endangered species list.

ORGANIC FARMLAND ORGANIC FARMLAND
U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that organic farmland more than doubled in the United States in the last decade.

ALASKA'S FIRST IN CRUISE POLLUTION REGULATION
Gov. Knowles signs on 29/6 a bill that makes Alaska the first state to regulate water pollution from cruise ships. The bill affects ships capable of carrying 50 or more passengers and targets treated sewage and "graywater" (non-sewage). It establishes standards for allowable discharges in state waters and it sets up a $1 per passenger fee to fund enforcement. More than 680,000 cruise passengers are estimated to come through Alaska's Inside Passage this summer.

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