Eco-revolution within a few years

The theme this year was 'Eco-tourism and Skalman'. Chief Guest Tourism Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake presented a cheque for Rs. 100,000 on behalf of Skal International Colombo to ESSL as a nucleus of the fund to conduct an All-Island School Essay Competition on "Tourism and the Environment". 

"Before I respond to the magnanimous gesture of the Skal Club for the donation of Rs. 100,000 to the Eco-tourism Society of Sri Lanka, permit me to refer to an extract of a statement made by the Minister as Leader of the Sri Lanka Delegation and Chairman of the Executive Council of WTO addressing the 13th biannual session of the General Assembly of WTO. 'WTO is taking into serious consideration the value of preserving both the natural and the physical environment of the member countries for planning tourism'. 

"Linked with the Minister's concern is the statement made by Lester Brown of the World Watch Institute, an institution based in Washington recognized the world over as a unique organization at the highest level influencing world opinion to save mother earth. 'Future generations will look back on the closing year of the 20th century and consider it the time of the great turning. It is an epochal shift from an industrial growth society, dependent on accelerating consumption of resources to a life sustaining society - while the agricultural revolution took centuries and the industrial revolution took decades , this ecological revolution must happen within a few years'.

"You would expect me to state what our Society proposes to do with the Rs 100,000 for which I have to very briefly state the composition and the principal objective of our Society. Our council consists of eminent professionals including scientists and those experienced in management including eco-tourism professionals. The principal objective is to advise the government and the public and private sector in developing eco-tourism on a planned scientific basis - eco-tourism is the most sustainable form of tourism and accepted as such worldwide. With this objective we have a three-prong approach. 

* Create awareness in the travel trade on eco-tourism by conducting seminars, training sessions. We conducted the first workshop early this month for 30 senior officials of Aitken Spence Hotels & Travels. I recognize the vision of Mr. Gehan Perera, Director/General Manager of Aitken Spence Travels for organising the workshop. Professor Sarath Kotagama, Professor of Environmental Science, Vice President of ESSL dealt with biodiversity. I dealt with the principles and concepts of eco-tourism and marketing and Rahul Perera as the Council Member, a biologist, presented a slide show on Horton Plains and the Sinharaja Forest. We do not charge fees and we were presented with a donation. We are a Not For Profit organisation and a few of us financed the administrative expenses and propose to seek funds for our activities. 

* The second approach is creating public awareness. This we propose to do by public lectures, writings, photography exhibitions etc. 

* The third approach is the school system which is relevant to the donation today . We propose to conduct an essay competition on environment and tourism for O/Level and A/Level students in all three streams Sinhala, Tamil and English countrywide. It is the considered view of ESSL that the degradation of the environment - the vital resource base of tourism can be protected if the younger generation is actively involved in the protection of our natural and cultural assets. 

"According to official figures there are 5500 schools in 25 educational districts in the country providing education to nearly one million O/Level and A/Level students.

" The funds we received today are only a nucleus of the funds we will require. Our estimate of the requirement for this project is another Rs. 300,000. We seek sponsorships for advertising in the national press in English, Sinhalese and Tamil and administration expenses to reach our one million children through the principals of the schools. 

"If the Minister can assist us with a part of the fund we will be delighted, as apart from the contribution it will demonstrate acceptance of our efforts by the state."

Advantages of eco-tourism

Different

Recognizing the significance and importance of ET the United Nations has proclaimed the year 2002 as the International Year of Eco-tourism. Enhanced global awareness for environmental conservation has also made ET a tourism product with a significant and increasing demand. 

Master Plan

Bio-diversity is considered the most important element of ET. Thus, areas with an abundance and variety of flora and fauna are the primary attraction of an eco-tourist. Unique geography and cultural history are also among important factors that enhance a country's potential in harnessing gains from ET. Sri Lanka is bestowed with a scenic natural environment and high bio-diversity, which are considered major attractions in ET. The ancient historical and cultural sites and wildlife in national parks also enhance the country's resource base in ET. Further, the potential of Sri Lanka as an ET destination has been proved by the increased percentage of tourists visiting the wildlife parks and botanical gardens during the past twelve years. 

To promote Sri Lanka as an eco-tourism destination, attention should be focused on developing the infrastructure facilities and re-focusing Sri Lanka's marketing strategy to promote it as an ET destination. It is also important for Sri Lanka to manage the rich resource base of ET carefully; too much growth can lead to diminishing social and economic returns and a threat to the very ecosystem and cultural assets on which they depend and seek to perpetuate.

Central Bank Annual Report 1999

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