1973 iucn yearbook

ecognized that their future prospects depend on limited resources and
on fragile environmental features which islanders feel are significant to
their way of life.
With financial support by SIDA, a study has been undertaken by
John McEachern and Edward L. Towle of the Island Resources Foundation,
Inc., St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, to identify those adverse
environmental impacts that are frequent by-products of contemporary
land-use activities on islands as opposed to those with a longer history
and to derive development guidelines relevant to the identified impacts.
The resulting report will be published in 1974.
Guidelines for other biomes
Other studies have been planned to examine the formulation of ecological
guidelines for coastal areas, for grassland/savanna, and for the dry
regions of South West Asia. The extension of these activities will be
dependent, to some extent, on the availability of funding.
A complementary study, conducted jointly with the University of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and financially supported by SIDA, is concerned
with defining the place of the ecologist in the development planning
process. A questionnaire has been sent to a large number of groups
in almost 30 countries to examine the current situation.
Tourism and conservation
The project covers the preparation of guidelines for development of
tourism based on ecological principles and the definition of policy for
promotion of tourism in developing countries.
Tourism can provide short-term economic justification for the conservation
of natural resources and cultural social values. In some countries
it provides a major source of revenue. But too often increased
tourism has developed in such a way as to endanger natural areas and
indigenous wildlife, leading to the depletion of natural resources, and
caused visual pollution and cultural degradation. In this way tourism
can prejudice its own economic health and future by destroying the very
resources on which it is based. It is important that governments, as well
as local authorities, should ensure that tourist use of natural and cultural
areas does not exceed a level incompatible with safeguarding nature.
A small task force is examining this question and will be preparing
the outline of a report to be written by a consultant.
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