The Unfenced Desert Towards a strategy for eco ... - Nwrc.gov.sa

guides. The NCWCD should additionally seek to provide an environmental awareness
component to existing training programmes for the Asir region.
How to proceed?
The group agreed on a number of key points:
• eco-tourism development in wildlife protected areas should not be seen as a moneymaking
exercise, but rather as a management tool;
• the NCWCD should investigate partnerships with the private sector for eco-tourism
development in protected areas, ensuring that:
◊ contractors return a portion of income to the protected area;
◊ strong breech of contract regulations are in place to avoid environmental,
damage;
◊ employees be drawn from local communities;
Planning Department staff have already drawn up, or are planning, a number of draft
documents, including: codes of conduct for tour operators; tourist guidelines, and
guidelines for minimum impact camping.
What is required therefore is a comprehensive NCWCD strategy on nature-based
tourism development, which would allow the Commission to contribute to national
planning and would identify linkages with other Government departments. Such a
strategy would consider the full spectrum of nature-based tourism activities, of which
eco-tourism development of selected protected areas would be one component.
The group recommended that Dr Seddon proceed with the development of draft
guidelines and principles for protected area tourism, for later incorporation into wider
NCWCD plans.
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