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UN Secretary-General calls on tourism community to contribute to protecting biodiversity

24 September 2010 11:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ilhama Isabalayeva â€“ APA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a message on the World Tourism Day September 27, the UN office in Azerbaijan told APA. The message says:

â€œI am delighted that the UN World Tourism Organization is celebrating this yearâ€™s World Tourism Day under the theme â€˜Tourism and Biodiversityâ€™. Despite repeated global pledges to protect the planetâ€™s species and habitats â€“ and the goods and services they provide â€“ the variety of life on Earth continues to decline at an unprecedented rate. Human activities are the cause. This year â€“ the International Year of Biodiversity â€“ provides a timely opportunity to focus on the urgency of safeguarding biodiversity for the wealth, health and well-being of people in all regions of the world.
Tourism and biodiversity are closely intertwined. Millions of people travel each year to experience natureâ€™s splendour. The income generated by sustainable tourism can provide important support for nature conservation, as well as for economic development.
On this World Tourism Day, I commend the tourism community for its growing recognition of the importance of conserving the diversity of life on Earth, and I urge all partners to strengthen their commitment to sustainability.â€