Africa's 4th
Ecotourism Symposium Part
2 There's also a rich culture;
heritage, as expressed in our arts and crafts, songs and
folklore, paintings and architecture, exotic cuisine and
numerous historic relics and monuments." He's right on that
score, myself and ATA colleagues have been visiting Africa
for years and have hardly scratched the surface. We've
spotted the vast potential that the Minister speaks of as
follows: "The economic benefits to be gained from tourism
linked to natural areas, have long been recognized as
significant for conservation at several levels. First by
providing an economic return to the nation, it can justify
setting aside large areas of land for conservation and
secondly, entry fees can generate substantial funds for
support management. Thirdly, tourism expenditures on
logging, transportation, food, guides and souvenirs are
important source of income for communities nearby."
Treasures of Africa - its National
Parks Nigeria's Cultural
Treasures Agriculture and
Environment (Minister
Graham -Douglas Continued) Government Officials: Above
from left- H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, President, Nigeria; H.E.
Atiku Abubakar, Vice President, Nigeria. Below- Hon. Alabo
Tonye Graham-Douglas, Minister of Culture & Tourism,
Nigeria; Hon. Alhaji A. Abdullahi, Permanent Secretary,
Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism. ATA Participants Papers Presented at
the Ecotourism Symposium were: (other details to come) New!
Photos
from the Symposium. AFRICA TRAVEL
ASSOCIATION
.
Three Bridges to a Secure Future:
Ecotourism, Peace and Compassion
by Jerry W. Bird
Ecotourism's Trio: Land,
Culture and Wildlife.
This nature, wildlife and culture-oriented trend has bred a
more active, involved, compassionate and caring type of
tourist, upstaging the sun, fun, cocktails and beach crowd.
Hon. Alabo Graham- Douglas, Nigeria's Minister of Culture
and Tourism calls it responsible tourism. "Ecotourism
conserves the natural environments and sustains the
well-being of local people" he said. "The continent is
endowed with a vast potential of human and natural
resources. Its tourist locations include wildlife parks,
non-polluted beaches, hills and mountain ranges, waterfalls
and warm springs.
Each year, starting this June, as our "Treasures of Africa"
Road Show tours North America, Africa Travel Magazine and
partners will showcase a special treasure, Africa's National
Parks. This asset is growing in importance every year as a
symbol of Peace
Through Tourism. In 1991,
Nigeria established six national parks (Yankar, Kainji Lake,
Old National, Cross River, Gashaka-Gumti and Chad Basin),
totaling 23,000 sq. km). Its aim was to preserve and
conserve the vegetation and wild animals, including large
mammals (elephants, hippopotami, lions), reptiles, birds
monkeys, chimpanzees, cheetahs, leopards, wild hogs, fish
and sea life. Cross River National Park, in the south east
forest belt, contains the last remnants of the rain forest
ecosystem. Some of the animals found in this park include
gorilla, drill, chimpanzee, forest elephants, and over 200
different species of bird. It is without doubt one of the
best spots therefore for ecotourism.
Tourism Minister Graham-Douglas also spoke of his country's
efforts towards preservation of cultural properties;
theater, music and art (exhibitions, seminars , workshops)
video, film and publications. In 1988, a cultural policy was
established to promote creativity in the arts, science and
technology, plus traditional skills and sports. These
efforts resulted in The Nigerian Film Corporation, National
Council for Arts and Culture, National Troupe of Nigeria,
National Gallery of Art, Center for Black and African Arts
and Civilization, Nigerian Copyright Commission, National
Theater and National Institute for Cultural Orientation.
Hon. Alabo Graham- Douglas, Nigeria's Minister of Culture
and Tourism.
"Although revenue from oil and gas exploration accounts for
80 percent of the total national income, the country has
remained basically an agricultural economy," said the
Minister. "Agriculture is the largest employer of labor. In
this area, new planks in the program include a National
Forestry Action Plan, National Conservation Strategy,
National Resources Conservation Action Plan, National Water
resources Master Plan and the Green Agenda of Vision 2010
(National Agenda 21)."
Hon. Michael Afedi Gizo, Minister of Tourism, Ghana and
President, Africa Travel Association
Mrs. Mira Berman, Executive Director, Africa Travel,
Association
Mrs. Josephine Macaulay, Chairman
Mrs. Bode-Thomas, President, Nigeria Chapter, ATA
"Preservation of Land, Culture and Wildlife."
Keynote address by Hon. Alabo Graham-Douglas, Minister
of Culture and Tourism, Nigeria'
"Environmentally Sensitive Tourism: Promotion of
Ecotourism for Sustainable Development in Nigeria."
by Dr. Muktar Aminu Kano
"Conservation Master Plan as a Tool for the Restoration
of Major Historical Sites in Nigeria."
Dr. Joe Eboreime, National Coordinator, UNESCO World
Heritage Program, Chairman ICOMOS Nigeria
"Linking Tourism Profitability to Environmental
Responsibility,"
Jeffrey Balkind, Urban Project Team Leader, World Bank,
Washington, DC
"Ecotourism Potential of Forests Outside National
Parks."
K. Adeyoju , Emeritus Professor, University of Ibadan,
Nigeria
"National Parks and their Benefits to Local Communities
in Nigeria."
Lawan B. Marguba, FFAN Conservator-General"
"A Case Study of Nigerian Ecotourism."
H.E. Mrs. Onari Duke, Wife of Cross River State Governor,
Nigeria
"Sustainable Travel and Tourism Development for
Nigeria,"
Olatunde Obasola, Tourism Plus, Ibadan and D. Okali, NEST,
Ibadan
More
features from the Symposium and Nigeria coming on this
page
and in a variety of media through our network
feed)
347 Fifth Avenue, Suite 610, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 447-1926 . Fax: (212) 725-8253
e-mail: africatravelasso@aol.com
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