?In the next 30 years, the world will be more affected by environmental challenges than by terrorism,? former President Bill Clinton said during his opening remarks at the ?Making Biodiversity Work for your Travel Business? meeting, held from 24-26 April in Punta Cana. ?In the 21st century we won?t have economy if we do not protect the ecology,? Clinton emphasized. Clinton, was vacationing with his wife, senator Hillary Clinton in Punta Cana, and took time off to press for a commitment to the ecology.
Private sector, civil society, government and ecology institution representatives gathered for the meeting to listen to several success stories of how profitability can be increased while conserving the environment for future generations.
Those attending unanimously committed themselves to work towards the implementation of actions leading up to the Alliance for Business & Biodiversity in the Caribbean, proposed by Lisette Gil, executive director of the La Romana/Bayahibe Hotel Association and seconded by Glenn Prickett, of Conservation International.
Scientists, government officials, businessmen, cruise ship lines, tour operator representatives and environmental defense organizations committed to join forces to reduce the effects of human degradation in the Caribbean, today regarded as one of the most delicate ?hot spots? in the world. Hot spots are defined as areas of exceptionally high species abundance, especially of concentrations of localized rare species that occur nowhere else.
The event was organized by the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business and the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science at Conservation International, the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC) at Columbia University, the Punta Cana Resort and Club, and the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation.
The meeting gathered speakers ranging from the Clintons to Thomas Lovejoy, who coined the word ?biodiversity? and the concept of the nature debt swap, to Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and to tourism experts, Gordon (Butch) Stewart of Sandals and Bill Wright, first captain of the Voyager of the Seas, the world?s largest cruise ship.
This meeting of the minds sought to bring awareness regarding the Caribbean?s wealth of resources already available and the challenges that now need to be tackled. Those present were introduced to the resources available online, in print and in institutions, and were encouraged to discover the success stories, and emulate these to save the Caribbean region.
The attendees committed to shake complacency and work towards the celebration of a second meeting in Punta Cana in 2004 to review actions taken.
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