UNWTO/Chimelong Initiative: Capacity Building Workshop for Public Officials on Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Tourism in Bangladesh
Background
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Guangdong Chimelong Group Co., Ltd. (Chimelong) have signed a partnership agreement to establish the "UNWTO/Chimelong Initative", on 19 May 2016, on the occasion of the First World Conference on Tourism for Development held in Beijing, China. Both parties have agreed to work together on advocating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through sustainable tourism with particular reference to wildlife conservation, to enhance the quality of human capital in the field of sustainable tourism and wildlife conservation, to conduct research on the advancement of ideas that lead to sustainable tourism and wildlife conservation and to encourage the tourism private sector to adhere to corporate social responsibility in this area.
Tourism can contribute directly to the conservation of sensitive areas and habitats through a variety of activities, however, tourism can also negatively impact biodiversity if land and resources are excessively exploited. Therefore, biodiversity conservation and nature protection is one of the priorities that tourism stakeholders must care about.
Particularly, government intervention and the roles of public institutions in sustainable development and management in wildlife tourism are significant. However, in spite of rich wildlife tourism resource in Asia and the Pacific region, there have been relatively few discussions and research studies examining wildlife tourism in the region.
Consequently, and given Chimelong’s and UNWTO’s commitment to raise awareness for wildlife conservation in Asia and the Pacific, with a particular focus on the preservation of endangered species, such as the Bengal Tiger – one of Chimelong’s main symbols –and Bangladesh being the host of the 29th Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the UNWTO Commission for South Asia (29th CAP-CSA), the Bangladesh Tourism Board will undertake the first workshop within the Series of Capacity Building Workshops for Public Officials on Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Tourism in the framework of the UNWTO/Chimelong Initiative.
Objective
- To understand the current status of wildlife conservation and tourism in Bangladesh
- To raise the awareness of the importance of tourism in wildlife conservation amongst public tourism stakeholders
- To exchange knowledge and discuss opportunities and challenges in wildlife tourism
- To address and discuss important issues on policy making about wildlife tourism
- To identify important management implications and recommendations in wildlife tourism
- To share best practices of wildlife tourism in Asia and the Pacific region
Methodology
The following format is designed to conduct the Capacity Building Workshop:
- Inauguration ceremony
- Key-Note presentation
- Group discussion
- Interactive Q&A session moderated by moderator
- Conclusions
Participants
30 participants in total:
- Officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, the Ministry of Environment and Forest and the Ministry of Fisheries & Live Stock
- Public officials from the Bangladesh Tourism Board and the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation
- Officials from the Dhaka National Zoo and the Bangabandhu Safari Park
- Teachers from the Department of Tourism & Hospitality (Dakha University)
- Media officers form the Bangladesh Television and the Bangladesh Betar (Radio)
- Other officials such as tourist police officers, coast guard officers
Outcome and Output
- To raise awareness on the importance of the tourism’s role in wildlife conservation amongst public tourism officials;
- To advocate Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable tourism and wildlife conservation in particular.
- Workshop (with approximately 20-30 participants);
- Final reports of the workshop with conclusions and recommendations;
- Presentation materials of each participant.
DOCUMENTS
Bangladesh Tourism Board
General Information
Mr. Aktar Ahamed
Executive Officer
E-mail: aktarkst@yahoo.com
Tel: + 88029513328
