EVENTS

Urban Ecotourism

PLANETA FORUM

How about we do something more powerful, more meaningful? What if we helped cities express themselves and share their voice?
- City Notebook

www.flickr.com

PHOTO GALLERY: City Parks

ABOUT THE EVENT

One of our most popular e-conferences examined the importance of cities in developing an eco ethic for travelers. The Urban Ecotourism Conference took place in September and October 2004. The conference summary is available for download as a Powerpoint presentation.

The online event had more than 30 active participants representing more than a dozen countries: Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, England, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and the United States.

DECLARATION

Participants agreed upon a declaration which sets the stage for greening tourism in cities around the globe. The declaration is a collective response to a common challenge -- making urban spaces more liveable while protecting biodiversity.

We submitted the document to the organizers of World Environment Day.

REQUEST -- Your support for the conference declaration is appreciated! The document is translated into Spanish and Greek.

Add your name here.

QUESTIONS

How can we make urban spaces more livable while ensuring protection of the natural resources and ecosystems that sustain us?

What are the best examples of urban ecotourism?

What is the relationship between urban centers and rural communities and wilderness areas?

What are recommended city guidebooks?

What are the best cities for walking?

LESSONS LEARNED

All this world is holy ground.
- City Notebook

Participants shared lessons learned around the globe, including examples of what to repeat and what to avoid.

We reviewed the ways in which urban tourism can be more ecological and brainstorm about alternatives to urban sprawl. We also looked at the role cities play as gateways to parks, protected areas and rural communities.

As a reference tool, we developed an index of city-specific websites spotlighting more than 50 cities around the globe.

CO-SPONSORS

This event was Planeta's 14th online event and co-sponsored by Balam Consultores, ECOCLUB, Ecotourism Management, Mexican Conservation Learning Network, The Shores System, Rachel Dodd's Sustainable Tourism Net and Sustainable Sources.

SUPPORT THIS WORK

We welcome financial contributions.

CONTINUING THIS WORK

We are continuing the work by presenting lessons learned at a Mexico City workshop, Ecoturismo Urbano y Vias Verdes. We are also developing a seminar.

CALENDAR

January 2004: Conference Announced
September 7: Ecoclub Chat
September 15: Conference Preview, Oaxaca Options discussion
September 20: Conference Opens
September 21: Ecoclub Chat
September 28: Ecoclub Chat
October 8: Conference concludes, vote on declaration begins
October 16: Publication of Declaration
2005: Presentation in Powerpoint
June 5, 2005: World Environment Day: Greening Cities
July 2006: Ecoturismo Urbano y Vias Verdes
2008: Development of online seminar

www.flickr.com

THANK YOU!

For individual financial contributions, thanks to participants Mary Finn, Elliot Helman, Carolina Garcia, Antonis Petropoulos, Mike Robbins and Medicine Hat College.

For promoting the event, special thanks to our co-sponsors as well as World Tourism Organization, Development Gateway, e-review of Tourism Research, sustainable-tourism, IMAC, Italy Indymedia, Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Business Mexico, URBANET, Ecuador Virtual, Girus.com.br, TIES, Thorn Tree, ECOCLUB.com, Green-Travel, Mexicanwave, WorldChanging , e-review of Tourism Research and the Society of Environmental Journalists.

ABOUT PLANETA

Planeta.com is an award-winning website that presents articles and discussion about the environment and travel. We are celebrating our 15th anniversary - Planeta.com debuted in 1994. Travelers will find tips on choosing eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly trips. Professionals will find a number of helpful resources, including the Exploring Ecotourism Resource Guide. If you have questions about our site, contact us.