RIYADH, 29 March — The international symposium on ecotourism concluded its session yesterday by adopting comprehensive recommendations that, among other things, call for setting up a Saudi society for the environment at the national level with branches all over the Kingdom.
It also proposed the establishment of “Friends of the Environment” committees in schools and colleges and drafting of legislation for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas before opening them up to ecotourism projects. The objective, it said, was to preserve the environment of the region and safeguard the customs and traditions of the local population.
The concluding session, held at the King Fahd Cultural Center here, was jointly chaired by Dr. Abdul Aziz Abuzinada, secretary-general of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD), and Dr. Walid Al-Humaidi, deputy secretary-general of the Supreme Commission on Tourism (SCT). National and international participants from various countries were also present.
It was also proposed that a new ecotourism security force should be created for tourist spots to prevent misuse of the habitat and help preserve its flora and fauna. Such a measure would also provide job opportunities for Saudis.
By another recommendation, it stressed the need for insulating environmentally and traditionally sensitive areas from human encroachments so as to minimize the negative impact on the environment by restraining agricultural, construction, commercial and industrial activities in those areas.
Noting that a national strategy for sustainable tourism should involve the participation of the local people, the symposium recommended that they should be consulted in the formulation of plans for the development and management of those sites as well as in investment schemes relating to those areas.
It recommended that local communities should be encouraged to conserve traditional handicrafts by lending support for the production and sale of handicrafts, both locally and abroad. It also proposed that there should be a close monitoring of development activities, such as the construction of tourist hotels in the coastal areas, as well as a ban on the dumping of leftovers along the beaches. The symposium favored legislation on curbing sporting activities in a sensitive coastal and marine environment. The symposium also recommended that environmental education should be incorporated in all school curricula and extra-curricular activities. To this end, teachers and educational supervisors in all fields should be put through intensive courses to create environmental awareness.
