WILDLIFE TOURISM GROUNDS TO A HALT – WHO WILL NOW PAY THE BILLS?
The chief of the United Nations’ Global Environment Facility and Land Degradation Unit, Johan Robinson, recently argued for an alternative system of funding to support conservation efforts in poorer, developing nations.
As the Covid-19 pandemic’s long-term consequences are starting to show, the losses suffered due to the cessation of tourism in many national parks and other conservation areas are starting to emerge. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, the Virunga National Park has closed its borders to tourists until 1 June, in part to protect its precious population of mountain gorillas from exposure to the virus. Authorities estimate that it will take years for the economic hardship suffered as a result of the closure to be overcome.
The situation is much the same in other conservation areas, and it is estimated that funding will have to be doubled to at least US $100 billion annually to allow the preservation of conservation areas not only in Africa, but globally.
Mr Robinson’s report states: “Such funds could come from a variety of sources, and ultimately form a new class of financial asset, ripe for sustainable investment.”