Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve - Equitable Tourism Options

The focal event of lYE was the World Ecotourism Summit (WES) held in
Quebec, Canada, from 19 to 22 May 2002. It was co-hosted by WTO, the
Canadian Tourism Commission and Quebec Tourism.
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and other venues
were advised to implement the lYE. Within the UN system the CSD's Interagency
Committee on Sustainable Development (IACSD) mandated the
World Tourism Organisation (WTOIOMT) and the United Nations
Environment Programme to prepare and co-ordinate supportive activities
for and during the year.
The Quebec Declaration of the International Year of Ecotourism 2002
stresses to achieve equitable social, economic and environmental benefits
from ecotourism and other forms of tourism in natural areas, and to
minimise or avoid potential negative impacts, participative planning
mechanisms are needed that allow local and indigenous communities, in a
transparent way, to define and regulate the use of their areas at the local
level, including the right to opt out of tourism development.
The International Year of Ecotourism 2002 acknowledge that tourism
has significant and complex social, economic and environmental
implications, which can bring both benefits and costs to the environment
and local communities, and hence emphasise that ecotourism should
continue to contribute to make the overall tourism industry more
sustainable, by increasing economic and social benefits for host
communities, actively contributing to the conservation of natural resources
and the cultural integrity of host communities, and by increasing awareness
of all travellers towards the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.
VII.
The UN's Draft Declaration on Rights of Indigenous
Peoples
In 1982, a Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) was
established. In 1993, the WGIP completed its work on a "Draft Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" to be adopted by the UN General
Assembly. The Draft Declaration was the result of the work of
representatives of indigenous peoples and governments from all parts of
the world.
The Draft Declaration deals with the rights of indigenous peoples in areas
such as self-determination, culture and language, education, health,
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