AYUBOWAN May all living-beings live long

RESPONSIBLE PRODUCT

INNOVATION FOR TOMORROW’S

TRAVELLERProfessor Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama

Professor Environment ScienceUniversity of Colombo

we are in the Anthropocene

05/01/23 3

Urbanisation grew more than tenfold in the past century; almost half of the people

live in cities and megacities

Industrial output increased 40 times during the past century; energy use

16 times

Almost 50 % of the land surface has been transformed by human

action

Water use increased 9 fold during the past century to 800 m3 per capita; 65 % for irrigation, 25 %

industry, ~10 % households

Man the EroderAccording to Wilkinson (Geology) March 2005

Sedimentary rock formation over 500 million years corresponds to an erosion rate of 24

meters per million years.

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At current rate anthropogenic soil erosion would fill the Grand

Canyon in 50 years.

According to Wilkinson (Geology) March 2005

Man-caused erosion (crop tillage, land conversion for grazing and construction): 15 times natural

erosion

According to Wilkinson (Geology) March 2005

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

2000

From: Steffen et al. In press 2004

Atmos CO2 conc

Domesticated landLoss of trop forest, woodland

Coastal shrimp farmsFully exploited fisheries

Climate disastersAv surface temp (NH)

Atmos ozone loss

Atmos CH4 concAtmos N2O conc

Coastal N2 flux

Global biodiversity

Changes in environmental indicators, 1750 - 2000

We are spending Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.

The situation today…. 2014

Almost a billion go hungry every day

Green house gas emission continues to rise….

Living Planet Index 2014

WE LIVE IN AN ARTIFICIAL CHEMICAL WORLD

More than 30,000 chemicals are around today, making our lives

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Emerging Infectious DiseasesEmerging Infectious Diseases 30 DISEASES “NEW” TO MEDICINE SINCE 1976

HIV/AIDS Ebola

Legionnaires’ E. coli O157:H7

SARS Antibiotic-Resistant Agents

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

Lyme Disease Nipah Virus

Vibrio cholerae O139 Arenaviruses

RESURGENT & REDISTRIBUTING

Malaria, Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus, Cholera

VECTORSVECTORSMosquitoesMosquitoesTicksTicksRodentsRodentsBatsBatsTsetse FliesTsetse FliesFleasFleasLiceLiceSnailsSnailsAlgaeAlgae

“Uncertinity”

Extreme Weather

Global conflicts…2015

In 2014, international tourist travel reached an all-time high. Travel for holidays, recreation and other forms of leisure

account for just over half of all international tourists (52 percent or 568 million), followed by travel for other reasons, such as visiting friends and relatives, religious reasons and pilgrimage, and health 3 treatment (27 percent).

Some 14 percent of international tourists reported travelling for business and professional purposes;

Despite all these…….

What makes this happen?.

Easy access to …

Internet information access…

Easy reservations..even online

Air travel……

The new travelers….

TRAVELER OF TOMMORROW ?• The modern tourist has a spirit of adventure that,

unless regulated by law, could be hazardous to the individual tourist and to the public. This spirit has resulted in demand for services and products which, to be provided or satisfied by the tourism industry are soiling the images of the industry and the host destinations most visited by tourists.

• With the ever visible evidence of the ‘reaction’ of the environment to this human-inflected toll, concerted efforts are needed to plan activities such as tourism sustainability Jerry Kolo , 2014

ATHITHI DEVO BHAVA (sanskrit)

“The guest is equivalent to God”

CRITERIA FOR THE TOURISTIC PRODUCT INNOVATION FROM NATURE

ORIGINAL OFFERINGS…

Grandeur / diversity of landscape (mountains, bodies of water

High level of biological diversity……

HIGHEST BIODIVERSITY PER UNIT AREA ( /10,000 sq Km )

Highest in Amphibians, Mammals, Reptiles and Flowering Plants

Presence of BIG animal species….

Easily spotted wildlife

Major coastal areas - corals

COUNTRY OF ENDEMICS

Amphibia - 70 % out of 116 species

Reptiles – 55 % out of 173 species

Land Crabs – 99% out of 51 species

Birds 5% (33) out of 389 species

Flowering plants 35 % out 1300 species

Land Snails 90% out of 345 species

LINKED TO OUR CULTURE

Interesting forms of vegetation - tropical ecosystems

“pristine quality” of the ecosystems

Possibilities for aquatic indulgence

Natural sports possibilities

Rafting, diving, climbing

Archaeological sites

CLIMATEPleasant, diverse

Additional criteria….

Accessibility

Proximity to an international airport and/or a tourist centre

Duration and comfort of travel there ( runway, state of roads) are relative to attraction

Bed and board

On-hand or possible access to pleasant, hygienic, acceptable lodgings

Offer tasty, hygienically prepared meals

BASIC FRAME WORK

Tourists’ personal safety (protection from crime)

Presence of basic medical care

THE SMILING PEOPLE…

ECOTURISM ASSETS

Products must be converted as INTERPRETIVE MATERIAL

……is an educational activity that aims to reveal meanings about our cultural and natural resources.

…..is an informational and inspirational process

Ecotourism products…

They must follow the 15 principles

(Tilden, Beck & Cable)

Relate to life experience

To spark an interest, interpreters must relate the subject to the lives of visitors.

Revelations based on information

The purpose of interpretation goes beyond providing information to reveal deeper meaning and truth.

Interpretation is an art

The interpretive presentation-as awork of art- should be designed as a story that informs, entertains, and enlightens.

Interpretation is provocative

The purpose of the interpretive story is to inspire and to provoke people to broaden their horizons.

Interpretation is holistic

Interpretation should present a complete theme or thesis and address the whole person.

Interpretation is context specific

Interpretation for children, teenagers, and seniors – when these comprise uniform groups – should follow fundamentally different approaches.

Interpretation is alive, enjoyable and meaningful.

Every place has a history. Interpreters can bring the past alive to make the present more enjoyable and the future more meaningful.

Technology with foresight and care.

High technology can reveal the world in exciting new ways. However, incorporating this technology into the interpretive program must be done with foresight and care.

Quality and Quantity of information

Interpreters must concern themselves with the quantity and quality (selection and accuracy) of information presented. Focused, well-researched interpretation will be more powerful than a longer discourse.

Use communication techniques

Before applying the arts in interpretation, the interpreter must be familiar with basic communication techniques. Quality interpretation depends on the interpreter’s knowledge and skills, which should be developed continually.

Write what readers like to know

Interpretive writing should address what readers would like to know, with the authority of wisdom and the humility and care that comes with it.

Should attract support

The overall interpretive program must be capable of attracting support –financial, volunteer, political, administrative-whatever support is needed for the program to flourish.

Should motivate needs

Interpretation should instill in people the ability, and the desire, to sense the beauty in their surroundings-to provide spiritual upliftment and to encourage resource preservation.

Optimize experience

Interpreters can promote optimal experiences through intentional and thoughtful program and facility design.

Arouse passionPassion is the essential ingredient for powerful

and effective interpretation-passion for the resource and for those people who come to be inspired by the same.

Interpretive Equation

(Kr + Ka) + AT = IO

Kr – Knowledge of the resource.Ka – Knowledge of the audience.

AT – Appropriate Technology.IO – Interpretive Opportunities

Thus as the PRODUCT CHANGES we have to be able to move away from GUIDING TO INTERPRITING,

and have INTERPRETORS

MUST BE INCLUSIVE OF THE PEOPLE

• Tourism despite its saying has OFTEN excluded the PEOPLE.

• The future is inclusion, and this becomes a MAJOR PART of RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

• The emergence of ECOTOURISM is evidence for the new BREED that philosophies the INCLUSION of PEOPLE as PARTNERS and not just RECEPIENTS OF BENEFITS.

We have to change the SINGLE SEASON to “365 day product”

• Presently Our effort has been for the so called season from October to April

• April to October was the “lay – off”.• The east provided some opportunities in the

past, which has opened now.• Yet the other products – culture and

Biodiversity is around all year• Thus what was it that restrained us in the past

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TACKLE THE LEAKAGE

• Sri Lanka tourism has a VERY HIGH LEAKAGE• PRODUCTS can change this substantially• Infra structure• Tour iternary• Food, etc

WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY MODELS IN TOURISM THIS

BECOMES A COMPONENT THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED IN THE

“GREEN” TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

THE CHALLENGES ARE TO BE FACED FOR THE FUTURE

FLOODS

DROUGHT

Rainfall – Variability

increasing in most parts,

Wet Zone

Effect on Vegetation- 1

Tourism Policy ChangeCarbon Free Sri Lanka

Still born……….

(Theruvan Saranai)