Latest comments posted about Sustainable development needs China on ChinaDialogue en-gb http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/386-Sustainable-development-needs-China http://staging.chinadialogue.net/images/cdlogo.gif http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/386-Sustainable-development-needs-China Eco-tourism is a new, up-and-coming form of tourism that is currently developing rapidly. It is a hot topic of discussion in the tourism industry these days. International experts predict that the "eco-tourism fad", which is based on the theme of travelling to nature reserves and becoming close to nature, will soon emerge worldwide. Just as people are becoming very excited about the rare opportunities offered by China's travel industry, the problems we must take very seriously are the short- and long-term dangers to the environment that it generates. This applies especially to people who are now waving the banner of eco-tourism but are in fact carrying on tourism that is environmentally harmful. Therefore, we must research the real implications of eco-tourism more precisely, to consider China's real circumstances when establishing laws and measures for its management, so that eco-tourism may become a large school for the education of travellers engaged in it. If we use this method to conserve our natural scenery and cultural relics, we can turn the travel industry into a type of sustainably developing green industry. Eco-tourism is a unique form of regulated tourism. When travellers tour the sites of cultural relics, they are placing themselves in comparatively ancient, primordial nature areas. They are enthusiastically investigating and enjoying the charming scenery and wild flora and fauna. The goal of this seasonal eco-tourism is to view travel as a "return to nature" and "return to truth and simplicity”. More and more tourists want to pass their vacation travelling in nature rather than modern cities and coastal areas. There is an emphasis on developing the expansion of nature-oriented themes in the travel industry. True eco-tourism is an elevated travelling activity and educational experience, a way of studying and conserving nature. Tourism done merely for profit runs counter to it. At the same time, eco-tourism is also a green industry with high technology content, and can only operate with expert consulting from ecologists, economists and sociologists.We need to diligently research the capacities of the environment and tourist resources. If we do not, we will irreparably damage and upset the fragile eco-system. Concurrently, eco-tourism should make environmental education, the proliferation of science and spiritual civilization its mainstay. This will make eco-tourism really become a large school in which people study, love, and conserve nature. If eco-tourism is to develop sustainably, it should not do so at the cost of the expense of the environment. Travel that is in harmony with the natural environment must undergo controlled expansion at an appropriate pace, to regulate the number of people it absorbs, and to strengthen environmental awareness. Otherwise, too many tourists will pose too great a burden on the environment they vacation in. They will damage the environment that eco-tourism relies upon for its existence. This will also make eco-tourism unable to develop sustainably. The natural environment is organized into various large and small eco-systems. Their mutual balance must be conserved. Forests are the largest terrestrial eco-systems. They are pivotal for the exchange of material and capacity in nature. They have multifaceted impacts on the environment above, below, and on the ground. If you view the forest as a mere basis for timber production and log it to carry out exploitative business, without considering the extremely important function that plants fulfill in preventing environmental degradation (nourishing water resources, protecting moist earth, guarding against wind and sand, regulating the climate, protecting ecological balance etc.), then the bitter consequences of destroying the forest will ultimately be mankind's own disaster. From the disappearance of the ancient Babylonian kingdom to the global greenhouse effect, this point has consistently been illustrated. To design proper guidelines for the expansion of tourism, and and to implement thinking on resource and environmental conservation, is not only a guarantee that expansion will be a success, but is also a vital measure in preventing environmental resources from suffering degradation. Therefore, when formulating the overall guidelines for tourist areas, we must carry out a conscientious survey of geological, biological and all other types of resources that affect the quality of the environment. This way, we can target the environmental damage concomitant with the expansion of tourist activities by carrying out comprehensive preparations and effective measures that eliminate or diminish sources of pollution and strengthen our monitoring of environmental quality. To guarantee high standards of environmental quality in eco-tourism, facilities related to tourist areas must expand in an appropriate, orderly, and multi-tiered form. No form of environmentally harmful expansionist activity should be permitted. Every project must be assessed for its impact on the environment, and must, in accordance with ecological consideratons, excercise strict control over the scale, quantity, format, style, and material basis of its service facilities. This method advocates the prioritization of natural scenery, of spontaneity in nature and on-the-spot retrieval of materials, embodying the beauty of nature. It resolutely seeks to restrain projects that require high rates of investment, pollution and waste to stimulate economic growth. Throughout history, whether in China or abroad, famous mountains, scenic places and national parks have been places for spiritual, and not for economic, activity. In premodern China, the Famous Five Mountains all had "zhen (type of village)" established at their bases expressly to provide tourist services. In the Song era, a law was decreed stating that "logging is prohibited" in the 7 li circumference of Taishan mountain. In the Yuan era, a law prohibited logging on Chilai mountain 40 li from Taishan, with the aim of protecting the latter. In the US, laws state that commercial activity can only take place outside of national parks. After Yellowstone Park was discovered and established, it not only forbade hunting and logging, but also expelled the native Indians living inside the park. In Germany, the Alpine mountain national park has an area of more than 300 square kilometers. Within the park, there are no walking paths whatsoever, though several are set up outside it. We should take an example from this venerable tradition of dividing natural areas by the functions they fulfill, with scenery on the inside and business on the outside of the park. With an eye on sustainable development strategies, we should aim to develop the tourist industry and base it upon the needs of tourism for present and future generations. Using this mindset as our guiding principle, we should consummately perform specific tasks for environmental conservation. We should incorporate education on ecology and ecological ethics into national education policy, by introducing more related educational content into elementary, secondary, and higher education at the national level. This will compel later generations to appreciate the sustainable use of natural resources, to take good care of natural scenic places and monuments, to protect wild flora and fauna, and to comprehend and cherish nature. This, in turn, will allow moral judgment, benevolence, justice, and duty in regard to ecological issues to become a part of the self-conscious behavior and ethical norms of young people. This will make full use of the vital, great school that is tourism. It will make the process of eco-tourism become a process of education on ecology and ecological ethics. Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:47:59 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-366 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-366 So, to clarify. The issue of governance in China is just as important as the environment. Surely once China has completed its transformation into a model society only then can it have significant influence on the World stage. My concern is that for the world to be a safer place places such as Korea can only change when China leads by example.., would you not agree that North Korea is the responsability of China? Otherwise we will have a planet where only the US will take the intiative and we all know what a legacy they are leaving for our children to sort out and possibly China too. Marcus Mullins Wed, 27 Sep 2006 18:57:16 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-254 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-254 May I congratulate the Editor and all the staff at China Dialogue for filling a void on all the topics discussed. Keep up the good work! M.Mullins Thu, 28 Sep 2006 14:45:14 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-257 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-257 We have noted your concerns. If you would like to know more about chinadialogue's pre-moderation policy please read our FAQ. Sam from chinadialogue Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:49:35 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-247 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-247 I am really pleased to see people more and more concern about the enviroment around this world. as a person who come to china I am really happy to see those kind of articles and of course understand why we have this web build up here-china need a good model and money for building better and cleaner enviroment. not just for now and also for it's future and the whole world. Througth some of my friends I visited this web sereral times and I am sure I will continus to visit this web again. well done! Thu, 21 Sep 2006 20:05:32 +0000 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-245 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/386#comment-245