Arendal (Norway), 12
August 2010 - Greenland hit the headlines
this week after a vast block of ice broke
off from the country's Petermann
Glacier. The 600-foot thick iceberg is around
four times the size of Manhattan. Researchers
monitoring the Greenland ice sheet have
said it represents the largest single shedding
of Greenland's ice sheet in fifty years.
Breakages from Greenland's
ice sheet (a process known as 'calving'),
are not uncommon and hundreds occur naturally
every year. But the sheer size of the most
recent separation from the ice sheet has
once again focused attention on changing
conditions in the Arctic.
GRID-Arendal in Norway,
a collaborating centre of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), closely monitors
changes in the Arctic climate and promotes
conservation initiatives in the polar region.
Peter Prokosch, Director
of GRID-Arendal, says the science world
is in agreement that recent years have seen
a net loss of ice mass in Greenland.
"Today, we are
seeing a much faster rate of iceberg calving
than in previous years", explains Mr.
Prokosch. But as well as the losses in Greenland,
Arctic sea ice, which covers the oceans
around the North Pole, is melting at higher
speeds every year. This means less ice remaining
in late summer and subsequent habitat loss
for polar bears and other species. A reduction
in ice also means less 'white reflection'
of solar energy, which contributes to further
warming of the region.
Data from last month
shows that the total sea ice cover in the
Arctic was at its second-lowest level for
July in over three decades. Last month,
some 70,000 square kilometers of Arctic
ice was lost through melting each day.
So what can be done
to protect the Arctic's unique habitats?
Those at the UNEP/GRID-Arendal centre believe
a new brand of tourism could hold part of
the answer.
Svalbard - a picturesque
archipelago in the north of Norway - is
a case in point. The region is a popular
tourist destination and is usually the closest
point that visitors can get to the North
Pole, which lies 1000 kilometres away.
A joint campaign by
conservation groups and tour operators in
the 11000s has helped to establish protected
areas in Svalbard and new laws that protect
biodiversity. Native animal species such
as polar bears now have protected status
in Svalbard and the hunting of many species
has been outlawed.
After witnessing this
success on their doorstep, the team from
the UNEP/GRID-Arendal centre developed the
"Linking Tourism and Conservation"
(LT&C) initiative. The project will
investigate how sustainable tourism can
help support the management and development
of protected areas.
Later this month, UNEP/GRID-Arendal
will host a study expedition to Svalbard
for conservationists, journalists and members
of the public. A further tour of Antarctica
is planned for November, when participants
will learn about the development of marine
protected areas in the Southern hemisphere.
"Hardly anywhere
else than in the Polar regions is it so
easy to convince people to support and invest
in protecting our planet", says Mr.
Prokosch. "This is because the polar
regions are the ideal place to see the link
between the impact of climate change and
biodiversity. Good examples, like this cold
face of climate change, should inspire similar
projects in other tourism areas."
UNEP/GRID-Arendal also
plans to produce an interactive map of tourist
destinations that are participating in conservation
work. It is hoped that the map will encourage
investment in tourism projects that support
conservation and will allow tourists to
view a destination's green credentials before
finalising their trip.
Tourism represents both
the challenges and opportunities for combating
climate change and protecting biodiversity.
As the UNEP/GRID-Arendal's expeditions set
sail for Svalbard later this month, it is
hoped that lessons learned in Norway will
inspire conservation efforts from the Amazon
to the Serengeti - and in many other tourist
destinations across the globe.
For more information please on UNEP/GRID-Arendal's
Linking Tourism and Conservation project,
please visit www.grida.no/ltc
