The World Heritage Convention was set up in 1972 to protect and maintain natural heritage. There has been a significant rise in the interest in natural heritage values in the past 100 years which has resulted in a number of officially protected areas of conservation. There is a general expectation that natural heritage conservation actions should also benefit human well-being and contribute to poverty alleviation. This paper will examine whether or not these are realistic expectations or simply ideas written on paper. Dr Will Turner, the Vice President for Conservation International states: “conserving the world’s remaining biodiversity isn’t just a moral imperative; it is a necessary investment for lasting economic development. But in many places where the poor depend on these natural services, we are dangerously close to exhausting them, resulting in lasting poverty.” It is evident that conserving natural heritage is essential to the health of the people, environment and economic development. Today the establishment of protected areas is one of the principle tools used by the global community to conserve geodiversity and biodiversity. If managed correctly biodiversity, particularly urban biodiversity, can contribute to poverty reduction and human well-being. If managed poorly, air, water and soil pollution can occur and increased costs of living charges may occur. Therefore the expectation that natural heritage conservation benefits human well-being is true, considering
One of the most important aspects of American culture is the long history of conservation that very few countries have, thanks to the National Park Service, which is a Federal institution. The United States possesses some of the bestpreserved landmarks in the world. However, in recent years, the government has proposed budget cuts to the NPS, which will severely limit its ability to properly maintain the parks. Because of the economic and historical
Construction of tourist facilities may increase the amount of jobs available to local people however it does also mean that more land is lost for natural habitats and although it is a necessary harm which is needed to increase economic activity there are few regulations on how much land can be used for new buildings and the removal of vegetation can increase soil erosion (Safariholidays 2011). Africa has a very delicate eco system which is highly vulnerable to drought and famine so although the benefits of tourism mean increasing sustainability in the long run it must be ensured that the locals receive some of
Every individual has a cultural heritage. Each culture views the world differently. Culture is an inherited characteristic and includes knowledge, beliefs, customs, skills, likes and dislikes. The fundamental role of cultural heritage is uniting, respecting the diversities and brings people together to face the future by informing, perceiving and give importance to the understanding of the past (need a reference) Heritage assessment tool was introduced for collecting information about different cultures, nationalities and build cultural competencies among health care professionals. It is used to investigate
In the United States today cultural diversity is growing more prevalent every day. The report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM: Unequal treatment, 2002) presented information that racial and ethnic minorities of all ages receive lower quality health care compared to their non-minority counterparts. Every effort should be made to stop the disparities surrounding cultural differences while attempting to understand the cultural health behaviors, increase cultural
Leopold expresses, “a system of conservation based solely on economic self-interest is hopelessly lopesided,” (p. 251). The self-interest economists who are only interested in the profit of which they gain from the land cannot spread the importance of the respect for the community. The people who share a knowledge and passion for the environment will educate those who are unaware. As well as being educated on the land, it is essential for humanity to understand that we are not users of what Earth has to offer us, but associates,
Culture is defined as the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society group place of time (Culture, 2013). The heritage assessment tool is a great method used to assess health maintenance, protection, and restoration of each individual’s cultural beliefs. The heritage assessment tool is often used by healthcare providers to help determine different cultural beliefs that may or may not impact an individuals care. The heritage assessment tool has been used to compare three different cultured families, health traditions, addressing health maintenance, health protection, and health restoration.
Heritage assessment helps patients a chance to express their beliefs, and customs very clearly to the health providers. It also would help to meet the patient’s needs and understand different cultures. Nurses will get a clear image of the patient’s background and that will improve the quality of care and patient outcome through the heritage assessment. When we were child, did not notice that families and friends have different cults. However once become adult realize that everybody has their own different cultures and it is the part of life. The heritage assessments encourage awareness of another’s health practices, beliefs, traditions, and helping to know their own heritage.
The preservation of wilderness that national parks offer is comforting to us; we know that our true home is out there somewhere remaining pure; therefore we may continue living our daily lives with the comfort. However, as Cronon points out, our careful sectioning off of designated wilderness areas may lead to more environmental harm than good by possibly allowing a sense of irresponsibility to develop between people and the natural environment. Cronon explains that if we see the environment as only small sections of our world meant to be visited as if they served the same purpose as museums, then we cut ourselves off from the natural world and no longer feel a true responsibility toward it, or possess a real knowledge of it. Furthermore, in urban areas, people exist no longer as member of the natural world but as spectator of the nature. We live our daily life admiring the natural world and yet our ability to protect the nature and adopt a smart use of the natural resources becomes more and more weak as the time unfold. That is by far what Cronon calls the manifestation of our lack of knowledge about nature and how to use it. He tries to emphasis this by saying that “Idealizing a distant wilderness often means not idealizing the environment in which we live […] we need an environmental ethic that will tell us as much about using nature as not using it.”
In the piece “Selling out on nature” (McCauley, 2006), Douglas J. McCauley describes how conservation efforts are fueled by the economic advantages it possesses and are carried out solely for the purpose of benefiting our economic markets. McCauley states that ecosystem services are “economic benefits provided by natural ecosystems” (27), arguing that the only incentive for mankind to save nature depends on how profitable nature can be. He emphasizes that our attention should not be put forth in commodifying nature but rather, inculcating respect and love for it so that we can preserve it for many years to come. I oppose McCauley’s argument because it’s impractical and unachievable. Humanity will
UNESCO biosphere reserves are considered some of the major ecosystems in the world. According to UNESCO, biosphere reserves are “sites of excellence where new and optimal practices to manage nature and human activities are tested and demonstrated”. However when an individual’s actions are expected to negatively impact the Niagara Escarpment, limitations must be imposed on the individual in order to preserve the biosphere for the greater good of the world. Humans must respect and follow the regulations of an UNESCO biosphere reserve in order to maintain it. Before one looks to expand on the Niagara Escarpment, economic, social, cultural, and environmental factors should be considered.
Responsibility for areas of natural beauty (other than those within park boundaries) is currently held at local government level. These local administrative bodies are generally happy with the existing situation, which they argue is the best way to balance the need to protect the countryside with the importance of ensuring employment and affordable housing for local inhabitants. Adopting this viewpoint, Marchmont (1999:45) argues that
Since decades ago, the natural heritages has become the increasingly popular attractions, attracting a large number of people to visit, mainly due to the growing concern of environment protection and the rising living standard. People pursue the uniqueness of attraction, which the natural heritages have, that there is a great demand for this activity. The GBR is the representative one, catering to the demand of millions of visitors annually. The tourism industry is flourishing and make a great contribution to the GBR while it also offer a valuable and enjoyable experience to visitors, generating mutually beneficial relationship between them.
Another factor precipitating deforestation appears to be poverty. Commonly held views argue that “high discount rates” received by poor countries are a cause of deforestation (The World Bank Forestry Policy 1991, Pearce and Watford 1993.). Because forests imply long gestation; private agents, particularly from the poorest countries, value what they can get immediately from forests more than what they can get in the future. But in 1999, Ekbom and Bojo challenged those views in a World Bank examination by showing that poverty does not necessarily lead to shorter time horizons and an increased rate of environmental degradation. They show how in fact the rural poor have used resources in a conservationist manner over a long period spanning centuries. Ostrom (1990), one of the various analysts they quoted, established a number of conditions that would lead to long term use of common resources despite their short-time
Right from the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century, there has been a fierce debate concerning how economic growth or development affects the environment or ecological setup of a country. The debate has its basis on whether it would be recommendable for a nation to concentrate on growing its economy while at the same time hurting or harming its ecological system. Naturalists like Pinchot Gifford, John Muir, Love Canal and Cuyahoga County always argued in favor of environmental preservation as opposed to concentrating all efforts towards developing the economy (Olmes 154; Miller 150-51). This paper will, therefore, discuss the struggle between economics and ecology specifically looking at particular events across the Twentieth Century. It will also attempt to explain the factors involved in the pursuit for change on the way people and the administration perceived the environmental conservation as opposed to economic growth.
The number of people living in urban areas is dramatically increasing across the world. Currently, 75 % of people live in cities in the developed world, (Bernhardt E.S. and Palmer M.A, 2007) despite such high percentage many do not get access to the green and blue spaces available, in other words cannot interact with nature. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency green spaces are ‘land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs or other vegetation’ (Environmental Protection Agency, 2014) This includes community gardens, parks as well as cemeteries. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2014) On the other hand, blue spaces include rivers, canals and lakes. (Sally, M, 2010) As urbanisation increases, it will pose a greater threat to nature such as pollution, habitat destruction, erosion and colonisation of native species. There are various ways to engage with nature. However, one reason for green and blue spaces not being utilised effectively by people may be due to people being unaware of the values that these have and the crucial functions they undertake in the ecosystem such as recycling nutrients and controlling the hydrological cycle.