Picture: 123rtf

By Frank Martin

Every year planet Earth celebrates around 20 dates about nature all of them related to worldwide tourism.

June celebrations are a good example of that relationship.

During the current month in addition to the World Environment Day  are in the calendary the Oceans Day,  Cycling and Sea Turtles celebrations  and even desertification and drought remembrance  as crucial problems to overcome.

Also some festivals are dedicated to the sun international days  and the summer solstice, tropical forests and in honor of trees.

Tourism Day occurs every September 27.

This celebration exists since 1980 and since then commemorates, the end of the high tourist season in northern hemisphere and the beginning of that in southern hemisphere.

An analysis of such annual moments leads to evident conclusion:  The important nature dates are crucial for tourism also.

If nature is unacceptable somewhere tourists never show up.

One clear lesson is that whoever lives off mass tourism should not forget nature for a moment when make projects.

The global pandemic results prove that not even viruses can be forgotten.

Lessons of the Covid-19 epidemic have been frankly unforgettable.

Its harshest result is its power to cancel leisure travels of any kind, and practically assets the biggest blow in human history to global economy.

It also showed with irony that planet and humanity would need to “rethink” itself.

The severe confinements, the paralysis of air and sea travel and other effects gave an unexpected respite to animal life in seas, forests and jungles and to the environment in general.

Wild animals reappeared in regions from which they had fled, missing fish returned, vegetation improved in heavy deteriorating places.

The lesson is easy to understand for everyone.

Without nature protection cannot be natural attractions that are crucial for tourism, from animals, to jungles, forests, rivers or mountains.

Nor even would invulnerable the   more powerful branches of world economy.

“At a time when the world begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is growing recognition that curing the pandemic is related to curing the planet,” commented an expert on June 5. World Environment Day.

“But just as we caused the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis and the pollution crisis, we can reverse the damage we have done; we can be the first generation to reinvent, recreate and restore nature to drive action towards a better world,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) that day.

Could be an excellent job if we all of us do it together

FM