UN assignment for ETOUR scientist
Dr. Lusine Margaryan from the European Tourism Research Institute (ETOUR), Mid Sweden University, has been invited to contribute to the UN’s Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services - IPBES - forthcoming report on the sustainable use of wild species.
– With the growing global environmental crisis related to biodiversity degradation and climate change, more and more wild species depend on human decision-making for their survival. The IPBES report is a global attempt to synthesize cutting edge scientific knowledge to help policy-makers in their decisions around this topic, she says.
In the new UN report, Dr. Margaryan will assess the sustainable use of wild species in the tourism industry. In November, she will participate in a conference in Nairobi, together with around 100 other experts from 45 countries, as part of the work with the IPBES report.
IPBES is an intergovernmental research platform established in 2012 with members from over 100 countries. Its aim is, among other things, to compile knowledge about biodiversity and ecosystem services, and IPBES´ function is similar to the one IPCC has in the field of climate change.
– This IPBES effort is yet another example of how tourism is connected to the central challenges of our time and it underscores the importance of serious scholarship to inform future policy development. Dr. Margaryan’s invitation to participate in this effort reflects her own expertise as well as the breadth and depth of the ETOUR environment at Mid Sweden University, says Dimitri Ioannides, Director of ETOUR.
Dr. Margaryan is a faculty member in the discipline of tourism studies at Mid Sweden University and has worked at ETOUR since 2012. Originally from Armenia, she was nominated to the IPBES by the Armenian government.
– In Chapter 2 of this extensive report, where I am directly involved, we try to understand the conceptualizations and practices of sustainable use of wild species. My task is to look at wildlife watching tourism as an example of using wildlife non-consumptively. With the unprecedented global expansion of tourism, it can do a lot of damage but can also significantly contribute to conservation. It is, therefore, important to have a clear understanding how to avoid the former and promote the latter.
The report will be completed in 2021.
Contact:
Lusine Margaryan, lusine.margaryan@miun.se, 010-142 80 75