#BeatAirPollution is this year’s World Environment Day focus.
The importance of nature reserves and protected areas in the #BeatAirPollution drive is crucial. These pockets of pristine natural environments help maintain balance and need your support.
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 92% of the world’s population now breathes polluted air. That’s nine out of ten people! WHO estimates that 4.6 million people die each year from causes directly related to air pollution such as carbon monoxide emissions. In fact, there are more yearly global deaths linked to air pollution than to motor vehicle accidents. A sobering thought don’t you think?
The basic objective of any National Park is to safeguard the conservation of its natural values. It is, therefore, a place of protection that carries with it a special legal regime in order to ensure that conservation. High levels of biodiversity keep ecosystems healthy and resilient, continuing to provide vital services such as climate regulation, air and water purification and pollination, in a world where such systems are in decline.
The International Tourism Society (TIES) defines Ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment and improves the well-being of local people”. Zambezi Grande Private Game Experience is incredibly fortunate to have several effective eco- initiatives supporting the Lower Zambezi National Park, such as Conservation Lower Zambezi and TUSK, which provide protection for wildlife and the environments in which they are found, but equally as important, educate local communities on how to look after these precious resources.
So, with a sense of Eco-tourism when booking your holiday, you can help ensure National Parks and protected areas receive the support and exposure required to keep these vital natural resources alive and, essentially, breathing for our entire planet.