28 September 2011: On the occasion of World Tourism Day, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), comprising 14 international organizations and secretariats, issued a statement on the positives and negatives of ecotourism on forests and forestry.

Edgar Kaeslin, Forestry Officer in Wildlife and Protected Area Management, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), a CPF member, stated that ecotourism has a greater potential for contributing to income and livelihoods in rural communities than is realized. The FAO has a number of projects on ecotourism including in Egypt, Hungary, Laos, the Philippines and Tunisia, where they are assisting development of ecotourism as a sustainable forest use. At the same time, CPF warns, failure to limit the number of tourists at a site can lead to ecological damage, and in some cases, local communities are being negatively affected by ecotourism, including by disrupting local economies and undermining indigenous cultures. [FAO Media Release] [UN Press Release]