The Student Union

Eco-tourism involves people travelling to beautiful but environmental sensitive place. Such trips are usually carried out with a(n)    1    guide. Over recent years, this type of travel has been steadily gaining    2    as more people search for new travel experiences.

It is obvious that eco-tourism is beneficial in many aspects. First, all the money spent by the tourists is used to    3    the important environmental spots they visit. Second,it helps visitors to better understand the environment, which is sure to    4    their knowledge of the world. Furthermore, this style of travel is also more    5    of the local culture.

Compared to normal tourists, eco-tourist use energy more    6    , save water and produce less rubbish by finding ways to recycle it. These behaviors have a(n)    7    and lasting effect on the local environment.

Two things are needed to make eco-tourism a success. First, it should be done in small groups. And second, because it requires great effort, both eco-tourists and    8    must be sincere in their devotion to improving the environment. Green travel provides local people with jobs in parks, hotels and shops. One great achievement of eco-tourism has been the    9    of ilegal hunting. Former hunters can now work as guides to help keep the animals safe in their natural surroundings. Peru is one country using eco-tourism to promote respect for the environment. It's able to take better care of its rainforests because of    10    on more sustainable travel. In addition to this, local people's living-standards have improved. Many others are now following Peru's example and using eco-tourism to preserve their environment for the future generations.

3 . Animal populations across the world have been reduced by 69% in less than 50 years, according to a new scientific report. The report’s authors are calling for urgent action to restore the natural world.

The Living Planet Report (LPR) is produced every two years by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. The most recent report, released on October 13, 2022, shows that almost 70% of the world’s monitored wildlife was lost between 1970 and 2018. The report is based on research from 195 countries around the world. Data was collected from almost 32,000 populations of 5,230 species.

Although the average global loss of wildlife is 69%, the rate is greater in the global south. Latin America and the Caribbean in particular have seen the sharpest fall, having lost 94% of their wildlife since 1970. Across the world, the biggest drop was in freshwater populations of wildlife — including almost 1,400 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles — which have decreased by 83%.

The report identifies several causes for wildlife loss, including hunting, farming, the loss of forests, pollution and climate change. However, the report also promotes solutions, such as designing less destructive food production systems, urgently protecting the Amazon rainforest, limiting the use of fossil fuels, and creating new laws to protect our natural environment.

Commenting on the report, Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, called the figures “terrifying”, and said “we need to help nature recover and not simply halt its loss.” In December 2022, world leaders are meeting in Montreal for the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference, also known as COP 15. The authors of the LPR say that this is an opportunity for a global plan to deal with wildlife loss and restore nature. “Government leaders must step up at COP 15,” said Lambertini. “The world is watching.”