Eco-entrepreneur, Irene Lane, is poised to speak at the 2011 Ecotourism and 
Sustainable Tourism Conference(ESTC) this September hosted by Hilton Head Island, South Carolina,. A native of Greece and founder of sustainable travel web hub, Greenloons.com, Lane will discuss the relationship between tourism and heritage preservation, presenting Alonissos, Greece as a model of how tourism can be leveraged to effectively raise awareness and contribute to wildlife restoration on a global scale.
Lane’s presentation will center on the Aegean island of Alonissos, whose endangered Mediterranean monk seals feed on fish local fishermen depended on to make a living. To halt the depletion of commercial fisheries and the resolve the issue of subsistence fisherman killing the monk seals out of economic necessity, the National Marine Park of Alonissos was created by government proclamation in 1992. The managers of the minimally funded national habitat then joined forces with the surrounding communities in the Northern Sporades islands to provide sustainable tourism planning and conservation education. The collaborative effort has succeeded in helping the people of Alonissos elevate their standard of living as well as protect one of the world’s most endangered species.
“The methods used successfully by the stakeholders in Alonissos can be replicated in other areas of the world also struggling between environmental responsibility and economic livelihood,” says Lane. “I look forward to discussing the Alonissos effort and its implications in more detail at the ESTC conference.” The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2011 will be bringing together 500+ business leaders, industry professionals and community stakeholders from September 19-21, 2011 at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
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