In a first of its kind 'chief executives meeting,' key decision-makers influencing Caribbean tourism development will come together to develop a sustainable tourism action plan. Balancing business interests with regional conservation will be the focus of Making Biodiversity Work For Your Travel Business: Increasing Profitability While Protecting the Environment, taking place April 24-26, 2003 at the Punta Cana Resort and Club in the Dominican Republic.

Tourism industry leaders will join government officials, conservation organizations, scientists and local representatives to find solutions for the greatest threats facing the Caribbean tourism industry and economy: environmental degradation and species loss. Keynote speakers include: Captain William S. Wright, Sr. Vice President, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Hon. Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, Chairman, Sandals Resorts and Air Jamaica, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, world-renowned experts in environmental economics, and Dr. Sylvia Earle, leading international expert in marine science and conservation.

Co-conveners include the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (CELB), the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science at Conservation International (CABS), the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC), the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation and the Punta Cana Resort and Club.

"Tourism can be both a cause of environmental damage as well as a positive force for conservation," said Jamie Sweeting, Director of Travel and Leisure for CELB, a division of Conservation International. "This event will bring business leaders and conservation experts together to find creative, business-minded solutions to the environmental problems facing the Caribbean.

Regional stakeholders will collaborate on a variety of pressing issues including: protecting the tourism industry from the financial risk associated with environmental degradation; identifying opportunities to protect
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Contact: Jason W. Anderson
j.anderson@celb.org
202-912-1464
Conservation International
21-Apr-2003

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