On biodiversity day is it OK to ask: “Are people wildlife too?”

This year, the United Nations (UN) has linked the day with tour­ism under the theme “Biod­iversity and Sus­tain­able Tour­ism”; chosen to coin­cide with the Inter­na­tion­al Year of Sus­tain­able Tour­ism for Devel­op­ment.

The UN web page about the day states: “Diversity in spe­cies, eco­sys­tems and land­scapes attracts tour­ism and pro­motes eco­nom­ic growth. In turn, a well-man­aged tour­ist sec­tor can help reduce threats to key wild­life pop­u­la­tions, and can main­tain or increase biod­iversity, through tour­ism revenue.

“The cel­eb­ra­tion of the Inter­na­tion­al Day for Bio­lo­gic­al Diversity under the theme “Biod­iversity and Sus­tain­able Tour­ism” is an oppor­tun­ity to raise aware­ness of the import­ant con­tri­bu­tion of sus­tain­able tour­ism both to eco­nom­ic growth and to the con­ser­va­tion of biodiversity.”

The UN-des­ig­nated Inter­na­tion­al Day for Bio­lo­gic­al Diversity is this year themed to coin­cide with the Inter­na­tion­al Year of Sus­tain­able Tour­ism for Development.

People are wildlife too?

The Adven­ture Tour Oper­at­ors Asso­ci­ation of Kash­mir (ATOAK) and Wild­life SOS will host a sem­in­ar about biod­iversity and sus­tain­able tour­ism tomor­row (May 23) in Srin­agar, Indi­an-admin­istered Jam­mu and Kashmir.

“Emin­ent aca­dem­i­cians, bio­lo­gists, bot­an­ists, hor­ti­cul­tur­ists, colum­nists and tour­ism play­ers are going to take part in the sem­in­ar,” a state­ment by the ATOAK reportedly said.

The event is being organ­ised to com­mem­or­ate the UN-des­ig­nated Inter­na­tion­al Day for Bio­lo­gic­al Diversity, which is today (May 22).

ATOAK Pres­id­ent Rauf Tram­boo said: “Mil­lions of people in the US take part in sport angling every year. Sim­il­arly thou­sands of tour­ists take part in bird watch­ing and wild­life safar­is in oth­er states, so we need now to encour­age such sec­tors of tour­ism in the state.

“Adven­ture tour oper­at­ors often come across the wild­life in the moun­tains, may it be mam­mals, herb­al plants, moun­tain flowers and people or trout etc so it is our leg­al duty to safe­guard them.”

People are wild­life? While insens­it­ive, or pos­sibly mis­quoted by Great­er Kash­mir, is Tram­boo wrong?

They are fea­tured in the UN’s biod­iversity day logo!