Topic: Promoting Ecologically Sound Development Strategies
Country: Colombia
Delegate Name: William Fleming
School: Fishers High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Colombia position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Colombia believes that the environment is an important part of all countries, and the destruction of such areas that promote biodiversity should be publicly criticized by all nations. There is a reason that the Colombian people have made sure to keep above 50% of our land as forest, all to do with biodiversity.
There are two main reasons to obtain a biodiverse area, one of those being tourism revenue. When people want to travel to extoc areas with a wide multitude of animals and vegetation, they do not travel to cities such as New York and Berlin. Those locations are mainly historical sights, but not known for a large quantity of vegetation. Areas that are heavily toured by foreigners are known for their large jungles and diverse wildlife. Such places are abundant in Southern America and Africa. These areas are famous for holding exotic animals and abundant types of wildlife and vegetation. This explains why many people who want an exotic vacation choice one of these locations. It is also why when many people think of the word exotic, they associate it with areas such as South America.
Another important part about keeping wildlife available is it keeps the people happy. This is important, as people can leave your country if they feel like their lands are being destroyed. For example, organizations such as Greenpeace, have taken bold moves to prevent corporations from destroying big amounts of land, or actively protest on sites in which they work to stop them from destroying other lands. In a study done by Berkeley University, it was proven that people who spend more time in nature are on average happier and , to quote the article directly, “less brooding”.
A potential solution to solving the crisis of our quickly dying biodiversity is to first stop larger corporations from going into these areas and destroying them. An example of such decreasing areas are the Amazon rainforest. In the past 40 years, 20 percent of the massive 2.124 million square miles of rainforest have been cut down, for farmers to gain extra land. These farms need to be shut down and the person or persons who were responsible for the destruction of the land. Another goal should be to raise awareness for these lands, as without the support of the people, nothing can be achieved.
In conclusion, we need to make sure that goals of biodiversity are met, as they will aid in keeping our nations from destroying themselves. Other benefits include a public that will appreciate actions to ensure a stable environment, and tourism will flourish into a powerful economy.
Suttie, Jill. "How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative." Greater Good. Berkeley University, 02 Mar. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016
Wallace, Scott. "Amazon Rain Forest, Deforestation, Forest Conservation – National Geographic Magazine." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.CIA. "The World Factbook: COLOMBIA." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 03 Nov. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
