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ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (APP):The Executive Director of Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan), Munir Ahmed, while conducting a national training workshop at the National Centre for Rural Development (NCRD) on Monday, emphasized that ecotourism be promoted and must be placed at the heart of Pakistan’s development policies.
Participants from different cities joined the workshop focused on the theme “Ecotourism and Sustainable Development,” said a press release.
Addressing the opening session, NCRD Director Dr Abdul Rehman Khan Niazi focused the need to explore Pakistan’s diverse landscapes—mountains, deserts, forests, wetlands and coasts—through sustainable practices that generate income without degrading ecosystems.
Munir Ahmed, a well-known ecotourism and sustainable development expert, warned that unchecked mass tourism could “erode the very beauty it seeks to promote.”
“Tourism in Pakistan cannot be just about visitors, hotels and attractions. If it ignores ecosystems and sidelines communities, it will do more harm than good. Ecotourism is the way forward because it keeps the balance between people, culture and nature,” he said.
Participants engaged in a lively interactive discussion on how to practically integrate ecotourism in their respective regions. Many agreed with Ahmed’s view that communities must be made central to tourism planning and benefit-sharing.