Lecture:Conservation Tourism: the smart way to protect wildlife and habitat by Alex Walters

TIME: Refreshments from 7pm, lecture from 7.30pm

VENUE: Salon 1, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

LECTURE TITLE: Conservation Tourism: the smart way to protect wildlife and habitat by Alex Walters

LECTURE SUMMARY: Conservation Tourism is a phrase at the heart of Great Plains Conservation’s mission statement. Working with tourism partners, who send their clients to Great Plains Conservation’s portfolio of safari camps in Kenya and Botswana, the profits from commercial tourism activities are wholly attributed to conservation work in these countries and expanding further habitat that needs protection to ensure wildlife protection for generations to come. Such conservation measures includes airlifting 100+ rhinos to the safety of Botswana, rehabilitation former hunting reserves to entirely photographic tourism, working with communities to ensure wildlife and humans coexist in moderate harmony, raising awareness worldwide and locally through media campaigns, education and documentary films.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Alex Walters is the Sales and Marketing Manager for Great Plains Conservation, based in the green hills of Wales. His primary role is to be the link between the safari camps and lodges that Great Plains operates in Africa and the travel trade partners who send clients to these camps. His love for Africa stemmed from his undergraduate study of termites in Zimbabwe in 1993, and has travelled to Africa periodically ever since.

Prior to working for Great Plains in 2010, he spent 15 years working for various travel companies, sending clients predominantly to Africa, and has worked for the Royal Geographical Society in London. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Geography from King’s College London and graduated with distinction from Bournemouth University studying Business, Finance and Tourism.

This talk is generously sponsored by Elegant Resorts Middle East http://www.elegantresorts.ae/