Besselink, Cas

This booklet contains views and abstracts of articles from the special COP6 edition of the magazine Ecologie & Ontwikkeling (Ecology & Development) published by the Netherlands Committee for IUCN. It reviews the role and importance of the Biodiversity Convention and focuses on the priority themes of the COP6, aiming to briefly sketch some points of view on the history and framework of the Convention.

A series of articles looks into the problems and controversies concerning tourism and nature. On the one hand tourism is dependent upon nature, on the other hand, however, it often destroys the natural and socio-cultural environment. In the first section representatives from relevant sectors involved with tourism and nature (tourists, environmentalists, governments and the tourism sector) express their views on the possibilities of sustainable tourism.

The Congo Basin encompasses an enormous region of Central Africa. Up to the present day, the area has a more or less continuous forest cover and is rich in biodiversity. The lowland forest of the Congo Basin for instance, is the most species-rich forest in Africa. In particular species groups of the region, endemism is high.

Examines the environmental impact of mining and the mineral industry, with a special emphasis on tropical forests. Two cases are described in detail, the Carajás area in Brazil and the Mt Nimba iron ore project on the border of Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa. The report also looks into the environmental cost of Dutch mineral trading and the Dutch involvement in mineral project in rainforest areas.