Rick Ridgeway, Board Chairman of Freedom to Roam Coalition, and Vice President of Environmental Initiatives and Special Media Projects for Patagonia, Inc., will be presenting a keynote address at this year's Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC), to be held in Portland, Oregon, USA, from September 8-10, 2010.
Mr. Ridgeway's presentation will follow an opening speech by Mayor Sam Adamis of Portland, Oregon, during the General Session on Thursday, September 9th, 2010 (8:00-9:30am, Hilton Portland, Grand Ballroom I). Mr. Ridgeway will be presenting the Freedom to Roam initiative, a broad coalition of businesses, government agencies and environmental groups committed to the protection of wildlife corridors and connected landscapes. Corridors are the single solution that will ensure wildlife can move, migrate, and adapt despite the challenges of habitat fragmentation and a changing climate. Permanent protection of wildlife corridors can only happen if there is broad awareness and support for landscape connectivity, and the tourism industry can play a key role in ensuring that our wildlife has the freedom to roam through this century and beyond. >From fish to high-altitude predators to migrating birds, different animals are >affected in different ways by climate change and the threats it presents to >natural wildlife habitats. According to Freedom to Roam, "for many wild >animals, to roam means to survive." This is because hundreds of species >migrate between habitats seasonally, following patterns that have been passed >from generation to generation, and for them to locate a new place to survive >and breed, freedom to roam often determines whether or not wild creatures can >adapt to change. For more information about the ESTC 2010 Keynote Speakers, please see: http://www.ecotourismconference.org/speakers Register for the ESTC 2010 now and secure your place at this important annual conference: http://www.ecotourismconference.org/register - The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
