Assistant Professor of Tourism Management at The College of The Bahamas, Dr. Sophia A. Rolle have been invited to present during plenary sessions at the Third Annual GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice Regional Workshop on “Earth Observation Support for Sustainable Tourism in Small Island States,” scheduled to take place at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 9-11 March 2011.
Dr. Rolle is schedule to present on the topic: “Resolving current and future conflicts between tourism and ecosystems: What are the information needs and gaps.” Additionally, Dr. Rolle will be a co-convener of a breakout session on Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Increasing benefits for sustainable tourism and reducing impacts.
The Workshop is a joint initiative of the GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP), the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO-IOC), and the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CariCOOS). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US-GEO are also key partners and sponsors of the Workshop.
The Caribbean Regional Association for Coastal Ocean Observing (CaRA), a component of the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), will serve as sponsor and local host in San Juan.
Dr. Rolle indicated that she was thrilled to have been singled out and invited because she will undoubtedly be able to share some of the ‘best practices’ in ecosystems management and mitigation in The Bahamas, but most importantly inform audiences about the current efforts at The College of The Bahamas in developing its own signature Small Island States Program covering wide interdisciplinary perspectives such as Ecotourism and Development, Policy Studies, Ecosystems Management and Integrated Studies on Small Island State development.
Carvel Francis
