Ecotourism is Subject of National Symposium Hosted by Canisius University

January 6, 2015

Buffalo, NY – Canisius University will host a special symposium, entitled “Ecotourism:  A Partnership with Nature?” on Sunday, January 18 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m., and Monday, January 19, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., in the Regis Room of the college’s Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center.  The two-day event is free and open to the public and sponsored by the Canisius University Institute for the Study of Human Animal Relations (ISHAR), Brock University’s Department of Tourism Management and the William H. Fitzpatrick Institute of Public Affairs and Leadership at Canisius.

“Ecotourism is a significant and growing aspect of the way that humans encounter animals in the natural world,” said Michael Noonan, PhD, director of the ISHAR program.  “It is important that we work to get it right.” 

The symposium brings together visionary thinkers from across the country and the globe to discuss topics including:

“The Future of Ecotourism:  Lessons Learned at Gombe National Park,” Bernard Gichobi, M’Bali M’Bali Gombe Forest Lodge, Tanzania;

“The Perils and Promise of Ecotourism,” Michael Tobias, Dancing Star Foundation, California;

“Ecotourism: A System Mechanism for Positive Change?” Kelly Bricker, University of Utah;

“Exploring the Boundaries of a New Moral Order for Tourism’s Global Code of Ethics,” David Fennell, Brock University, Ontario;

“Nature and Responsibility in Ecotourism,” Bryan Grimwood, University of Waterloo, Ontario; and

“A Critical Analysis of the Promise of Ecotourism,” Kennedy Magio, Universidad de Occidente, Mexico.

The event will close with a panel discussion about “The Future of Ecotourism,” and a symposium summary by Noonan.

Noonan is chair of the college’s Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation (ABEC) major, which offers a broad training in the nature of animals, their behavioral ecology, and mankind’s relationship to them. It is designed for students who wish to engage in a rigorous course of study on the behavioral biology of animals, and one in which they critically examine issues pertaining to animal welfare and wildlife conservation.  For additional information, click here.

Noonan is also director the college’s graduate program in anthrozoology, the discipline that focuses on humanity’s relationship with other species.  The only program of its kind in the United States, the Anthrozoology Program examines the relationships between people and their companion animals, in addition to animals in art, literature, science agriculture and zoos.  For additional information, click here.

For more information about the symposium, contact the Office of Public Relations at Canisius University at 716-888-2790.

Canisius is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation and the premier private university in Western New York.

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