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- VIENNA (AFP) - The growth
of mass Alpine tourism and unregulated development of unstable environmental
zones are fueling a rising tide of natural disasters like avalanches and
mudslides, experts warned Monday.
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- Global climate change may also be responsible for the
growing toll from such catastrophes, which has grown threefold since the
1960s, according to figures presented to a UN and EU-backed conference
here.
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- The three-day conference, entitled "Living with
Natural Hazards," opened Monday and brings together scientific, environmental
and sociological experts to discuss the problem.
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- Governments must act to stem the increase in catastrophes
like snowslides in Europe's Alpine heartland and the landslips which struck
Venezuela last month, the conference was told.
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- "These natural disasters not only bring about inexpressible
human suffering but may also result in serious environmental damage and
shake the economic foundation of the entire population living in the region
affected," Austrian Science and Transport Minister Caspar Einem told
the conference.
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- "While some landslides and avalanches can be traced
back to the overexploitation of environmentally sensitive areas, other
catastrophes are consequences of the apparent change in global climate,"
he said.
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- The meeting's Austrian hosts are all too aware of the
consequences of avalanches. Last year the country suffered its most deadly
snowslide tragedy in decades when two avalanches killed 38 people near
the village of Galtuer.
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- The growth of so-called extreme sports, such as canyoning
and endurance rock-climbing, can also only increase casualty rates, they
said.
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- "The problem with modern tourism is that we can't
just sell beds in five-star hotels anymore," said Walter Ender of
tourism department of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.
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- "We must sell experiences. People are seeking sensations,
and that can bring problems," he added, while noting that the February
1999 Galtuer tragedy had only cost about one percent in the village's annual
tourism revenues.
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- Professor Ernst Gehmacher, an expert on the social consequences
of natural disasters, agreed that the growing toll gave serious cause for
concern.
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- "With the present growth rate of incidents . it
is most alarming," he told AFP. "There is a risk that in the
next 10-20yrs .. a major catastrophic event could arise," he said.
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- "We are living in a society which reacts quickly
to threats. This could cause a conflict of interests and a collapse of
Alpine skiing, for instance," he added.
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- But the conference will not concentrate solely on Alpine
avalanches effecting tourism. Disasters like the floods and landslides
that left 20,000-50,000 people dead in Venezuela last month will also be
on the agenda.
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- UN expert Phillippe Boulle international cooperation
was essential to reduce risks worldwide, and learn from mistakes made.
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- "The more we encroach on nature, the more we suffer
from it," he said.
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