Youth,Empowerment,through,Environmental,Restoration,Initiatives

作者：jkyxc 浏览数：次

The outcomes from successful environmental restoration initiatives represent a multitude of benefits for participating local communitiesand the young people residing within them. Communities benefit from increased land value and the beautification of public areas through the establishment of healthy green spaces and corridors. Also, restored habitats allow for a renewed rise in biodiversity, which may have been previously lost due to human-caused impacts. Increased biodiversity in turn provides opportunities for employment for local young people through ecotourism, as guides for interested visitors. Ecologically, restored places encourage increases in populations of game birds, fish and other animals that are potential food sources for local people. Another often overlooked benefit of restoring habitats such as wetlands, rivers, and lakes is a renewed supply of clean freshwater.

It’s through involvement in environmental restoration projects and initiatives that youth can take an active part in the sustainable development of their local communities, with time being able to take pride in the places they call home and become responsible stewards of the land. Since local youth represent the next generations, encouraging them to take an active role in managing natural resources is vital to preserving the continued health of the environment and promoting sustainable development.

成功的环境修复倡议可以为参与倡议活动的当地社区及居住其中的青年人带来众多好处。当地社区获得的益处包括通过建立健康绿色的空间和走廊而得到的土地附加价值和公共场所的美化。此外，修复动物栖息地可以保障重新实现生物多样性，这一特性已在之前由于人类活动的影响被失去。不断增长的生物多样性反过来可以通过生态旅游为当地青年提供就业机会，他们为感兴趣的游客担任向导。从生态方面来讲，不断修复的地点能促进鸟类、鱼类及其他可能被当地人作为食物来源的动物在数量上得以增加。另外一个经常被忽略的好处是，修复的栖息地，如湿地、河流和湖泊可以再次成为清洁淡水的来源。

通过参与环境修复项目和倡议活动，青年人能够在当地社区的可持续发展中发挥积极作用，逐渐地对他们称作“家”的地方引以自豪，成为土地的负责任的管理者。当地青年代表了下一代人，鼓励他们在管理自然资源中发挥积极作用，对维护环境的持续健康和推动可持续发展至关重要。

Successfully spearheaded environmental restoration initiatives geared at actively involving youth may develop into potential income generating ecotourism opportunities and small businesses. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) uses the following definition of ecotourism:

Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples.

Many areas around large settlements have experienced environmental degradation to some extent or other, and restoring natural habitats and ecosystems is a necessary step in helping to create sustainable income-generating activities such as ecotourism. By involving youth from start of these projects to their completion and ongoing maintenance, youth may gain an appreciation for the importance of preserving natural habitats and resources, as well as a sense of identity and a source of income.

积极促使青年参与领先的环境修复倡议活动有可能发展成为潜在的创收项目，产生生态旅游机会和小企业。世界自然保护联盟这样定义生态旅游：

对自然区域的环境负责任，以享受、欣赏并推动保护大自然（及其伴随的文化特色）为目的，具有较低的游客影响，并为当地民众提供有利的积极的社会经济参与的旅游活动。

大型聚居地周围的许多地区都遭受了不同程度的环境退化，修复自然及栖息地和生态系统是帮助创造如生态旅游这样的可持续创收活动一个必要的步骤。通过让青年参与此类项目从开工到完成的全过程，以及随后不断开展的维护工作，青年将获得对保护自然栖息地和自然资源重要性的认知，以及获得身份认同和收入。

Environmental restoration initiatives represent tools to tackle both environmental problems and youth unemployment in one comprehensive package. Some examples of successful projects involve rehabilitation of riparian areas in lakes and rivers or wetland restoration. A project may be headed by qualified professionals and youth involvement may consist of field teams directly replanting denuded areas, for instance. Restoring a threatened or damaged habitat back to its original ecologically functional state also encourages youth to become aware of environmental/ecological issues and to feel they are making a positive difference in their communities and lives. In this way, successful restoration initiatives involving youth may include a strong training component, an educational component, a direct “hands on” component, and a methodology where they are shown how to turn these opportunities into income generating activities.

Other opportunities for youth empowerment through environmental restoration and protection may be found in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. These serve three basic functions: a logistic function – “to provide support for research, monitoring, and information exchange related to local, national, and global issues of conservation and development”; a conservation function – “to contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems and genetic variation”; and a development function – “to foster economic and human development which is socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable”. Biosphere reserves are hubs of activity where youth can be involved in ecological research and other conservation activities, bridging the gap between development and preservation of the environment. Involvement in these activities may translate into economic gain and empowerment for youth, who may then become exemplary stewards of the land and examples for future generations.

环境修复倡议活动可以一箭双雕地处理环境问题和青年就业问题。一些成功的项目案例复原了湖泊、河流和湿地周围的生态。一个项目可由合格的专业人士带领，青年参与可包括重新绿化裸露地表的户外团队活动等。把一个受到威胁或被破坏的栖息地修复到其原本的生态功能状态，同样可以激起青年对环境生态问题的认识，意识到他们正在对所生活的社区做出的积极改变。这样下去，青年参与的成功修复倡议活动包含了强烈的培训成分、教育成分、直接的“传承”成分以及可以被展示传播的如何将机会转换成创收项目的方法。

通过环境修复和保护为实现青年赋权的其他机会或在联合国教科文组织生物圈保护区可以找到。这包括3项基本功能：后勤保障功能——“为研究、监督及与当地、国家和全球保护与发展问题有关的信息交换提供帮助”；保护功能——“促进自然、生态及基因多样性”；发展功能——“培养经济和人类的社会文化与生态的可持续发展”。生物圈保护区是各项活动的交汇中心，青年可以参与生态研究和其他生态保护活动，缩小经济发展和环境保护的差距。参与这些活动或可转变为青年的经济收入和能力，他们也会变为模范的土地管理员和后代的榜样。