DANUBE DELTA As Europe's largest remaining natural wetland, the Danube Delta is one of the continent's most valuable

habitats for wetland wildlife and biodiversity, but its ecosystems are affected by changes upstream, such as pollution and the manipulation of water discharge, as well as by ecological changes in the delta itself. The unique ecosystems of the Danube Delta, consisting of a labyrinthine network of river channels, shallow bays and hundreds of lakes, interspersed with extensive marshes, reed-beds, islands and floodplains, form a valuable natural buffer zone, filtering out pollutants from the River Danube, and helping to improve water quality in the vulnerable waters of the north-western Black Sea. Ecological changes in the Delta itself, including the creation of a network of canals through the delta to improve access and water circulation, and the reduction of the wetland area by the construction of agricultural polders and fishponds have reduced biodiversity, altered natural flow and sedimentation patterns, and diminished the ability of the delta to retain nutrients. This is because more of the nutrient-rich waters are now washed directly through the main canals rather than being distributed through the wetlands and reed beds. Did you know? Most of the delta lies within Romania, but some of its northern fringes, and most recently formed areas are in Ukraine. A total area of 679,000 ha of the delta is under legal protection including floodplains and marine areas. The core of the reserve (312,400 ha) was designated as a World Natural Heritage Site in 1991. Up to 75 different species of fish can be found in the delta, while several globally threatened bird species, including the red-breasted goose, the Dalmatian pelican and the pygmy cormorant, either breed or winter in the delta.

The Danube is of huge significance to Romania: covering 237,391 km and with nearly 22 million inhabitants, the country is almost entirely within the Danube Basin. The Romanian section covers almost a third of the surface area of the Basin, and over a third of the rivers length flows through the country. Crucially, the Romanian (and also Ukrainian) Danube is the end carrier of all wastewater discharges from all countries into the Black Sea. Over half of Romanias water bodies show high ecological status, however water quality in much of the remainder was significantly affected by development in the 1960s-80s.

THE DEMAND FOR RESPONSIBLE TOURISM An increasing number of customers are concerned about the impact of tourism on destination communities and the environment. Fuelled by regular newspaper reports on the consequences of travel and tourism, todays customers are looking for ways of continuing to have holidays, but minimizing the negative effects of them. Tour operators must respond to this demand, and do more than just pay lip service to ideas of fair trade and sustainable tourism. At the moment there are many specialist companies offering ecotourism. These companies are flourishing, but they are a tiny section of the tourist industry as a whole. We need to bring responsible tourism into the mainstream of the industry if mainstream tourism is to continue to grow. We need to ensure that the very assets upon which we rely beautiful beaches, unspoilt landscapes, ancient monuments and fascinating cultures are protected in order to sustain our industry. At the moment we employ one in every 11.5 of the planets workers. We are a huge industry, and must become a responsible one. There are many initiatives currently in place. Tourism Concerns Fair Trade in Tourism campaign encourages dialogue between tour operators, tourists and destination communities, and promotes and highlights examples of good practice. The UKs Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) has produced guidelines for its members, encouraging them to protect the environment, respect local cultures, benefit local communities, conserve natural resources and minimise pollution. The Tour Operators' Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development has similar objectives, is open to all tour operators, and has the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Tourism Organization (WTO). We must take the ideas promoted by these initiatives on board and act on them. So what does this mean in practice? We must change our business practices in every sector of the industry. We need to increase the number of tour operators committed to responsible tourism, and increase their visibility within the industry. We need to increase tourists awareness of what we are doing, and what they can do in return. We can encourage our customers to be responsible tourists by giving them information on local customs, suitable dress codes and sustainability issues at their destinations. We need to listen to and work with destination communities. This may involve taking drastic measures such as limiting the number of tourists allowed to visit certain destinations, or increasing prices so that local communities benefit more from tourism. Above all, we need to ensure that mainstream tourism is responsible tourism.