"We can't do it alone" and "Together". As if the speakers at OutDoor 2024 had come to an agreement, these demands filled the exhibition halls more than once. The goal: to save the ecosystem and biodiversity. Why we should care about this and what solutions already exist.
"Biodiversity is something that needs to be valued"
Species are dying out, natural habitats are shrinking and the ecological balance is being shaken - caused by pollution, climate change, deforestation and overuse of natural resources. This is nothing new, it is a problem that industry and people are becoming increasingly aware of. This topic was emphasized once again at OutDoor 2024. "We are all interdependent. Environment, animals, people," said Mackenzie Muir, Market Relationship Manager European Market at The New Zealand Merino Company, addressing one of the most important topics in the outdoor industry: Biodiversity.
If biodiversity is impaired, this can have serious consequences for the entire ecosystem. Species extinction means a loss of genetic diversity and our health and quality of life also decline. The decline in biodiversity also means the loss of food sources, medicinal resources and natural raw materials.
The role of the outdoor industry in particular is paradoxical here: as much as outdoor fans and the outdoor industry enjoy and benefit from nature with its biodiversity, it is also the outdoor industry that has a high share in the destruction. "More than a third of textiles are made from natural resources," explained Anna Rodewald from GreenRoom Voice.
The experts therefore all agree that the outdoor industry must take action. "There is something for everyone to do," emphasized Rodewald. And Tanya Bascombe Joint, General Manager of EOCA, called for: "Start, just start!"
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