Representatives of New7Wonders attended a recent summit of the Amazon Interregional Council (Consejo Interregional Amazónico, or CIAM, for short) in Iquitos, Peru, chaired by Iván Vásquez Valera, president of the largest Peruvian Amazonian region, Loreto.
CIAM is comprised of the regional governments of Amazonas, Loreto, Madre de Dios, San Martin and Ucayali. It seeks to streamline initiatives to promote sustainable development of the Peruvian Amazon, and it views the election of the Amazon as one of the New7Wonders of Nature as having significant positive implications for the region. As a result, Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, and Jean Paul de la Fuente, Director of New7Wonders, were warmly welcomed by the regional delegates at the meeting.
“Tourism combined with environmental protection can bring great economic benefits to Peruvian Amazon region since an unspoiled ecosystem is what 21st-century tourists are increasingly looking for,” said Bernard Weber, reflecting upon his visit to Peru. “New7Wonders looks forward to working with the governments of the countries that share the Amazon to ensure that eco-tourism, along with forestry and biodiversity conservation, is placed at the very heart of regional economic development.”
In alphabetical order, the provisional New7Wonders of Nature announced on 11 November 2011 are: Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River and Table Mountain. Both Jeju Island and Puerto Princesa Underground River have been confirmed on a preliminary basis. The remaining five provisional New7Wonders of Nature are currently undergoing the three steps of the verification process, namely the national voting validation, the global voting calculation confirmation by an independent audit firm, and the preparation and implementation of the Official Inauguration ceremonies.