Miss Earth 2014: Miss Botswana Nicole Gaelebale

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Miss Earth 2014: Miss Botswana Nicole Gaelebale

What is your environmental advocacy and why did you choose this?

Botswana is host to a total of 593 bird species with the single largest population (20%) of the Wattled cranes in the world and over 60% of the world’s Slaty Egrets, both birds of global conservation. The number of bird species motivated me to encourage birding tourism/avitourism as my project. Birding tourism generates income and provides employment opportunities. In the long run, this would alleviate poverty and help conserve biodiversity in Botswana.

Implementing waste segregation at tourist attractions is also part of my project. As people visit and enjoy our physical features, historical sites, and cultural heritage, they are also aware that it is very important to sort waste before disposing of it because segregated waste can easily be recycled, hence improve the lives of community people.

What tip can you share to promote this year's theme, Eco Tourism?

Empowering local community with eco-tourism education is key to poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation.

Would you like Miss Botswana Nicole Gaelebale to be Miss Earth 2014? Support her by sharing her profile on Facebook and Twitter. Tag @YahooPH and use the hashtag #MissEarth2014.

Yahoo Philippines is the official online partner of Miss Earth 2014.

(Photo courtesy of Nicole Gaelebale)