Ecotourism Best of
Eight New Natural Wonders Listed by World Heritage
Eight new natural sites were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List yesterday, 8 July 2008. David Sheppard, head of the Protected Areas Programme with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said, “These eight stunning natural sites are amongst the best of what nature has to offer.”
The IUCN is the world’s oldest environmental organisation. It carries out technical evaluations of the natural values of the sites nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List. “Each site has been carefully inspected by IUCN and thoroughly deserves a place on the prestigious World Heritage List,” said Sheppard.
The eight new UNESCO World Heritage sites are:
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico.
Around a billion monarch butterflies cluster together to spend the winter in the fir forests of this biosphere reserve in Central Mexico, some of them making a journey of up to 4,500 kms from points in the United States and Canada to get there.
Date: July 9th, 2008 |
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Great Ocean Ecolodge and Cape Otway Conservation Centre
The Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia has a number of eco-friendly travel options. Recently, I visited an ecolodge on Cape Otway, 3hrs from Melbourne, which manages to completely encompass the true values of ecotourism.
“Don’t move”
“Stay completely still and avoid eye contact.”
We happily obliged and stood as still as children playing ‘1-2-3 Red Lights’, which I suppose, if you think about it, isn’t that still at all. Only a few untrained muscles wavered which we hoped the male leader of the kangaroo pack didn’t notice. He was merely a car’s breadth away and because we’d just been informed of their strength and territorial tendencies we thought it best to listen to Shayne, our knowledgeable bush guide.
We stared at the ground with submissive lowered eyes and awaited further instruction. Even, Wombie, the gentle giant Ridgeback crossbreed sat obediently facing his master waiting for the command to walk on.
Twenty pairs of kangaroo eyes bored into us as they glared on in a ready-to-sprint mode, but we weren’t even slightly worried. In fact we were relishing being able to get so close to this extended family of roos. Ordinarily they would have hopped off at the first sign of us but this time it was different for the magnificent adult marsupial standing 10 feet tall in front of us was Big Buck, Cape Otway’s first orphaned joey who had been nursed back to health by our guide Shayne Neal and his wife Lizzie Corke, co-founders of the Great Ocean Ecolodge and Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology.
Date: March 12th, 2008 |
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The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone National Park
A few nights ago a programme called Strange Days, televised by Planet Earth TV, discussed what happens to an environment when predators are removed. The documentary makers found that when natural predators are left to flourish so too does an ecosystem.
Hunters Become the Hunted
A problem was highlighted in Yellowstone National Park. Local researchers studying the native aspen trees, which once densely populated the area, found there had been no new growth for around 70 years. On further investigation they thought it was something to do with the mass cull of over 100,000 native wolves, killed because they were taking livestock and getting too close too humans.
Without professing to be an expert on the matter, surely if people decide to build a ranch on the edge of a thriving National Park it means that they will no doubt be visited by its inhabitants at some point, especially if they have a fondness for flesh, after all, they know no boundaries. But for people to complain and cull because native predators do what is only natural to them in their habitat is quite astonishing. It’s akin to pitching a tent in your neighbours lawn and then shooting them when they get too close because they’re on your land. Doesn’t really make sense, but I digress.
The Yellowstone wolves were hunted almost to extinction, like so many species that get in the way of human progression and expansion.
Date: February 18th, 2008 |
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New Ecological Travel Guides by VERY Publications
Just when you thought you’d found your favourite travel guides another lot pops on to the market to cause confusion but these aren’t any old tourist guides, no, eco travellers, the VERYstyleguide Ecological focuses specifically on the various aspects enviro tourists get excited about like, green restaurants, ethical businesses or alternative travel in the city ie, pedicab tours and bike rental. And the new guides are causing quite a stir.Published by UP&CO, these mini mags and shopping directories are the brainchild of designer, editor and publisher, Uscha Pohl. A long-time fan of all things ethical, especially clothing, Uscha has created a range of city guides that combine eco style and culture in an easy-to-use flip-over booklet.
VERY Eco says, “… the ecological guide offers new options to everyone who seeks to inject ecological and ethical principles into their daily life. These will permit the reader to live and shop in accordance to their convictions and to discover lesser known ecological domains like ethical banks, high-end fashion labels which rely on truly ecological and/or ethical production and sourcing procedures, as well as ‘ecologically correct’ information centres.”
Date: February 12th, 2008 |
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Ecotourism Australia Up For Top Travel Award
As I’m writing from Australia at the moment and the country has just celebrated Australia Day, I thought I’d make today’s entry about this hot and dry but rather lovely land.
Australia has long been in touch with their eco side and have had eco lodges around long before the idea of ecotourism became trendy, and they are soon to be awarded for their efforts… maybe.
The World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) have just revealed Ecotourism Australia is one of three finalists for a coveted Tourism for Tomorrow Award in the conservation category. The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards showcase a selection of “the world’s leading examples in sustainable tourism development”
Date: February 3rd, 2008 |
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Welcome to the Best of Eco Travel Logue
For those of you new to Eco Travel Logue, welcome. I hope you like what you’ve read so far and have found some of the ecotourism tips, advice and info useful.
To see what you’ve been missing all this time here’s a few links to some of the more popular posts on the website. I hope you enjoy them and if you ever fancy getting in touch just email me or leave a comment. It always so good to hear what Eco Travel readers think.
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Best Eco Travel Guidebooks for 2008 …
Date: March 26th, 2008 |
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Snow Leopard Vodka Fund New Conservation Projects
The boutique Snow Leopard Vodka has announced it will be funding two new conservation projects in conjunction with the International Snow Leopard Trust of Seattle, USA.
The first project intends to teach the children of Kyrgyzstan in an eco-camp to educate them about their mountain’s fragile ecosystem and how their input is needed in the future to ensure the long-term survival of the snow leopard. If the children understand more about the snow leopard they are less likely to kill it in the future.
The second project will take place in Mongolia where locals will be taught the importance of protecting the snow leopard instead of seeing it as a threat. This is key to the animal’s survival.
Snow Leopard Vodka have provided enough money to recruit and train a village about economic enhancement enterprise which will work by adding value to the community’s main resource, wool. The Snow Leopard Trust will also buy their raw wool and handicarfts directly and make sure they are sold to speciality traders around the world which will increase the villager’s incomes quite considerably enabling them to send the kids to school and buy more food and medicene. In return the families protect the snow leopards
Sue Brodie, Chair of Trustees of the Snow Leopard Trust UK says, “A big thank you to Snow Leopard vodka who not only share our beliefs and passion for community based conservation being the key to the survival of one of the world’s most beautiful creatures, but who are materially contributing to the cat’s survival. This funding from Snow Leopard vodka is allowing us to start conservation projects we simply would not be able to do without their help”.
Date: February 22nd, 2008 |
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Galápagos Islands on Unesco Danger List due to Mass Tourism
News that the Galápagos Islands, the world’s first World Heritage Site, are under threat has again put mass tourism in the spotlight.
The Galápagos are a cluster of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean sitting just west of Ecuador, South America. They are best known for their wealth of unique native species and are thought to have instigated Darwin’s theories on evolution and natural selection.
Recent Number of Visitors To the Islands
Visitor numbers to the islands have grown from 40,000 in 1990 to 145,000 in 2006, that’s a 250% rise and as a result Unesco has added the archipelago to its ‘in danger list’, specifically citing the fragile ecosystem and the negative effects of a sizable growth in tourism.
“Unless we start to make fundamental changes right now, in the next 10 to 15 years we will see the Galápagos suffer from both economic and environmental degradation,” said Dr Graham Watkins, Executive Director of the Charles Darwin Foundation, whose mission is to conserve the Galápagos through scientific research.
Date: February 13th, 2008 |
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Rancho La Puerta, Eco Spa Resort Since 1940
The world’s very first destination spa in Tecate, on the Mexico/California border, was lovingly created and designed by two people who firmly believed in habitat conservation, organic farming and sustainable living.
Today, the family-run Rancho La Puerta has developed into one of the best examples of an Eco Spa in North America.
Humble Beginnings
Almost 70 years ago Edmond and Deborah Szekely had great plans to start a retreat for those desperate to escape the everyday rigors of modern life. So, they moved to the sparsely populated village of Tecate, rented a little hut that sat in the middle of a vineyard, which once housed meal for livestock, and started an organic veggie patch out front. The vineyard was called Rancho La Puerta.
Their idea was simple, to provide a haven for those seeking a tranquil place to help rebalance mind and body without causing any harm to the natural habitat around them.
Date: February 6th, 2008 |
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Green Places to Stay in Northern Ireland
It’s hard to convince people to go to the North of Ireland sometimes, too many believe everything they read and see in the media. It is a rugged, weather beaten, beautiful, unspoilt territory that’s been rarely travelled.
Residents, though, know they’ve got a potential tourist goldmine on their doorstep and have been ready and waiting for the past 30 years.
Are you ready to ramble?
Omagh Hostel, County Tyrone
This friendly, family-run hostel near the Sperrin Mountains in County Tyrone is the most environmentally-conscious hostel you’ll ever come across.
The accommodation is not fussy or fancy but it’s clean, comfortable and welcoming and rates highly with eco travellers.
Greenie Points: Opened since 1991, Omagh Hostel is a working organic farm employing a number of sustainable and eco friendly practices, too many to mention them all but enough to achieve the coveted EU Flower Ecolabel.
Check out their website for more eco information.
Dorm beds: £12 pp
Private Rooms: £15pp
Camping: £12 /tent
Date: January 17th, 2008 |
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