Ecotourism Daily Dose
Plans to Travel Asia? Bring Your Own Chopsticks
If you’re jetting off to Japan, make sure you pack an extra pair of chopsticks.
Every year, the average Japanese person chucks 200 pairs of disposable chopsticks. With 127 million people living in the country that’s a whopping 25.4 billion sets in total per year – or the equivalent to 90,000 tonnes of wood.
Japan has already outlawed the production of chopsticks within their own country and instead have them imported from China where it’s reported they’re made mostly from bamboo or timber that would otherwise be discarded. Or is it a move to shift the effects of mass logging to another country? A country where around 45 billion sets of chopsticks are made therefore must surely have some impact on deforestation.
But it’s when the chopsticks are used only once that the use of disposable chopsticks becomes a crying shame.
Date: January 8th, 2008 |
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Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Home to Africa’s Mountain Gorillas
In a desperate attempt to save Africa’s dwindling wildlife from poachers, ranger John Kahekwa of the Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park set up a community-based conservation programme in the hope of encouraging ecotourism.
Originally a tracker at the park, Kahekwa was responsible for taming lowland gorillas, in a way. He would ‘habituate’ them to the presence of humans so tourists could visit and became so successful that he could eventually pick out and name around 155 animals. He now looks after 600,000 hectares of prime mountain forest on the east side of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has been recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1980 and more unfortunately as a World Heritage Site in Danger since 1997.
As local populations grew the fine line between people and animals became less distinct. Traps laid for game sometimes trapped gorillas and other animals and poaching was rife. ‘Keep Out’ signs were ignored and when, in 1993, Maheshe, the adult silverback depicted in blockbuster movie Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey, was killed there was wide-spread agreement that Kahuzi-Biega was just not working as a wildlife reserve.
Date: January 2nd, 2008 |
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Whale Sharks Thrive in Western Australia
Thanks to a very successful ecotourism program whale sharks – the world’s largest fish – are positively thriving in WA’s Ningaloo Reef, reports Ecological Applications Journal.
Scientists are able to identify the whale shark’s ‘fingerprints’, or the unique white lines and spots on the flanks of the shark, through pattern recognition software developed by Australian marine scientist Brad Norman, computer programmer Jason Holmberg and astronomer Zaven Arzoumanian.
The software, which was adapted from software originally designed for the Hubble space telescope, has allowed the researchers to keep track of individual sharks since 1995 and has helped determine which sharks return to the reef every year.
Date: December 30th, 2007 |
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Tourism Concern Works with Tsunami Survivors
The Tsunami of 2004 was the biggest natural disaster in modern history. Coastal communities across Asia were devastated, many loosing their relatives, homes, villages and livelihoods. Since then survivors have been slowly rebuilding their lives and have relied on tourists coming back into tsunami affected areas, adding much needed cash to the local economy.
Unfortunately tourism also adds to their problems. While many of the displaced of Sri Lanka and India are yet to be rehoused, there are plans for tourist developments on prime real estate positions which means the locals may …
Date: December 22nd, 2007 |
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Eco Travel Forum at Bootsnall
Check out who’s saying what over at the Eco Travel Forum at Bootsnall:
Most people recycle, some are even quite pedantic about it when they’re on their own home patch but what about when they’re travelling? Everett is running a poll to find out just how many people recycle on the road.
It’s getting closer to the festive season, a time when hard earned travelling coffers are drained so discover other traveller’s green pressie ideas and save some money into the bargain.
What are your feelings on travelling and pollution? Over a year ago, Lost76 asked, “Do you feel responsible …
Date: December 10th, 2007 |
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Eco Friendly Accommodation in Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, or FVG as it’s affectionately known by locals, is a region in the north east of Italy which is often overlooked by travellers, regardless of its proximity to the frequently visited Venice.
History
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is the smallest region in Italy and was once ruled by the Austrian Hapsburgs and, for a short time, old Yugoslavia. Its diverse background has influenced the food, architecture and lifestyle of the Friuliari, making it a really exciting and interesting place to visit.
What’s so exciting about FVG?
Sitting on the borders of Austria and Slovenia to the north and east and hugged by the Veneto region of Italy to the west, Friuli-Venezia Giulia has a wealth of activities, sights and tours for travellers. There are forests with endless hiking and walking trails, alpine villages crammed with ski lodges and coastal towns in Trieste for those with a penchant for fishing or sunbathing. For the eco traveller, there are Albergo Diffuso.
Albergo Diffuso
Albergo Diffuso is the collective name given to a number of renovated alpine chalets dotted around seven different locations between Carnia and the highlands of Monet Prât. They aren’t found anywhere else in Italy.
Date: January 3rd, 2008 |
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Happy Roo Year!
Happy 2008!
I thought I’d bring in the New Year with a fart. Oh, excuse me, an eco fart - that makes it alright.
No I’ve not had one too many celebratory champers (although I wish I had). I’m imparting some very useful information I discovered just recently.
You may have once thought that the only exciting thing to come out of the kangaroo world was Skippy, the bush kangaroo, well think again. Thanks to four gruelling years of research in Queensland, Australia, scientists have found that roos produce eco farts. Yep, that’s right; they let off (‘scuse the pun) environmentally friendly farts.
Researchers have found that kangaroo farts don’t contain methane, a greenhouse gas more damaging than carbon dioxide. They believe roos could teach cows a thing or two – cows produce bucket loads of methane – and are talking off adding the bacteria they isolated in the kangaroos stomach to cattle feed in an attempt to make cows more eco friendly and I guess, socially acceptable.
Date: January 1st, 2008 |
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Smartshield’s Eco-Friendly, Once-a-Day Sunscreen
Smartshield - Serious sun protection that’s kind to your skin and the environment.
Buy here: $10.99
Sunbathing, for many, goes hand-in-hand with travelling but with gaping holes in the ozone it’s all too easy to get frazzled in a short space of time resulting in scorched butts and unsightly tan lines.
Of course, staying out of the sun altogether is the best protection but when adventure calls using a high sun protection factor (SPF) is essential, especially for those with fair skin. And with numerous lotions and potions flooding the market it’s difficult to know which cream to go for; people usually go with what suits their skin.
Date: December 29th, 2007 |
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10 Green Gift Ideas for Travellers 2007
Need last minute Christmas gift ideas for the vagabond in your life? Or do you just fancy treating yourself this festive season? Take a gander at Eco Travel’s green gift list for travellers to get some ideas.
Steel Water Carrier
Eco-conscious travellers would prefer not to contribute to the growing mountains of plastic water bottles erupting across the planet so why not treat them to a refillable stainless steel water bottle? The ultra-lightweight and toxin free, non-leaching container comes with a choice of loop, flat, or sports drinking caps and is small enough to fit into any backpack.
$17.95, Kleankanteen.com
Hydro-Photon’s SteriPEN
One of Eco Travel’s favourite travel tools is the handy Steripen. It’s light, easy-to-use and will help avoid unwanted bouts of Delhi Belly, which on the road can be a right pain in the butt, quite literally. This portable water purifier uses ultraviolet light to destroy waterborne microbes from all sources of water. When the pen’s liquid sensor detects water the UV light comes on, purifying the liquid within seconds. So it doesn’t matter if you’re hiking the Himalayas or camping in the Amazon you can get safe drinking water anywhere you go.
$69, Amazon.com
Code Green Book
It’s difficult to know what to choose for vagabonding friends; they’ve been everywhere and have all the travel accoutrements you can think of so if you’re at a loss as what to get them this year, look no further. Lonely Planet has recently published The Code Green Book which lists 100 eco-wise travel ideas to encourage responsible travel, from budget backpacking to lavish luxury. If their favourite website is Eco Travel Logue, they need one of these.
$10.00, LonelyPlanet.com
Date: December 17th, 2007 |
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Moving to Australia
Apologies for being incommunicado most of last week, I’ve made an unexpected move to Australia, Melbourne to be exact, so spent most of last week organising moving trucks, inspecting maggot-ridden fridge freezers (but thankfully ended up with a lovely clean one) and lost a few hairs trying to secure internet access to stay in touch with all you lovely people. Now I’m good to go so you should hear from me lots more this week.
Date: December 3rd, 2007 |
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