www.eco-tropicalresorts.com

Ginger Brown Vanderveer of Northside Valley in St. Croix, Virgin Islands just sent me an email about mango trees.  She decided that since mango trees are one of the best trees for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, she would do her bit. 

“I have always had mango trees on my estate but now I have planted two more trees and will continue to add trees as I can.  I am also promoting the idea among the people of St. Croix and working with the legislature to come up with a way to get even more mango trees on our island.”

It’s such a simple idea and yet so beneficial.   She ended her email with….pass the word on.  And so I am!

To see a picture of the tree planting and to learn more about staying at North side: http://www.northsidevalley.com/Eco.htm

Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge, Dominica, is delighted to announce that following the success of our computer for schools programme last year, we will be repeating the process next month.This year 4 schools in the UK including the Bromsgrove School and Uppingham School, have donated nearly 300 computers, which are now sailing to Dominica for distribution amongst the primary schools on the island.The project is made possible through a collaborative partnership between Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge, NS Optimum in the UK, the donor schools in the UK, Geest Line shipping, Lifeline Ministries, and The ministry of education of the governement of the commonwealth of Dominica, and our registered NGO The Sustainable Living Initiative Centre, Dominica, SLIC.The computers will be installed at each school during one day workshops held by SLIC, Rosalie Forest, and assisted by two technicians from NS optimum in the UK.

I spent last winter here (in Cozumel, Mexico) and I’m with the same folks in a nice apartment. I’ve been diving once and got to see my first Black Tip Shark here ever. They are common in the Caribbean and this is the time of year for them to migrate. I’ve seen them elsewhere, but there are so many divers here that sharks, except for Nurse Sharks, are uncommon.

Cozumel is, for unknown reasons, a major stop for all the cruise ship lines. Some days there are as many as nine cruise ships in all at once. The ‘Cruzeros’ walk aimlessly up and down the Esplanade getting sunburned and going from one T-Shirt Shop to the next Tanzanite Store. The International Diamond Exchange is now in its fourteenth consecutive year of a ‘Grand Opening’ and you can buy ‘authentic’ Cuban cigars. Actually there is a guy who goes to Cuba once a month and buys real Cuban cigars, but what do I know? They all smell like burning tires to me.

If you walk a couple of blocks off the Esplanade into town you’ll find the typical Mexican town of San Miguel. The cruise ships actually tell people not to go more than two blocks off the Esplanade because ‘it’s dangerous!’ The fact is they have an agreement with the T-Shirt Shops and Tanzanite Stores to keep people in close. About two blocks in the prices drop in half. The most dangerous thing by far for tourists is the rental of motor-scooters; that accounts for the majority of injuries here.

Cozumel is generally considered the best dive location in the Caribbean, and that is good and bad. Since it is the best, it tends to be pretty busy all year round. But the diving is outrageous and I love the town, the food, and the people. I’ll probably end up living here in a few years when I get tired of traveling all the time.

With permission from a personal email received from Steve Bissell.

I’ve been in a conversation with Ron about “eco certification” — http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/certification.html — and he offers up the idea that the focus ought to include certifying governments, particularly the eco and tourism departments. Ron’s brilliant idea is to create an award program to judge how well government portals walk the talk of responsible travel and ecotourism. I think this topic begs for discussion and would appreciate your thoughts. Ron has given me permission to list his posting here about nominations for government entities promoting ecotourism and responsible travel:  Planeta.com — Government websites that spotlight ecotourism and responsible travel are eligible to win Planeta.com’s 2008 Ecotourism Spotlight Award.Nominations are accepted February 15-July 1, 2008. Nominees include environmental, tourism and other government portals in three categories: local, national and international institutions. Voting takes place July 16-September 1. Information collected will help update the Planeta.com website as we add links.

The award is announced in advance of World Tourism Day (September 27) as way of pointing out best practices.

2008 will be the second year of the Ecotourism Spotlight Award. The first winner was Ecotourism Laos funded by the Laos National Tourism Administration.

HOW THIS WORKS

STEP 1: NOMINATING WEBSITES - Anyone can make a nomination.

Ideally we would like to hear from respected local tour operators, comunity leaders and journalists who are pleased with how their local, regional and national governments are working to develop and promote ecotourism. Eco travelers who have found helpful websites may also nominate their favorite government portal. Those in charge of government sites can also submit their own work. The first stage is to collect as many quality nominees as possible.

The application asks what information the website includes, particularly the practical information for travelers about ecotourism, responsible travel and sustainability. We ask whether the site includes details about local operators, city parks and public transportation. Does the site includes exterior links to local businesses and conservation groups? Does the site highlight indigenous or aboriginal tourism options?

STEP 2: CHOOSING NOMINEES - Nominees will be shortlisted and the best sites will be asked if they are willing to participate in the award. Those who wish to be considered as nominees will be asked to include a link to the Ecotourism Spotlight Award and if possible, the logo.

STEP 3: VOTING - Voting takes place July 16-September 1. Respondents will be asked to review all the sites and choose their favorite. Multiple votes from a singe user will not be permitted.

SPONSORS

We welcome financial sponsorship to help develop the awards as a means of creating an incentive for communication and showcasing best practices. Those interested in helping finance development should contact us!

PLANETA.COM

Planeta.com is an award-winning website that presents articles and discussion about the environment and travel. The site debuted in 1994. Travelers will find tips on choosing eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly trips. Professionals will find a number of helpful resources, including our Exploring Ecotourism Resource Guide.

WINNING TIPS

Government websites are advised to:
1) Create an informative, content-rich website that provides detailed information for visitors seeking eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly travel. Provide direct links to local operations and seek input from those at the vanguard of in-country ecotourism on making your site even better for national and international visitors.
2) Add the logo and link for the award on your website. Alert visitors to check out all the contenders.

Casa del Caballo Blanco, LLC is home to Casa Avian Support Alliance, LLC, NGO (CASA) aBelize based non-profit facility for birds that have been treated for illness, injury, or recently released from illegal captivity, to rehabilitate and be released back into the wild.  CASA is managed by Mr. Baldemir “Ricky” Manzanero, In-country Director.  As a Belizean and recognized to be among the top birders in the country, Mr. Manzanero oversees the daily care and feeding of patients residing at CASA.  With a volunteer staff Mr. Manzanero has helped to care for baby birds recovered following storm related damage related to Hurricane Dean, the care of injured owls and the ongoing and lifetime care of a red-lored parrot affectionately named Lored Captain Jack.  Captain Jack is non-releasable due to an eye injury he suffered as a hatchling and has been named 1st Ambassador to CASA. CASA has also undertaken a habitat restoration program.  15 of the 23 acres of CDCB were dedicated to habitat restoration in 2005; a partial reforestation to encourage nesting and foraging of avi-fauna has been completed by staff and student interns from Sacred Heart Community College, San Ignacio.  Habitat rebound is monitored through twice yearly visits by volunteer biologists from the

The Casa Avian Support Alliance facilities, the habitat restoration achievements, and the re-use and re-cycle success during the construction phase of CDCB and CASA can all be found on-line at http://www.casaavian.org,  select the  Quarterly Newsletter page and review the quarterly newsletters.The CDCB and CASA initiatives are privately funded by Jodi and Vance Bente of Petaluma, CA.  The purchase of the property which was an abandoned ranchito and the subsequent planning and development of CDCB and CASA are approaching the end of year three planning cycle.  The acquisition, planning and development relied on the fundamental tenants of recycle and reuse.  Re-use and re-cycle are expressed in  the conversion of pig-sties into principal structures for the ex-situ conservation facility, the donation of a tin roof and ceiling material to the Pentecostal church located in Cristo Rey, the use of 100% Belizean contractors and their crews from the local community, and extension of municipal water system from the main line approximately ½ mile to CDCB which provided the opportunity for local land and homeowners to have the benefit of the municipal water supply.  The water pipe installation cost $17,000 usd and was paid for by the Bente’s.To further the efforts of CDCB relative to sustainable tourism, we encourage our staff to identify local artisans.  In this regard CDCB has established a strong on-going relationship with two sisters of Mayan descent located immediately adjacent to the site and has recently initiated a working agreement with Mayan craftsmen in the Peten in the vicinity of Tikal.   The furnishings and textiles selected and or designed for CDCB are of local manufacture by resident craftspeople and or were procured in local market places.  The décor of CDCB celebrates the Mayan and Hispanic heritage of Western Belize and adjacent Guatemala.    In support of a local cottage industry, the grounds-staff of CDCB collect fallen dried palm fronds to be used as fuel in the curing of banana leaves.  The cured banana leaves are used as wraps for bollos and tamales which are popular year round but particularly during the year end holiday season.CDCB provides La Sala (meeting room) on a complementary basis to like-minded NGO’s and organizations for various functions, to include the Friends for Conservation and Development and The Cornerstone Foundation of San Ignacio, Belize. 

In summary, CDCB as host to CASA provides the opportunity for visitors to Belize to practice volun-tourism at the local level.  Building toys and ladders for the CASA patients, assisting with trail maintenance, tree planting and garden cultivation  near the Tzu’nuun Trail are just a few ways that CDCB and CASA offer the opportunity and encourage individuals to act responsibly, sustainably, economically, resourcefully, and thoughtfully as they travel to sites around the world in search of and support of sustainability.
http://www.casacaballoblanco.com

The Amazon Yarapa River lodge begins 2008 with great expectations and continued growth. …

Our biggest news is that we have significantly increased the size of the Yarapa River Reserve by approximately 15 more miles.  This involved us purchasing the land from the Peruvian Government and then giving it to the villagers to manage in agreement with a conservation contract signed by all parties!  The individual villages, energized with pride in regaining land in their name, now actively protect their property. Since the land exchange, several villages have seized illegal shipments of logs and have contacted government authorities to stop the loggers.  We believe this is a gigantic step for the indigenous people, their land, and the environment.  We are proud of the continued success of the reserve in 2007 and look forward to further expansion in 2008.

Our laboratory director, Dr. Eloy Rodriguez, continues to promote the Cornell University Esbaran field lab as a wonderful facility for high school field trips to major university research projects. We have had several university students visit throughout the year to work on a research project.

We have always been and will remain a top notch destination for your guests.  We have remained the #1 lodge in the area on tripadvisor.com.  Furthermore, we continue to get outstanding reviews in all the top guidebooks.  Lastly, we have either won or have been nominated four years in a row as the “Best Resort in Peru” by the World Travel Awards. 

We feel that 2008 will be a great year for us!  
Yours truly,
Charles Mango
Owner, Amazon Yarapa River Lodge
www.yarapa.com
info@yarapa.com

A few days after settling in at Nakia Resort and Dive
(http://www.nakiafiji.com), my brother and
sister-in-law’s resort on the Fijian island of Taveuni,
I began to think about getting up into the bush to see
what we could find in the way of avian life.  

After making a phone call or two, my sister Joyce
and I set out at 5 am on a quiet and cool June morning to
look for forest birds.  Our birdwatching guide, Logi, 
knows the forests above his native village of Qeleni,
so we headed first for the village and then up a steep,
3-mile rocky path with an experienced bush driver as
the sun was beginning to appear over the mountains.

The land we entered is owned by the village, and was
once a large coconut plantation–back when copra
was the major cash crop for the islands.  This large
mountainous area is filled with rivers and scattered
homesites, many belonging to villagers growing patches
of dalo on the hillsides.  Dalo (a dry-land type
of Taro) is Fiji’s new cash crop, an edible tuberous
root that many Fijians grow on cleared hillsides to
provide an income for the coming year. 

Halfway up the bumpy road, Logi told our driver to stop as we
spotted a pair of Masked (aka Musk) Shining Parrots
flying across the canopy.  We climbed further and
left the van at a high spot with lots of low-growing vines,
grasses, and shrubs, and clusters of Rain Tree,
Coconut Palm, Flame Tree, Acacia, Hibiscus, and Breadfruit. 
Most of the birds we spotted have multiple names in both
English and Fijian.  Where I could, I took the
names from Dick Watling’s Guide to the Birds of Fiji and
Western Polynesia, a recognized standard,
but not readily available.  Logi used an older edition of
Fergus Clunie, Birds of the Fiji Bush.  Many of
the birds we saw are forest birds that have been identified
as threatened or endangered by Vilikesa T. Masibalavu
and Guy Dutson in Important Birds Areas in Fiji. We heard
and got a good look at a Barking Pigeon (whose call could also
be mistaken for an owl), Polynesian Triller,
Lesser Shrikebill, Spotted Fantail, Golden Whistler, Vanikoro Broadbill,
Ogea Flycatcher, Wattled Honeyeater, Red Junglefowl, White-collared
Kingfisher, Polynesian Starling, a pair of Lorikeets (brief glimpse),
Pacific Harrier, Yellow (orange-)breasted Honeyeater, and many White-rumped
Swiftlets darting for insects.  

As we walked back down the trail, the mountains
were full of bird calls, the sun had risen over the ocean,
and the air was still cool with a touch of fog approaching
from the north. 

Over the next two weeks of my stay on Taveuni, I watched Fruit Bats fly over the

Somosomo Strait from south to north every evening, and learned to listen for the
resort’s magpies chortling high up in the palms.  At the island’s more agriculturally
developed southern end, I saw an Orange-Breasted Myzomela, more parrots
(probably Red Shining parrot), Brown Quail (with chicks), Collared Lory, either a
Fiji White-Eye or Silvereye, and several sea birds. 

The Fijian government recognizes that these birds are a treasure. 
It has been encouraging Fijians to preserve bird habitat, but
that habitat is also the source of many Fijians’ income for the year. 
Deforestation and bush clearing for planting dalo are
endangering many of these birds, including the Silktail, which
many birders hope to see when they visit.  

While I didn’t get a glimpse of either the Silktail or the spectacular
Orange Dove, a must-see for many visitors, it was awesome to view
and hear these beautiful birds living easily and in close proximity to
human dwellings. Like so many eco-tourist destinations today,
Fiji is trying to convince its people to sacrifice income from a cash
crop (dalo) to protect the future of its most vulnerable and unique
natural resources. 

I left the island hoping that the work and warnings of dedicated
researchers and enthusiasts, together with the income from ecotourism,
will create the will to celebrate, protect, and extend the future of these
beautiful native birds. 

Follow the link to find out more about this seminar taking place Tuesday August 21 through Saturday August 25, 2007 or go to http://www.northsidevalley.com where you can also register for the event.

Energy Awareness Seminar at Northside Valley in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Here are some ways we strive to promote sustainable tourism: 

1. Light Bulbs are exclusively Compact Flourescents.  These bulbs

-         Last longer (many of these bulbs have been in these houses for 6 years.

-         Burn with less heat, very important in a hot climate.

-         Use 70% less electricity (kwh cost in Chicago .08, in

2. Bathroom showers use low-flow/stop devices and

- Optional outdoor showers water nearby vegetation.

3. Landscaping is eco-friendly because

            – Large trees and understory plantings are cultivated.

- Mowing is limited to once monthly and is not done under trees.

- Native plants/trees are cultivated and preserved.

- Herbicides and pesticides are not used.

- Watering is unnecessary because of the type of plants that are nurtured.

4. Hot water  – Electric small capacity heaters use timers to limit power drain.
5. Ceiling Fans, screened windows, and shade trees keep temperatures low inside the houses, therefore air-conditioning is unnecessary.
6. Wash and Rinse dishpans are provided for dishwashing.  Guests are invited to dispose of gray water outside on vegetation.

In addition,

The water used in each house is rainwater - a renewable resource.

We commit to recycling the following:

      Cardboard

      Aluminum

      Compost

      Glass

All the houses use a septic system – a septic will break down waste naturally as long as bleach is not encountered in the system.  We do not use bleach in our houses. 

Cleaning materials used in the houses are natural biodegradable products.  White vinegar and biodegradable dish detergent are the primary cleaning products.  Linens are washed in a front loading, high-efficiency washing machine.  They are line-dried in the sun.  Linens are made from cotton or bamboo.  Bamboo is a highly-sustainable product and is grown in developing countries as a natural resource.  Bamboo returns 35% more oxygen than most other  plant-life.    

Ginger Brown Vanderveer

Northside Valley, U.S. Virgin Islands

http://www.northsidevalley.com

3 Rivers Eco Lodge, Dominica is delighted to announce the launching of their new community village homestay programme.

Fore more details, and information on each homestay family, please follow this link http://www.3riversdominica.com/accommodation__homestay.php 3 Rivers continue to strive to assist the local community in accordance with our social policy, for a brighter, sustainable, future.