Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation

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I’ve just added Tmatboey Ecotourism Project in Cambodia to the directory.  This is really a special place because it is being helped by the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation.  Their mission from their site (SVC):

The SVC opened in January 2003, and since 2004 has been developing activities to promote wildlife conservation, including:

  • hosting public events and lectures aimed at both Cambodians and foreigners
  • developing interpretive material and a resource library on topics relating to Cambodia’s environment
  • training Cambodians in bird identification and how to lead small-scale bird excursions

    Ensure support for Community Funds: Visitors who come to see the birds leave a conservation contribution which goes into a local development fund directed towards various projects such as community development, agricultural assistance and fish ponds. 
    As an off-shoot of our programs, SVC has been taking interested groups and individuals to see birds, either around Siem Reap area for half a day, or to more remote locations to see several endangered and threatened species, on trips lasting from one day to over one week. This new eco tourism endeavor is in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia Program (WCS), an international NGO devoted to protecting wildlife around the world, and the rural communities living in the less-accessible birding sites.

    • I thought the Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation deserved separate mention in this blog because they are what ecotourism is really about…preserving our wildlife and eco-systems.

     

     

    The Many Different Kinds of Eco Lodges

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    At this point I have added well over 300 eco lodges to the site.  They are so varied and present themselves in so many different ways I think it’s hard to think of them all in one breath, and yet they’re all on this site.  There seem to be two main types of eco lodges with many shades in between.

    There’s the boutique eco resort, which caters to people wanting to be pampered and surrounded by luxury.  They’re often quite pricey as a consequence.  The impression I get is that they were built to make a nice profit albeit still promote “green” tourism.  There are many of these on this site and yet it is the other type of eco lodge that I get excited about finding.

    These are the ones that might start out as someone’s dream of making a difference, or they could be a non-profit that is buying up land to preserve it and as an extension, offers lodging.  Most of the time, they are not luxury accommodations.  Instead they are more basic and less intrusive on the environment.

    In Dominica recently there was a big misunderstanding that thankfully got resolved in a very commendable way.  3 Rivers Dominica (http://www.3riversdominica.com/) is one of those types of lodges that is someone’s dream of a better world.  One of their accommodations is in a tree house quite a ways from the main lodge.  It is very basic and yet allows someone to really experience nature.  The Dominican Tourism Department is very involved in having standards for tourism and in their eyes this tree hut didn’t meet those requirements.  They took the time to understand that ecotourism can be a very different kettle of fish and have reached a compromise for 3 Rivers Dominica that will enable the owner, Jem, to continue with his dream.  Of course there is more to the story but in the interest of brevity I just hit the highlights.  I think what occurred in Dominica is a very hopeful sign that rustic eco lodges trying to impact the environment as little as possible are becoming more mainstream. 

    Kudos to Dominica and to 3 Rivers Dominica for pioneering the way! 

    Socially Responsible Alternatives

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    We have choices in the kinds of hotels/lodges that we stay in. We can stay in places that impact the environment as little as possible or we can choose high impact hotels. The same holds true for many other areas of life.

    My brother runs The Social Equity Group based in the San Francisco Bay area of northern California. He and the people who work with him are financial planners/managers whose investments reach beyond purely financial goals to address ethical concerns. This is a way of making a difference with your financial investments.  To learn more about what they do, you can go to http://www.socialequity.com.

    My son’s Sudbury school is very aware of choices. They’ve been making some upgrades on the school building and in that process have sought out ways to do this that will not negativelly impact the environment. They have a great recycling program and re use items in very creative ways.  Now if only all schools would make those same choices.

    There are many alternatives out there and it’s up to us to make the right choices.

    Butterfly Festival at Domitila Private Wildlife Reserve in Nicaragua

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    I received a flyer about an upcoming series of events to view, observe and photograph neotropical butterlies in their natural habitat. The event is conducted by Jean Michael Maes Ph.D and Eric Van Den Berghe Ph.D.
    Dates:
    June 15 to June 21, 2007
    June 30 to July 6, 2007
    July 13 to July 19, 2007
    July 28 to August 3, 2007
    August 11 to August 18, 2007

    For information and reservations please contact: [email protected] or visit their website at http://www.domitila.org.  This eco lodge was recently added to Eco Tropical Resorts and is much more than just a lodge.  Take a look at their site  on my Ecotourism lodge directory and also view the guest comments to get a feel as to what they’re about at http://www.eco-tropicalresorts.com/centralamerica/nicaragua.htm. 

     

    The event takes place at the Domitila Private Wildlife Reserve in Nicaragua.  To go directly to their website: http://www.domitila.org/english/index.html 

    Kuna Yala Island Adventure in The San Blas Islands of Panama

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    A friend is spending two months down in Panama in various areas.  He just got back from visiting the San Blas Islands off Panama a couple of weeks ago.  While there he had a wonderful time and wanted me to include the place he stayed in my Ecotourism Lodge Directlory.  The only problem is that the man who runs it doesn’t have a website for his eco homestay, so I thought I’d add it to my blog.  Following is my friends description:

    Elias Perez Martinez is a Kuna Indian who was educated in Panama City and the United States. He is the principal of the elementary school on Isla Corbiski, Kuna Yala, Panama; the San Blas Islands. He has opened a different type of hostel in a Kuna village. His idea is to provide an experience for tourists by living in a Kuna Village and seeing the day to day life of the Kuna.Accomodations are basic, for example the ‘shower’ is a barrel of rain water and a bucket, but his wife Soby and her family keep the place neat and tidy and provide food and will do you laundry if you are there for more than a week.

    His rates are US$25-US$35/day, which includes three meals and daily excursions to other islands for swimming, or to Carti to visit a larger villiage and see the Kuna museum. You can also take, for a small fee for the gasoline, trips to the main land to visit the rain forest. Elias is also a Kayak guide and hopes to provide camping in the future.

    If you want to experience life in a Kuna Village I highly recommend this. I stayed for two weeks and enjoyed it all.

    You can contact Elias by phone (507) 6708-5254 in Panama, or email [email protected] or [email protected] or you can book through (and pay by credit card) Ancon Expeditions http://www.anconexpeditions.com/ in Panama City. Elias also guides for Ancon.

    I’d really like to see Elias make a go of this as he is a wonderful person and really wants to protect Kuna culture and at the same time provide more services for tourists. Most people who go to the San Blas Islands stay at places where the Kuna are only curiosities.

    I contacted Ancon Expeditions and you have to mention this place specifically if you want to book here.  Your best bet will probably be to email Elias for further information.

    Extending the concept of ecotourism lodging

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    I’ve just added Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize to Eco Tropical Resorts.  The sanctuary is located in Belize, Central America.  This is a new kind of listing as their focus is an environmental education center that offers experiential learning programs and training opportunities while serving as a model of conservation land stewardship.  They also have a Wildlife Rehab Center where they care for wildlife with the hope of returning the animals into the wild.  The Sanctuary consists of 1,070 acres of tropical forest, riverine and savanna habitats.

    Their lodging facilities are an adjunct to their real purpose of land and animal stewardship.  They offer all kinds of lodging from camping, a bunkhouse, private rooms, and homestays.  The homestays are with local families which helps involve the community in what they’re doing.

    I think eco-tourism includes Wildlife Sanctuaries and Parks, working on ways to maintain habitat for wildlife and preserve nature for the future.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I really want to visit Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.  I used to do Wildlife Rehab in Northern California and loved rasing baby squirrels and birds.  My sister is a biologist and I’m thinking this might be perfect for a little family get together.

    If you want to go see what I’m talking about, here is their url: http://www.monkeybaybelize.org

    Nigerian president pushes for Ecotourism

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    I am constantly looking for eco lodges in the Tropics that have websites so that I can add them to my directory.  Nigeria is one country that I have not yet been able to find one in.  I was heartened when I read about the following:

    At the 11th Africa Travel Association conference held recently, President Olusegun Obasanjo talked about attracting funding from the private sector for ecotourism.  He stated that: “There are 1,129 Forest Reserves, 29 Game Reserves, 4 Game Sanctuaries and seven national parks spread across the length and breadth of Nigeria.” The country is ripe for green travel.

    Ecotourism is a way for poor countries to attract tourist dollars and help preserve the environment at the same time.  I’m hoping this outlook by the president of Nigeria will help promote eco-tourism for this African country.

     

    India Homestays

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    When I read different posts and writings about ecotourism I have yet to read anything about India Homestays.  It seems to me that they are probably a type of accommodation that has the least impact on the environment.  For one, they are already there because it is a home that is opened up for visitors so no building occurs. Because it is a home, they can only accommodate small numbers, again less intrusive on the environment. They help the indigenous population because it is people of that country that open up their homes.  Most of the Homestays in the directory offer local organic meals and are very conscious of the environment, another plus.

    All of the Homestays on Eco Tropical Resorts are located in India.  I have been contacted by so many of them.  In fact, today I added two new India Homestays.  Perhaps other countries can follow suit or maybe they are and I am just not aware of them.  If you know of any other countries that offer Homestays, please let me know via posting here on my blog or emailing me at eco @ eco-tropicalresorts.com. Do remove the spaces in the email.

    Disabled Access at ecotourism lodges

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    I just added a new lodge in The Gambia, Africa.  It’s called Footsteps Lodge, their website is Footsteps Eco-Lodge Gambia.   This is the first lodge that I’ve added to my ecotourism lodge directory that has stressed disabled access.  I’m really impressed by this.  They’ve constructed their lodge on one level so that it is easily accessible, with all their doorways being wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs.  Kudos to Footsteps Lodge!
    Lise at http://www.eco-tropicalresorts.com/

    Sri Lanka

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    I added an Eco lodge in Sri Lanka yesterday called the Kumbuk River Lodge.  Whenever I add a lodge I try to contact the owners or managers to make sure that they are promoting sustainable tourism.  Dinesh, the owner, had this to say about the travelers warnings in Sri Lanka “It is true that we have a protracted conflict in our country with some incidents recorded in peaceful areas from time to time.  But if one studies the global situation, and take the time to visit Sri Lanka, one would agree that the popular tourist destinations of Sri Lanka are as safe as London, New York or Paris.  Sadly the world media only highlights the conflict and the coverage makes it look like the whole of Sri Lanka is a war zone.”

    On this same note, I had an email from Ron at Planeta about the situation in Oaxaca, Mexico.  He said that things are not as bad as they are made out to be.  I think it’s easy to scare people about visiting some foreign places but the truth is more likely that we will be harmed in our own backyards.  Don’t let journalistic sensationalism keep you from travelling!