Eco Tourism Blog

After providing shelter for such endangered species of gray wolves now, the U.S government plans to remove protection from wolves. It has triggered a debate in America as conservationists say that new decision will pave the way to hunting of the wolves and once again, they will reach to verge of extinction.

Quite strangely, Idaho Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter and other critics are bending upon their view that aims at bringing down wolves’ population to 150 from 650. However, his idea that it would safe cattle seems to be inspired by mean interests. Don’t you think it would be against the ethics of wild life conservation?

Conservationist Ed Bangs say that of every hundred cattle killed in Montana, wolves take down less than one percent. Other factors like disease, weather, lightning, coyotes, birthing problems, and poisonous weeds cause the life threat of Animal.
More worryingly, both state has set targets for its total wolf population and both are saying they will reinstate hunting, he added.

Although, it is uncertain how many wolves will stay alive once the hunting spate returns in the areas like Idaho and Montana, yet state official claims they have the same goal: to maintain healthy, biologically sound populations.

Via: NationalGeographic

This travel hot spot is a cabin, a seat for mysterious phenomenon, where people cannot stand up straight, water runs uphill and chairs balance on two legs. This is the region where gravitational laws do not work at all. However laws of transportation hope to change that soon.

Owner Bill Carney has sold the attraction to the village of Lake Delton for $300,000 . Who want to build a road through the crevice where the Wonder Spot has stood since the 1950s.

Carney has owned the Wonder Spot for 18 years, having bought it from his sister in 1988. He has worked there for 30 years.

This is the fate of many such gravity vortexes, mystery spots and gravity hills in the United States.

Doug Kirby, publisher of roadsideAmerica.com is quoted to have said:

We’re kind of wondering how the town is going to deal with the gravitational forces under the road. That might be an issue with driving and how you bank a curve,

While some feel that the wonder spot is a hoax optical illusion, where the secret lies in slanting architecture, it’s still a shame to see it go down.

Via: msnbc

These hotels reduce their carbon footprint by donating to renewal energy resources. The owners are very conscience of their damage to the environment and want to cover for their carbon footprint. Lets look into what Alex Beam feels about such efforts:

Lenox Hotel Group: Lenox and a companion hotel invest $11,000 each year in Midwestern wind farms to counterbalance. Wind is a clean, abundant and entirely renewable source of energy and is the fastest growing source of electricity generation in the world today.

Saunders Hotel: The men’s room of one of the hotels, uses waterless urinals, saving 180,000 gallons of water a year. Saunders has more resource-friendly dispensers in the bath rooms. Reusable laundry bags which are thick, bags made from recycled plastic are used. Every where tips on saving energy are freely circulated, such as

Top 10 Tips to Save You $$$ on Gas, Improve Car Performance & Protect Our Environment.

Chicago’s Hotel Raffaello: Though a comfortable hotel it is not at all that green, has much less than its acclaimed technologically advanced set up, when questioned states it has to still get the facilities started.

Fairmont Washington: Has recycling baskets in the rooms, has installed old cathode compact fluorescent lights in hallways and meeting areas to save on energy .

So if you love the environment, the next time you book a hotel do require about its carbon footprint and whether it has done any thing to offset the same.

If you love birds and especially parrots then there is a new destination for you. This Eco-cabin faces a cliff face full of the endangered Red-fronted Macaws(Ara rubrogenys). Other birds that you can enjoy seeing here are the Cliff Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus luchsi and Bolivian Blackbird Oreopsar bolivianus and many more that share this habitat.

Location: Bolivia
Facilities: Lodge withrunning water, electricity, and capacity for 8 people
Best Approach: By car

Bennett Hennessey, Executive Director of Armonia is quoted to have said:

We have been working towards finding a way in which the Red-fronted Macaw can live alongside the livelihood activities of the communities in the area. The Ecotourism Cabin will provide us a great opportunity to do this.

This is the only macaw that can survive in a medium altitude semi-desert region. The cliff forms provides perfect fissures for it to nest.
(Red-fronted Macaw), is part of a conservation programme developed by Armonia. The programme is working in a variety of ways to help conserve the macaw.

They do this by offering technical advice to farmers, drawing up agreements to protect important habitats and working to promote environmental education, in this case through ecotourism.

Via: Bird life International

In your pursuit for ecotourism, you travel across the world. However, does traveling itself contribute to the increasing temperatures? Are you carbon Positive? Are you adding onto the greenhouse gas emissions? Well if you are then there are numerous ways to book yourself for carbon-neutral travel.

You could travel with any of the following:

• Travelocity: Here to repent carbon emissions you could go in for the Go Zero program, it will help you offset your emissions by a donation of $10, which will go in for planting trees, mostly in the Lower Mississippi River Valley.

• Expedia: It helps support renewable energy offers. It does so by using TerraPass for most of its activities.

• REI Adventures: They try to support solar, wind and other renewable energy project by purchasing energy credits called “Green Tags”

So when you set out to spend your hard earned money on ecotourism destinations do so with becoming carbon-neutral travelers.

Via: MSNBC

If you are in Kathmandu to celebrate your vacations and wish to have a holy dip in the sacred river Bagmati, than beware, you could be wrapped by any epidemic, as the river is not less than a sewage drain.

Kathmandu- Nepal’s most celebrated destination, which draws millions of international tourists, is now turning into a heap of garbage and the major river in the area has become a dumping place of trash.

Bidya Banmali Pradhan of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said:

Parks are being destroyed, and the Bagmati river is sacred but now smells like a sewer so nobody wants to take a holy dip. The once sleepy Kathmandu valley saw its population double between 1996 and 2004, and that the sole foreign-funded wastewater treatment plant was not working due to a lack of maintenance.

Environmentalists fear that if the current trend goes on with the same pace, it could be a major setback for impoverished Kathmandu’s economic future, particularly its key tourist industry.

A report published on the degradation of environment in Kathmandu shows that people residing on the riverbank dump harmful chemicals and wastewater in the river, as a result water of river is no longer safe for drinking and for other activities. Report has revealed that Kathmandu is the most polluted city among 20 cities of Asia. This apart, green space in the town is rapidly disappearing, as the construction work is on the rise over couple of years.

Moreover, people’s apathy about the degradation of environment is generating great fear for this ancient town.

Recognized as world heritage site by UNESCO, Kathmandu is wildly famous for its stunning vistas and centuries old architecture. There is a dire need to conserve its the olden charm and only awareness among the people can give desired results.

No doubt, country has regain it peace after a prolonged insurgency provoked by Maoists, but the issues pertaining to the environment needs to be put on the top of the agenda.

Via: Theage

Seems that bird life has also been hit by global warming. Early results of the annual Big Garden Bird watch promoted by the Royal Society for Protection of Birds is
projecting a definite shortage in the bird populations.
Andre Farrar, an RSPB officer who completed his survey in his garden near Ashford in Kent yesterday, said:

I haven’t seen a redwing or a fieldfare (a large thrush) which you’d expect to see at this time of year. They are winter migrators, i.e. they come to Britain for the winter. It will be interesting to see if we have more of the birds that stay with us throughout the year, such as the chiffchaff; and whether winter migrators are fewer in number.

Why are there no more birds?

• Winters in the Arctic are no longer that cold, so birds no longer need to migrate to the shores of UK.
• Birds no longer need to forage for vital winter food since the changing weather has left them with enough stocks.
• This might result in changing breeding seasons for the birds and peril for their young one’s

This definitely means lesser cheerful, beautiful birds to enchant your gardens in the future.

Via: The Independent

This is the biggest survey of birds in the world. The event sure is a link to vital snapshots of the UK’s birds each winter. People help in counting the birds in the garden, in an extended effort to save wild birds. Almost half a million people are expected to take part.

The survey, now in its 28th year, is used by the RSPB ( UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and other wildlife) to monitor the rises and falls in garden bird populations.

Peter Holden, creator of Big Garden Birdwatch states:

In January 1979 I was running the YOC - we were looking for a simple activity and as it was likely to be cold with dark evenings we could only think of a weekend activity in the garden. We asked our members to count the birds in their gardens, all at the same time, so we could work out a UK top ten most common garden birds.

Amateur bird watchers take on the role of scientists as they participate in the program. They help conserve what they are passionately concerned about and help the local environment. A practice that people the world over surely can take on!

Via: The official site

Iraq has lost something more than human lives in the war. Especially, great threat has emerged for the bird there. which has shriveled more than 90%. Conservationists fear that if the efforts are not made to protect these already endangered species, it would certainly lead to their disappearance.

It is noteworthy that Iraqi marshes were once considered among one of the Middle East’s most wildlife-rich areas and supported important bird populations but the areas were largely drained in the 1990s to punish the Marsh Arabs for rebelling against former leader Saddam Hussein.

A report published in the BBC states:

Sometimes identified as the site of the Garden of Eden, the Mesopotamian marshes have been home to the Marsh Arabs for at least 5,000 years. They once covered an area of 20,000-15,000 sq km - twice the size of the Florida Everglades. By 2001, only one-tenth of the marshlands remained intact.

However, survey conducted on marshlands show that around 40% of area has been restored to its 1970’s condition.

The efforts to restore Iraqi marshes can only give desired result when Iraq regains its peace. But alas! Current situation of the country makes it uncertain for the existence of bird’s habitats.

However, International Birdlife organization needs to put some extra efforts to restore the network of watercourses, which provided inhabitants with water for drinking and supported the region’s unique ecology. Awareness among the Iraqi people can help to a great extent as community participation is considered as the most successful phenomenon for any campaign.

Via: BBC