Eco Tourism Blog

Enrich Bird Watching with Bird Calls Study :

Do you want to learn to identify every little birdie sound? Then learn bird songs is the site for you! You can choose several common birds of four distinct habitats in North America – Forests – Wetlands – Cityscapes – Countryside If you want to see the hidden beauties then learn to identify their call. Each bird call, each bird song, is peculiar to a single species. The site also provides direct information about the song sounds of different birds. Image: Lang Elliott Via: learn bird songs

Horseshoe Crab blood for Space travel?

That’s right they are using the blood of crabs in a device called LOCAD-PTS! Fortunately none of the crabs are being hurt by this process since after withdrawing the blood they are returned to the wild. Norman Wainwright, the project’s principal investigator and director of research and development at Charles River Laboratories in Charleston says: The horseshoe crab, a species that has survived some 300 million years, has a very primitive but sensitive immune system. A single bacterium can be enough to trigger enzymes in the crab’s immune system, which clot the blood to seal off a wound. One small infection in any astronaut in space can prove infectious as well as disastrous. So it needs to be identified in time, a process that would take 3 days with current blood identification systems using dish cultures. The answer is LOCAD-PTS- Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development-Portable Test System. The high-tech device relies on four enzymes extracted from the blood cells of the crab, which are very sensitive to any bacteria, fungi , virus, showing an immediate response leading to quick identification of the cause of the illness. This handheld device is still in the testing stage. The answer to numerous cancers, infections diseases and even aids lies in nature. All the more reason for us to preserve all the species of plants and animals. Via: Space Daily

New World cup Airport Site Dangerous for swallows :

A planned South African airport to be built for the 2010 World Cup is threatening swallows, environmental groups have alerted everyone. The site, Mount Moreland reedbed near Durban, gets more than three million swallows to branch every night. The reedbed lies on the flight path of the aircrafts that will arrive and depart from the proposed La Mercy airport . Clearing of the reedbed would mean devastation of the most suitable roosting site for the swallow population. Paul Buckley, head of global programmes at the RSPB said: The loss of Mount Moreland, and with it thousands of British swallows, could be felt from Thurrock to Thurso and Sofia to Stockholm. It would be devastating for these birds, which are particularly sensitive to change. These migrating birds go to South Africa for the winter months after spending spring and summer in UK and Europe. Man and natures conflicting needs come up for debate time and again. In this case I hope they will be able to look for another site to expand the airport. Image Via: Guardian

Ancient Roman ‘Fishy’ sauce Historians delight :

A 2,000-year-old Roman vessel, discovered off the Spanish coast in the Mediterranean sea has numerous bottles of fish sauce. The olden delicacy, known as garum, was usually made from fermented fish guts and blood and stored in containers called Amphoras. The vessel is the largest Roman shipwreck ever found. It was located in 2000 and is from somewhere in the first century A.D. The ship probably sank in a storm while sailing to Rome from the Spanish port of Cadiz, giving historians important hints about ancient trade routes. It has about 1,200 well-preserved clay jars with just traces of ‘Fishy’ sauce since the Ceramic-and-mortar seals on the garum jars got eroded by the sea. Pliny the Elder, the first-century Roman scholar, wrote of this sauce: Scarcely any other liquid except unguents [healing ointments] has come to be more highly valued, bringing fame even to the nations that make it. The shipwreck site was a great attraction to thieves wanting to take Amphoras (Amphoras are worth about a thousand U.S. dollars each) as trophies so the govt had to cage it up. Apparently Romans liked the Italian sauce best. As of today I love Italian food. Via: National Geographic

Africa in danger of loosing Tourist influx due to Climatic Changes as per UN report :

The haven of safaris is in danger from global warning. The coastal zones are most likely to be affected by climate change with reduced fish productivity, coral bleaching, salt water intrusion, loss of beach facilities and tourism revenues. This is as per a new report on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation in Africa , released by the data from UN bodies and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Rainfall has fallen by up to 2.4% per decade in tropical rainforests regions of Africa since the mid-1970s.The rate of decline has been fastest in West Africa and north Congo. Sea levels could rise by 15 to 95 cm by 2100, according to some estimates. It is also estimated that 30% of Africa’s coastal infrastructure could be inundated including coastal settlements in the Gulf of Guinea, Senegal, the Gambia and Egypt if Africa does not improve in climate and weather monitoring capabilities and policies. It needs 200 automatic weather stations, a genuine effort to rescue historical data and improved weather reporting capability. Continue reading “Africa in danger of loosing Tourist influx due to Climatic Changes as per UN report” »

Get set to visit Greenland :

Intially an US Airforce base the airport at Kangerlussuaq of Greenland gives one a feeling of metal shelters. The airmen’s settlement still remains now home for employee’s at the airport and in tourism.This is the only airpot in Greenland capable of accommodating the Boeing 757s. The longest road in this country is only 12km long. Flights between cities are the answer after which come Dog-sleds and skidoos. Greenland’s winter tourism is dependent on its snow and ice. Unfortunately Greenland ice sheet has been much effected by global warming. Temperatures have risen from 0C (32F) instead of the more usual -30C (-22F). If it were to melt global sea levels would rise by seven metres (23ft). This land has a bleak and windswept beauty. Lake water is so clean that lake Ferguson supplies drinking water direct to the entire town. One can take a vehicle tour(Total roller coaster) to Long lake, Russell glacier and Point 660. If you are lucky you will get a glimpse of the wild life. Wildlife: Polar bears, Arctic foxes, Ptarmigans , Reindeers, Musk ox, Greenlandic sled dogs. Image Image Via: The Guardian

Brutal Fishing by bottom Trawling not to be Banned :

Though the government should be working on making networks of marine reserves to protect marine life it goes and gives a head ho to Bottom trawling. A process that is so expensive that it can not become commercially viable without government subsidies. World Conservation Union (IUCN) and other environmental groups concluded that bottom-trawling was …highly destructive to the biodiversity associated with seamounts and deep-sea coral ecosystems and… likely to pose significant risks to this biodiversity, including the risk of species extinction. Research shows that bottom-trawling is responsible for some deep-sea reefs losing more than 95% of their coral. Bottom-trawlers use weighted nets to drag along the ocean floor. The nets are designed to catch fish, but they rip out corals and other marine organisms. It is like wiping out an entire forest, what remains is an ecological desert. So with it we loose the habitat of fish and species that might have a cure to the world’s diseases. It is also a very cruel practice in which due to Decompression the fish suffer. Their swimbladders ruptures, their eyes pops out, and their esophagi and stomachs out pushed through their mouths. Bryce Beukers-Stewart, fisheries policy officer with the Marine Conservation Society said: We had been hoping the amazing creatures and habitats of the deep sea would get an early Christmas present this week.But once again, short-term political and economic interests have over-ridden common sense. Eleven nations have bottom-trawling fleets, Spain’s is the biggest. The government has supported bottom trawling with a lame injunction at preservation- to adopt unilateral “precautionary measures” to ensure bottom-trawlers do not cause significant damage to marine ecosystems. The policy has enough loopholes for bottom-trawlers to exploit the nations.Who knows how many fish will be left in the oceans by the middle of the century. Image Image Via: BBC

Trekking permit fee raised for Gorilla Safaris :

Starting July 2007 gorilla tracking fees are up from USD 375 to 500. The Uganda Wildlife executive Director, Mr Moses Mapeesa has said Uganda residents will pay shs 150,000 per permit. Four months ago the permits and entrance fees to the National Parks were raised. Other fees are to remain intact till July 2008. Uganda is home to half of the remaining population of Mountain Gorillas in the whole world. The move will help provide money for the betterment of the endangered species. Image Via: AboutUganda

Chile: Wonder of Glaciers and Penguins

Imagine being escorted by dolphins and being so close to penguins that you could touch them. This dream came true for Anne Chalfant when she visited Chile. She got to watch Magellanic penguins on Tucker Islet, among the Chilean fjords. She was on board Via Australis , a four-day cruise at the southernmost tip of the world. Outdoor Fun: Zodiac (a rubber raft with an outboard motor) excursions each day, hike through Parque National Alberto Maria Augustine, established as a UNESCO World Heritage site two years ago, hike to view Pia Glacier. Indoor Activities: onboard lectures on glaciers, birds and marine mammals Food: Fresh Chilean fruits, vegetables, fish and Chilean wine. Wildlife Seen: Giant elephant seals, condor, dolphins, ashy-headed geese, kelpies Rise in knowledge and wonder with a trip to the bottom of the world! Go book yourself for a treat of nature’s best in Chile. Image Via: ContraCostaTimes

M’ klappen Island: Bird watcher delight of three months 

M’klappen Island in Sweeden is a traditional site for bird watching, which opens for only three months for visitors. You can visit the site only between November to January as the habitat is protected for animal life. Autumn is considered as an optimum time for bird’s migration. The island frequently changes in shapes because of water and wind. The main breeding site for birds, Nabben is located in the southwestern tip of the Falsterbo Peninsula. It witnesses a large number of bird’s migration since 1940s.You would be quite lucky to spend a whole day there because winds are rarely favorable even though migration is good. You will get an opportunity to watch the migration of different bird species, includeing seabirds, small birds, cormorants, geese, ducks, waders and gulls. Here, I can say it is an incredible experience for the bird watchers. How to reach there: You can make your journey through Falsterbo. You’ve to walk across the golf course and ride along the seashore to reach Nabben. During Autumn the route is usually full with visitors. Image: skof Via: travelgatesweden