ECO TOURISM
GO GREEN L
HOLIDAYS WITH A CONSCIENCE
ooking after the health of one’s natural habitat and the animals and people in it is paramount in the Caribbean, a region that leans heavily on its natural wonders for tourism. Many countries are under threat from activities such as overfishing, sand mining, land-based pollution and unmanaged recreational activities. Paradoxically tourism can be both detrimental and a positive force when it comes to the environment. Many countries have taken steps to protect large areas of land and sea. On the Turks & Caicos Islands, the Princess Alexandra National Park is a 6,500-acre protected area that runs along Provo’s north coast. The islands also have a National Trust which protects areas like Little Water Cay, home to rock iguanas and egrets. Eco-friendly adventure companies offer green tours by kayak or on foot. Two thirds of St. John in the US Virgin Isles is a designated national park and underwater reserve; and destinations such as Venezuela are among the most bio-diverse in the region. Belize is arguably one of the last unspoiled places on earth.
ECO EXPERIENCES Amanyara, also on Turks & Caicos, is a good example of a hotel that has a green conscience translated into a visitor experience. Its Nature Discovery Centre, headed by naturalist Lindsay Mensen, offers regular daily activities for guests to explore the islands’ natural wonders, including eco- hikes along the Iron Shore, kayaking and stargazing. There are daily programmes for younger guests including research expeditions and turtle nesting site conservation. Trinidad and Tobago’s bio-diversity means visitors can be swimming with dolphins and manta rays in the morning and hiking in primordial rain forest in the evening. And on the French island of Guadeloupe, Désirade is its first geological nature reserve. The Nature Reserve of the Grand Cul-de-Sac-Marin is one of the major projects on the island with the reintroduction of the West Indian manatee. On St Martin, the area known as ‘Cul-de-Sac’ is embracing eco-tourism by setting up a trail on piles in the mangrove around the Barrière pond.
WEATHER WONDERS In the British Virgin Islands, Peter Island Resort now has two high-performance wind turbines which will help the resort decrease its fuel consumption by
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ECO-TOURISM-AWARE VISITORS CAN HELP SAVE THE PLANET AS YOUR CARIBBEAN HOLIDAY PROVIDERS WORK TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
25% and cut its carbon footprint by 75%. Islands like Dominica are well known for their reliance on the fragile natural habitat for tourism. Secret Bay, a boutique eco-luxury development of just four villas, is to build an additional eight to ten villas. The new properties will all be built by hand and without the use of heavy machinery, thus ensuring that Secret Bay’s commitment to the environment is fuly maintained. Maca Bana in Grenada is setting the example for responsible development there with solar panels and solar water heaters and it also uses its own organically-grown produce from the rainforest farm. Maca Bana also organises educational art, nature and slow food tours. This year, 2012, has been a key year for eco tourism in Guyana as the tourist authority seeks to position itself as the destination of choice for those seeking an amazon Adventure.
www.caribbean.co.uk
SUSTAINABILITY Half Moon, a RockResort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, has a long-standing commitment to the environment and the local community. It is Green Globe certified and was the first hotel inducted into the Caribbean Hotel Association’s Green Hotel Hall of Fame. Sustainability practices include a towel re-use programme that turns old towels into cleaning rags and woodworking sawdust into bedding at the Equestrian Centre. Guests can hold a green wedding, with flower arrangements donated to a local hospital, or donate US$1 per day to a mooring buoy system at the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust. Curtain Bluff on Antigua also has a Green Globe Certificate and the hotel is very much connected with the local village of Old Road. The Old Road Fund sends children to the U.S. for summer camp and university scholarships. The resort then encourages the alumni of the fund back to their
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