Save Eco Destinations

Hoatzins

Tourists’ noise pollution doesn’t only harm endangered sea turtles—it also harms hoatzins. It’s to be expected, right? …Except this noise pollution comes from ecotourists.

Bird watching can have its perils, it seems, since even quiet conversation among bird watchers can cause extreme stress to some species of wild birds. Daniel Karp of Stanford University has researched three species of hoatzins (Opisthocomus hoazin) in areas surrounding various eco lodges within the Peruvian Amazon.

Even library conversation-volume chats induced defense mechanisms in the birds, causing them to cluck and defecate. Wow. The birds were found to climb and fly away as well. The hoatzins’ behavior was contingent on how loudly people spoke.

What’s most troublesome is the fact that stress disturbs these birds’ rearing capabilities, thwarting the chicks’ training to become self-sufficient and leading to “heightened mortality rates.”

To gather information, Karp approached hoatzin habitats by canoe and experimented between being silent and playing recordings of conversations at different volumes from different distances, keeping track of when birds became stressed enough to fly away. Karp first tried playing the conversations at 50 decibels (library conversation volume), then at 60 (actual volume of typical tourists’ chats in bird watching zones), and at 70 (the loudest conversations he was able to record). The study was conducted last year and lasted one month.

While Karp says “ceas[ing] all conversation” and staying far enough away should be sufficient to prevent freaking out hoatzins, behavioral ecologist and conservation biologist at UCLA Dam Blumstein says that, although we think being ecotourists is awesome, we’re being careless and irresponsible anyway.

Moral of the study: ecotourism is not as green as we may have thought.

No kidding. (Yes, I am bitter.)

Apparently, even when quietly hiking through undergrowth, [eco]tourists cause wildlife extreme stress. Bird watching, wildlife watching, and hiking are all harmful to carnivores’ survival and/or reproduction rates. The victims are dolphins, dingoes, penguins, and polar bears, among many other species.

Well, crap.

Not only should we keep from being destructive when in natural areas, but we should also not even go there.

Well, at least now I have evidence to back up my theory that ecotourism and eco hotels within fragile natural areas do more harm than good.

photo by instatravel.org

The U.S.-based NGO Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has conducted research to determine which manners of transportation incur the lowest carbon footprints.

I know what you’re thinking—WALK, BABY, WALK!!

Yes, I agree most sincerely. Bicycling is another fabulous option.

Speaking of which, let me introduce you to a man who traveled throughout New Zealand for 30 days—on a bicycle! While his main intent was to explore the country’s landscapes as cheaply as possible, the grand bonus is his basically nonexistent carbon footprint. Except for the couple of rides he took with his bike on a stranger’s truck, this guy cycled his way through mountains, hills, everything. And he’s blogged all about it here. (He’s not done, so keep checking for updates.)  So. Fabulous.

On to the study.

UCS compared CO2 emissions from different types of vehicles plus emissions per person, per pair, and per family of four. It concluded that the three most crucial factors to help determine the carbon footprint of one’s travel are the type of vehicle, distance traveled, and number of travelers. With these in mind, you can figure out how [un]green your next trip would be.

The researchers found that if you’re traveling farther than 500 mi. by yourself or with one other person, the environment is better off if you take a nonstop coach flight (don’t even think about flying first class) than if you take a car.

Bus trips are most often greener than coach flights and car trips by 55-75%. But what about a fuel-efficient car, you ask? Taking the bus will probably reduce a couple’s CO2 emissions by 50%. If you are taking a car, then, naturally, a hybrid will kick an SUV’s bum.

Considering taking the train instead of driving or flying? Train trips will reduce emissions by 60% per passenger per mile when compared to one-person car trips and by 30% as compared to a 500-mi. small jet flight.

Low seasons are also greener because less traffic means less fuel waste for both land and air travel. Besides, gas and plane ticket prices will be lower too! Here you can read about other ways you can use the study’s results to save money (woohoo!).

Download the full report here.

Could it be? A truly eco-friendly jungle haven for those who can afford it you can live in without ruining the local ecosystem? Holy cow.

Selva de Aluxes is 300 acres between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Currently in the works, lots are going at pre-sale prices. These lots are meant to have houses built on them.

And (do you hear the music?) they claim that officials are respecting “eco-friendly restrictions as a way of preserving the environment and natural habitat.” For fresh water, they are drilling into the earth to install a well, which is a lot better than trucking fresh water in every day like other establishments (even “eco” ones) do. Right on the homepage, it reads:

“We are dedicated to preserving the ecosystem with infrastructure standards that include the use of windmill turbines, solar panels, air generators and a host of other environmentally friendly techniques.”

There will be a community center with art shows and live music—ahem, noise and light pollution! (Remember their effects on the endangered sea turtles, anyone?) Well, its impact on the ecosystem would depend on location, noise level, and other factors. I’m still skeptical. And you know why you should be too? Because there will be a landing strip for small aircrafts. Really, it’s right on the homepage.

Sounds like these people have good intentions but they’re not very smart. Or they really don’t care about preserving the tranquility of nature for the benefit of the local ecosystem—and they’re bad at hiding it.

Apart from that, there aren’t many details yet. The wind and solar energy factor is comforting, however. And the drilling of the well instead of bringing in water.

Well, then, I’m hopeful. It is, in any case, some kind of step forward.

But, you know: it’s like all these eco retreats and activities and developments right in the midst of nature—if you were really eco, you’d leave it alone, right? That’s how I feel.

I mean, sure, it’s great to be in nature. I go to my local ecological reserve to paint, read, hang out by the water and hear the river’s soothing sounds calm me. But I’m not going to build a home there, even if my excrement was to exit my super excellent eco sewage treatment system smelling of wheatgrass. I just go, enjoy myself, pick up any trash I see, and go back home without causing any destruction.

But, hey, what are you gonna do? It’s not like we can shoot down everyone who walks all over nature. For now.

Carpenter Lake

Have you visited the state of Montana in the summer? The open space is pretty great—clear, sunny, crisp, pure. Nature and wildlife all around, and not the fake kind of nature like bonsai trees and botanical gardens laced with asphalt, but tall grass, towering trees, and pristine lakes for miles on end. No BS.

Now some hotels and lodges are educating their guests to help them keep their home green. Visitors will learn about a program that allows them to donate $1-$2 to help conserve the local landscape.

As innkeepers (and hopefully travel agents and so on) collect donations from their guests, they can aid landowners who sign conservation easements (binding agreements that limit owners’ ability to develop or build on their property). These can allow landowners to, for example, keep a ranch for strictly agricultural use rather than sell it to someone who would destroy the natural landscape, pave it, and build apartments or other polluting developments.

“The small donations will add up over time from travelers wanting to preserve Montana’s natural horizons,” said Mike Scholz, a former Big Sky hotelier who founded the Travelers for Open Land program. Partners include the Montana Association of Land Trusts, the Montana Community Foundation and Travel Montana, the state tourism agency.

You can also engage in an awesome ecological project here by joining the Conservation Corps. This is hand-on work. Positions are actually available from February through November, so you don’t have to wait until summer. Also, their work also extends to surrounding states. Projects include restoring and building trails, assisting scientists in biological research, restoring forests and grasslands, preserving habitat through planting trees and other activities, and community service.

early fall in MT

If you’re itching for nature (I am!) and feeling generous, consider giving your time in exchange for purity and fulfillment doing your part to help locals in these laudable projects.

Surely you remember what a mess the world’s coral reefs are in (and shellfish reefs too, although we haven’t discussed that) not just because of fuck-up humans, but also because of global warming. Wait, that’s our fault too (unless you believe that the world was already warming up anyway).

Well, I have some good news: 6 Asia-Pacific countries— Indonesia, Malaysia, East Timor, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands—have committed to protecting a stretch of reef called the Coral Triangle, which holds 76% of all known coral species and provides a hot place for tuna to sex it up and make more of themselves.

The bad news is that the agreement is non-binding, say green groups. Plus, not all details have been ironed out.

“[The agreement is] non-binding and it’s not a treaty but as a commitment to each other it’s quite important,” said James Leape, international director general of the World Wildlife Fund. “The most important thing is the political platform that the declaration provides and some were quite explicit about creating new marine protected areas.”

But let’s focus on the positive.

By “protect,” these countries mean that they will collaborate to end illegal fishing/poaching and pollution. This is in their best interest because they are big tuna fishers, so they want to both protect the tuna’s spawning grounds and prevent the “bad guys” from stealing their bounty.

The agreement opens the door for these 6 countries to devise sustainable fishing laws over the next 3 years, according to Reuters. (I know, I know—but remember, *positive*!)

Really positive: it may ultimately be in these nations’ best interest to curb tuna fishing in these areas. Yay. (Yeah, I knew you’d like that one.)

So then, by being eco-smart everybody wins, right? Well, yeah…but the bastards are greedy (no shit, right?) so they need more incentive. The idea is that in exchange countries like the US, who purchases lots of tuna every year, will compensate them, or the 6 countries will be allowed to go nuts in other parts of the Coral Triangle. Yea. As if these tiny and poor nations would be able to keep dirt-poor fishers—and greedy, generally destructive assholes—from poaching anyway. It’s not like officials aren’t hungry for bribes, cuz they are.

Still, it’s a relatively big deal. Check out what this guy said:

“In 30 years of conservation work, I have never seen anything like this: six leaders signing a commitment to protect their marine resources,” Peter Seligmann, head of Conservation International, said in a statement.

It’s something. So let’s buck up and smile for the camera.

Child gathering rubbish from Buriganga River

The city of Dhaka and the Buriganga River that flows through it in Bangladesh used to be ecologically alive—it held oxygen, flowed freely, hosted ecosystems.

Now, people describe it as “a black gel.” Mmm. 

This is a royal catastrophe, as the river supplies 12 million people with drinking, cooking, and washing water, plus serves as a road for people to travel and a source of food—fish, now all dead. The Buriganga River has become so thick with unfiltered human and industrial waste, plus “burnt engine oil from launches, dyes from tanneries and textile mills, unauthorized practice of land filling, to name a few” that traveling on it is  burdensome–plus practically unbearable due to the stench.  In the dry season, oxygen levels can drop to zero.

One of the canals pouring unfiltered toxic waste into the Buriganga River

“Much of the Buriganga is now gone, having fallen to ever insatiable land grabbers and industries dumping untreated effluents into the river,” said Ainun Nishat, a leading environmental expert. “The water of the Buriganga is now so polluted that all fish have died, and increasing filth and human waste have turned it like a black gel. Even rowing across the river is now difficult for it smells so badly.”

Even worse, I think, is that it’s not the only river in the region that is this obscenely polluted. There are about 230 in Bangladesh, and “many of them” are drying up with 1.5 million cubic meters of toxic sludge every day. And yet the pictures in this article show a man submerged in the river.

“Yet, in spite of all this nothing is being done. Buriganga is on the verge of extinction, pollution is choking its life blood and the very city …Today Buriganga has lost its biodiversity and marine life; in place of its once famous fresh water fish now dead animals float in the water that is as dark as pitch and as potently deadly as arsenic. The saddest part is that we the inhabitants of Dhaka who are heavily dependent on this river have so far been passive in the role of savior.” – The New Nation, “Bangladesh’s  independent news source”

Man submerged in the Buriganga River

Maybe once you’ve lived there all your life, you experience the frog effect and it doesn’t repel you as it would an outsider—you know, the experiment in which a frog was placed in a pot of water, and the water was slowly heated until it reached boiling the point. You guessed it: the frog died. It didn’t notice it was getting so hot because it happened gradually. But when a frog was tossed into boiling water, it jumped right out—which is what an outsider may do, someone who hasn’t seen the river gradually turn into sludge. That person would not be as desensitized. That person probably wouldn’t jump into the river. Eeeek.

There also may be no other place from which to get water or bathe.

“Water in the Buriganga and Turag rivers have literally turned into poison” – Dr. MA Taher Khandker, director general of Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Board

Health Effects

Surprisingly, no one is talking about the health effects on the young man covered in black waste up to his neck, on the kids stepping into the river to “collect rubbish.” And if the man who is washing his clothes by the river is washing them in the river, his skin will become covered in bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxic waste. Maybe authorities don’t want to cause panic and incite rebellion.

You can read about crops being watered and later washed with this river water, and the consequential consumption of toxins by humans.

Hope for the future

Reuters says environmentalists are hopeful that if companies stop bribing authorities and filter their waste before dumping it into the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakkhya Rivers, they could recover. The idea would be dredge the rivers and fill them with clean water from the upstream. Let’s hope it works and the water is kept potable.

Md Arifur Rahman, member-secretary of Bapa’s Programme Committee on Finance, Trade and Development, said the 2009-10 fiscal year budget, as well as policies,  should prioritize the cleaning up of these waterways. But will anyone take concrete action?

"The river Turag is getting drastically narrower near Ijtema Maidan in Tongi as land encroachers pile up sands indiscriminately on the riverbank"

Also, the High Court came up with an order to stop encroachment, earth filling and illegal developments on the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakkhya Rivers—which is narrowing the flows and polluting them. The order was obtained thanks to a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB). Rock on, HRPB.

The High Court also addressed the federal government, challenging it to explain why the illegal structures aren’t being removed. There will be a hearing on June 1.

Even if you live around the Roaring Fork and Vail Valleys in Colorado, you might not be aware that evil forces (*evil laugh*) are talking BS to fatten their bank accounts by raping more natural resources.

Namely, the board president, Tom Turnbull, of Holy Cross Energy, the coop that powers the area’s ski resorts, is saying that “civilizations have historically thrived in warmer periods as opposed to ice ages.” as the company tries to make its way into the Rockies to mine for coal.

Sure, warmer weather would benefit the ski resorts!

But what about the Waxman-Markey bill? The US is supposed to reduce greenhouse gasses by 20% by the year 2020, right? Well, now its 17%… it became official last week, according to Grist. 17% lower by 2020. How meager! America, we’re watching you, and you’re a disgrace!

Sure, US President Obama wrote:

We are now one step closer to delivering on the promise of a new clean energy economy that will make America less dependent on foreign oil, crack down on polluters, and create millions of new jobs all across America.

But srsly. The US could do tons better. Check it out: the EC is planning to reduce its carbon footprint by 20%–and by 2015. Nevermind that 2020 BS. All right?

We’re dealing with trendy Aspen and Vail here, hot skiing spots—which, by the way, would not benefit from rising temperatures! Snow actually melts in heat. (Who knew?) So, much like in Switzerland and other regions whose tourism industry relies on cold temperatures to retain its appeal, much of the state of Colorado’s economy relies on its weather.

You’re not doing too well convincing us with your warmer-is-better fable, Turnbull.

So activist locals are trying to get progressive, green-friendly board members elected to the rural coop, 43,000 members-strong Holy Cross Energy. They’re having a hard time, perhaps most likely because the news isn’t out as much as it should be. The coop hasn’t even publicized this info via its newsletter.

The Colorado Independent reported,

“Vail real estate broker George Lamb faces off against Eagle County environmental building planner and overall sustainability guru Adam Palmer in the other contested race, and Aspen’s Hal Clark — an Aspen SkiCo-backed candidate last year — is running unopposed.”

Want more? Read the whole article here.

Note: Even I’m sick of discussing it, but I can’t help myself.

The swine flu/H1N1 rage is over or dwindling in many parts of the world (and yes, growing in some). 70 deaths in Mexico now. And millions due to the regular flu, by the way.

I just want to say, all the overreacting has caused me to postpone my vacation. First, it was just going to be a few weeks. Now, for reasons external to H1N1 but impacted by the postponed trip, it will be a few months. No good.

Pigs are abused in factory farms

So I hope the rest of you have had better luck and suffered from no panic, or at least were able to control the media’s flu frenzy. It’s too bad that countries have been shutting people out and blocking people in due to this. And that masks, paranoia and general anxiety have been cutting us off from one another! You know, I was afraid people would give me dirty looks on the plane and at airports since I suffer from allergies and frequently blow my nose. But I am speaking even of those who do not.

And a big no-no to you, big pharma, for feeding it (and sponsoring it? Most likely!). Bad big pharma. Bad.

Oh, and if you wanted environment-related news regarding H1N1, the Huffington Post has posted a few links. (I just didn’t find them relevant enough to the usual topics to discuss here.) And let me repeat that I blame Big Pharma, not factory farms, for the virus. Although, factory farms are horrible. Go vegetarian! Ok, no pressure.

taken at Isla Mujeres, by Ricardo Carreon

Prices have been slashed by 50-70% in an effort to lure back tourists, many of whom not only did not come after having bought their tickets and reserved their rooms along the coasts of Quintana Roo—which is arguably understandable—but they didn’t even cancel. How rude.

The federal government is giving the tourism industry a hand through a multimillion-dollar campaign worth USD 450 million. They got loans for hotels, cuts in airport and port fees and tax write-offs, the New York Times reports.

And the government should be generous: Mexico’s tourism industry earned USD 13.3 billion last year alone (the worst case scenario is thought to be a USD 5 billion loss for 2009, up to 0.5% off their GDP). Two million people depend on the Mexican Caribbean tourism industry to feed their families. Tourism represents 8% of the country’s economy.

Cozumel by John and Lee

Still, no cruises will stop at Mexico. And even a Royal Caribbean representative admits that “It is not necessarily the risk” It’s more about whether our guests feel comfortable visiting Mexico.” Right! Because Mexico has been stigmatized, which I find unfair. And really, anywhere something this hysterical happens it would be unfair, it’s not a Mexico thing.

And yet the US Govt still says “essential travel only or you’ll get H1N1.” Overreact much? This is why people are in fear—Because people exaggerate!

I’ll let Jon Stewart tell you about it (plz follow the link because I can’t figure out how to embed a video).

The Cancun Hotel Assoc will be working with Mexican travel agents to get more Mexicans back in the area. It’s deserted out there, I hear. Once the global flu threat is dismissed or lifted, the assoc will work with US and other foreign travel agents to attract gringos and everyone else back.

North Hemisphere folks, you will get to swim, sunbathe, relax, hike and party your ass off in Mexico this summer. For cheap. Just skip DF and you’ll have no excuse to freak.

Swine flu’s so last week.

Come on, let me see a smile on that pretty face of yours!

ruins in Acapulco by tourbyvan

P.S. I think this issue gets to me so much because I used to be one of the people who saw or heard something on TV and believed it. Sure, I was a kid back then. But it’s always been disheartening to me to learn that I’ve been duped even if everyone else is too. It’s not cool. It’s crap. It has to stop. And bringing panic to the masses is not only crap but also evil. Not to mention the ulterior motives of selling Tamiflu and all that shit.

P.P.S. I think there’s no more for me to say on this issue, so expect a break. Yay!

I feel the need to address this because living in a relatively sheltered area can skew your perspective on some things. This post is meant to prevent misunderstandings regarding personal safety in Mexico.

So I stumbled upon a post in the destinationweddingsite.com blog (hey, internet searches come up with random things. I wasn’t checking it out because I’m interested, I swear! Heh.)

Apparently, potential Mexico travelers have been writing emails to hotels and whatnot asking about—not the swine flu, mind you—but how likely it is you’ll get killed by drug lords carrying guns and high on coke.

The basic answer is “it’s not dangerous, chill.”

Listen: you will have dangerous areas and safe areas everywhere. If you’re worried (don’t be! Well, not if you believe in the law of attraction) take some pepper spray with you or take self-defense classes.

But really, it’s common sense—don’t walk alone in dark, deserted places at night, don’t hang out with drug dealers or drug lords, don’t go looking to buy illegal drugs, perhaps don’t flaunt your dollar bills or expensive items in public (especially in Mexico D.F. right?), and so on. Oh, and don’t go out looking for prostitutes, either. (Besides, it’s demand that draws supply—remember that.)

It’s the same as everywhere else, essentially.

Okay, I’ve lived in Los Angeles. And they’ve got some of the most hardcore gangs in the US. Drugs, guns, crime, murders, the whole package. And the only bad thing that ever happened to me was sexual harassment on a public bus, ok?

So there. Just use your common sense. Don’t venture out alone into the night in the city unless getting your ass kicked turns you on.

Read this post for more.