Save Eco Destinations

The Japanese whaling fleet in action.

Japan has been facing widespread criticism since it said it will be using some of the public funds allocated for disaster reconstruction to buttress its whaling operations. Instead of going to help fishing communities and others devastated by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, a portion of the funds will go to strengthen security for the country’s divisive annual whaling hunt. Classy.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) and Greenpeace accused the Japanese Government of spending an extra USD 30 million on increased security for the whalers, whose efforts are regularly affronted by anti-whaling groups.

The awesome Paul Watson.

“I think that it’s totally disgraceful,” SSCS Captain Paul Watson stated. “People from around the world sending money to help the victims of the tsunami-earthquake were not expecting their money to be used to fund killing whales in the Southern Ocean.”

Before the Japanese fleet departed for Antarctica earlier this week, the coast guard informed it would be sending out guards to protect it from environmental activists, AFP reports.

Fisheries Agency official Tatsuya Nakaoku said the move would ultimately help people who depend on whaling and whose livelihoods were ruined by the tsunami.

“The government will support the reconstruction effort of a whaling town and nearby areas,” he said. “This programme can help it reconstruct food processing plants there…”

“Many people in the area eat whale meat, too. They are waiting for Japan’s commercial whaling to resume,” he retorted.

Last February, the defiant actions of Sea Shepherd prompted Japan to shorten its hunt for the 2010-11 season by a month — after catching only one-fifth of its planned bounty.

Japan intends to kill almost 1,000 whales this time around, The Guardian reports.

In November, the Japanese Government approved a USD 1.6 billion extra budget, the third of 2011, to fund reconstruction and boost the economy lagging from the impact of the March disaster. Of the USD 64.2 million designated for fisheries-related spending, USD 29.3 million were earmarked for “stabilising whaling research.”

“We will bolster measures against acts of sabotage by anti-whaling groups so as to stably carry out the Antarctic whaling research,” the fisheries department then said.

Sea Shepherd is ready to confront the Japanese fleet. Three of the green group’s ships will set sail next week, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

“We are hoping to deter their operations,” Watson said. “I assume the security vessels will try and dislodge us. I am assuming there will be some difficult confrontations.”

SSCS asked Australia to send a vessel down to keep the peace, but the country refused, he told.

Whale meat at the Tsukiji fish market, 2008

Japan also approached Australia – asking to help protect it from groups like Sea Shepherd – to no avail. Apparently Australia doesn’t buy that Japan whales for scientific purposes, which is what Japan has claimed for a long time.

Australia does not “buy for one minute this argument,” said Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke.

“You don’t travel from one side of the globe to the other to harpoon whales and chop them up in the name of science,” he snapped.

Excellent.

Meanwhile, the clamor got louder this week when Latin American members of the International Whaling Commission urged Japan to halt its “scientific” whaling in Antarctica and respect sanctuaries.

Save the whales!

(This is part one of a two-part series on a report regarding the dismal state of our oceans. Part two of the series tackles the situation’s repercussions on humans and what we can do to help our oceans recover.)

A team of marine experts announced this week a new summary report arguing that climate change and other man-made factors will spur colossal levels of extinction in the world’s oceans. The catastrophe is forecasted to be “unprecedented in human history.”

The proverbial excrement, it seems, is about to hit the fan.

Not surprisingly, it appears that changes in our atmosphere, ecosystems, and habitats across the planet are accelerating too quickly for many species to adapt and be able to survive.

Dr. Alex Rogers. Photo from the University of Oxford.

“The speed of change, particularly related to climate change, is so great there simply isn’t time for marine life to adapt to these new conditions,” said Alex Rogers, a professor of conservation biology at the University of Oxford.

He explained that mass extinctions have been tied to considerable changes in the oceans’ carbon systems in the past.

“That’s what we’re bringing about through our own actions today,” he noted, reports ABC News.

Rogers and a team of 26 other researchers from various countries met earlier this year for a three-day workshop in England to study ocean stressors. Their full report is set to be published in the near future.

Ocean stressors at play

Ocean acidification is one key factor. Here’s what it’s about: carbon dioxide (CO2) (along with methane and other gasses) plays a huge role in heating up our planet and thereby causing climate change, which includes melting polar ice caps and rising ocean levels. Okay. What you might not know is that one-third of the planet’s CO2 is absorbed by the ocean, and that the more CO2 the ocean absorbs, the greater the waters’ acidity. This phenomenon is called ocean acidification and it’s noxious to our planet for many reasons. For example, rising acidity levels in our oceans have been found to:

• Impair fish hearing and smell, putting their survival in danger
• Kill off endangered species such as northern abalone
• Threaten the survival of krill, itself the basic food source of nearly all animals in the ocean

Coral reef in Papua New Guinea. By Mila Zinkova via Wikimedia Commons

Apart from ocean acidification, rising water temperatures, overfishing, pollution, and even tourism are all exacerbating the rapid decline of species such as reef-forming coral. (Go here, here, and here for more on the state of coral reefs.)

Sharks and other species may be next, warned Rogers, lead author of the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) report.

Further, he said that, in many cases, the impacts of ocean stressors were found to have a greater overall effect than any single effect when taken together. For example, the decline of coral reef ecosystems due to overfishing and reef bleaching, plus the acidification that causes bleaching, will eradicate “the most diverse marine ecosystems on the planet.”

Chilling.

“As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the ocean, the implications became far worse than we had individually realized,” Rogers said. “This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level.”

Stay tuned for part two of this 2-part series.

Blackwater River State Park, Escambia/Santa Rosa, FL

The Florida Forever Coalition is at it again this year with its annual Take a Hike, Florida! event meant to celebrate and protect public wildlife and outdoor recreation activities throughout the state. This year, the hikes will take place on Saturday, March 26^th in the morning (time may vary per county).

In an effort to support and raise awareness about the state’s Florida Forever conservation land-buying program, the Coalition will partner with local supporters this weekend to take part in a day of friendly hiking under the sun.

The event was designed to celebrate Florida’s natural resources and raise awareness of its public land spaces which everyone can enjoy on a regular basis. The hikes will take place across the state and will be open to the public. To find events in your county – choose from Brevard, Duval, Escambia/Santa Rosa, Hillsborough, Lake, Leon, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Orange, Pasco, Seminole, Wakulla, and Washington – check out this link: Take a Hike, Florida!

Sand Pond at Trout Pond Recreation Area, Apalachicola National Forest, Wakulla County, FL

With highs set to hit the mid-80sF in South Florida this Saturday, spending the day outside among lush trees, singing birds, and a sweet breeze sounds like heaven to me! Plus, this year, the Coalition has made it a lot easier to collaborate in the fun compared to the form-filling they required last time, when celebrating 20 years of public land acquisition.

Remember to wear comfortable and breathable (cotton!) clothing and footwear (I love and recommend these shoes if you enjoy walking barefoot), biodegradable sunscreen that’s good for you and harmless toward the environment, and bring water in a reusable non-plastic container! Oh, and a photo camera, of course, to snap plenty of embarrassing shots of friends and strangers you can then use to blackmail … I mean, to show those who missed out what a grand ol’ time you had. Clearly.

The Bird Island Nature Reserve in Lambert's Bay Western Cape, South Africa

By Louise Baker

Eco-Tourism is thriving and ever growing trend that has the benefits of a vacation combined with the experience of working with or studying the wonders of the world at the same time. Depending on a student’s course of study, certain locations may lend themselves better than others, and some destinations may not be suitable at all. Fortunately, there are some valuable resources like the International Eco-Tourism Society that make researching and choosing the right destination fairly easy. In addition to private tour providers, many colleges and universities sponsor or fund eco-tours as part of their curriculum; these programs are a great way to see some the most fascinating sights on the planet while also helping to preserve and protect them.

Africa

Africa is host to range of eco-destinations covering aspects including humanitarian aid like assisting local villagers with wells, irrigation, disease control, and more, to technological ventures and wildlife management strategies. There are current eco-tours that include counting populations of wildlife, re-introduction of species, and preserving endangered species that allow college students to obtain priceless knowledge firsthand while making a difference in the world at the same time.

Steam at Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park

Yellowstone and Yosemite both have a wide variety of biological and geological features that make them totally unique in terms of geological history and diversity. Many endangered and re-introduced species in these two parks are the direct result of conservation projects that are now open to students and even the public to participate in. Yosemite is a lure for studying the movement of glaciers, rock formation, and even climate and weather phenomena, while the super-volcano that is suspected to be lurking underneath Yellowstone has kept biologists, geologists, and chemists busy for decades with extreme conditions and extreme life forms living in them.

Galapagos Islands

Possibly the most famous eco destination in the world is the renowned Galapagos Islands; the majority of this fame in the eco-tourism arena comes from the sea turtle conservation programs that, over the years, have become increasingly popular. Aside from collecting and counting sea turtle eggs and releasing the young turtles, the Galapagos Islands are also home many other wildlife conservation efforts, and with many of the species native to this area only being found here, it is no wonder why.

Sunrise in Machu Picchu

South America

The South American continent is one of the most popular eco destinations in the world, second only to the famed Galapagos Islands. South America has been hosting tours and trips along the Inca Trail and through the ruins of Machu Picchu for many years, and this area of the world still holds fascinating secrets that waiting to be uncovered. Lush jungles and thick rainforest are home to most of the animal and plant species on the planet, and with threats like climate change and poaching progressing, many South American governments have stepped up efforts to promote eco-tourism and preserve eco destinations.

With so many eco-destinations available, it is now possible to actually travel to remote destinations and touch, see, and feel the actual subject matter with one’s own senses, use the knowledge you have to build more and preserve the planet and its inhabitants for future generations.

Louise Baker is a freelance writer and blogger who usually does car insurance comparisons over at CarinsuranceComparison.Org. She recently wrote about finding cheap car insurance quotes.

Soon, there won't be much Fraser River salmon left for you to fish, buddy.

Last week I wrote about the efforts of certain companies to deceive consumers into thinking they are purchasing sustainably caught fish.

If you remember, I discussed the problematic Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which offers eco-certification to fisheries across the globe and has never refused the certification to any fishery that has completed the certification process. Ahem.

Well, it turns out that the independent adjudicator has ruled in favor of MSC last Monday, which means that the endangered Fraser sockeye salmon stocks have been ruled sustainable. Environmentalists are wailing and independent salmon trollers railing.

The certifier will now submit the Final Certification Report to MSC, recommending that the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery be certified as sustainable. The certifier may issue a certificate and MSC would announce certification after a final internal MSC review of the documents takes place.

So what’s the problem?

“This certification could actually result in well-intentioned consumers buying an endangered Fraser River sockeye with an eco-label on it,” explained Jeffrey Young, aquatic biologist with the David Suzuki Foundation, one of the groups who filed a notice of objection to the MSC’s intent to provide eco-certification to the stock.

I would like to reiterate that some Fraser River sockeye stocks harvested in the fishery that is getting certified by MSC are already classified as “endangered” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and “critically endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, whose scientists consider overfishing a key threat to the stocks’ health.

Further, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recently set up a commission to study the decline of the Fraser River salmon stock.

This is definitely bad timing for an eco-certification, don’t you think?

Next time you’re shopping for seafood, remember that MSC-certified seafood is probably not actually sustainably fished, and steer clear of Fraser River sockeye salmon.

Dolphins in the Pacific Ocean

The United Nations (UN) is celebrating World Ocean Day on Tuesday, June 8^th with the theme ‘Our oceans: opportunities and challenges.’

The celebration was instituted just last year and since then has been commemorated annually by conservation groups, schools, businesses and governments everywhere.

Check out this year’s events here and find more info on World Ocean Day at The Ocean Project.

Reasons to celebrate World Ocean Day

Given the recent and very-much-ongoing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it’s an especially wonderful time to raise awareness about the oceans’ plights and learn how we can “make a difference” (or a phrase that doesn’t make you gag).

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moo said the ocean’s main three challenges right now are overfishing, climate change and pollution.

World Ocean Day allows us to:

• Change perspective: encourage others to consider what the ocean represents to them and our planet, which hopefully will get more people interested in respecting and working to preserve it for generations to come.
• Learn: read about and watch documentaries on marine life and the richness of life in our oceans, visit the beach, etc., – whatever you feel will allow you to bond with our planet’s natural bodies of water.
• Make adjustments: educate yourself about endangered marine species (e.g., bluefin and other types of tuna, swordfish, skates and rays, marlin, Atlantic cod and orange roughy) so you can cross that seafood off your shopping list – and remember to tell others why you’re switching! (Check out Greenpeace’s Seafood Red List here.) You can also read up on which supermarkets shun unsustainable seafood (so you can shop there), biodegradable pesticides and fertilizers for your backyard, wear biodegradable sunscreen, etc.
• Celebrate: take part in the day’s festivities! For instance, write a letter to BP about the catastrophe it’s caused in the Gulf of Mexico and take part in demonstrations and sign petitions against oil drilling.

Atlantic cod is an endangered species

The UN resolution

The UN resolution calls on user States and States bordering straits utilized for international navigation to keep working together to resolve issues regarding navigation safety, e.g., aids to navigation safety and the prevention, reduction and control of pollution generated by ships and other vessels.

Countries are being urged to consider becoming members of the International Hydrographic Organization, and to cooperate with that organization to boost the coverage of hydrographic information across the planet.

These orders are meant to strengthen technical assistance and promote navigation safety, particularly in areas of international navigation, ports and vulnerable or protected marine zones.

“The oceans play a fundamental role in our daily lives. They are an integral part of sustainable development and an important frontier for research. As scientists explore the oceans to increasing depths, they continue to discover new forms of marine life,” said Ki-moo.

“These investigations have great potential with regards to the improvement of human welfare. But if we are to benefit fully from what the oceans have to offer, we must address the harmful effects of human activities. The diversity of life in the oceans is under increasing pressure,” he added.

Ki-moo said marine ecosystems are being threatened by three major phenomena:

• The overexploitation of living marine resources;
• Climate change;
• Pollution from activities involving materials and hazards.

“The same applies to the increase in criminal activities, including piracy, which have serious implications for safety of navigation and the protection of seafarers,” he noted.

Photo - Volcanoes Safaris

By Cinthia Pacheco

This is the second of two posts on the Virungas region of East Africa. What tourism options are available in the Virungas region? And is there a way to observe the infamous mountain gorilla without damaging its survival?

Go2Africa

Ecotourists interested in the Virungas region can visit go2africa, one of the biggest African tourism websites. It offers intensive gorilla trekking with mandatory gorilla permits and certain rules, e.g. no flash photography or children under 15 because they might transmit diseases to the gorillas. One hour is allowed with the gorillas and at a distance of no closer than 7 meters. In certain restrictive circumstances, like border closures, security changes, or gorillas going out of range, the park ranger can deny your gorilla encounter, even after purchasing a gorilla permit.

The travel service highlights its environmental and social responsibility (including its adoption of a blind rhino, Max – aww). It also encourages connecting with their Africa experts and spending time on their forums.

Volcanoes Safaris

Volcanoes Safaris offers eco-lodges and emphasizes the “debate on minimizing the environmental impact of rich travellers on poor countries.” The company displays detailed information on its eco-lodges’ low-flush and eco-san dry toilets, bush showers, and solar panel lighting.

Although both these companies seem to show initiative to protect the fragility of the Virungas region, Volcanoes Safaris really buckles down on conservation efforts:

“As the leading gorilla safari company, Volcanoes has demonstrated our commitment to working for their survival by being the only safari company to sign the Kinshasa Declaration on Saving the Great Apes.”

This company shows its commitment to a long-term plan to protect the Virungas region and its wildlife.

Close-up of mountain gorilla in Rwanda by National Geographic

Tourism and community working together

While digging into all the tourism information available on the Virungas region, I couldn’t help but notice community projects ubiquitous across websites on the mountain gorilla. The multitude of organizations involved is astounding, and many understand that the local community impacts the gorillas’ well-being.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund und has people programs focusing on ecosystem health, community development, and education. In order for the tourism sector to thrive, the local community must be stable, and these small-scale sustainable development programs are “designed to help local people work toward economic independence, reducing reliance on irreplaceable natural resources.”

This, in turn, benefits the well-being of the Virungas region and thus the mountain gorilla.

There also have been plans to regulate tourism, including the Virunga Massif Tourism Plan, which

“aims to provide the framework for tourism development in the region that allows for controlled development, which does not generate any negative environmental or socio-cultural impact and which will be used as a means for environmental and cultural conservation.”

Another collaboration worth noting is The Great Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, which includes the countries surrounding the Virungas region: Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Uganda. Through this project said countries have pooled in their energy to co-ordinate level regulations on “environmental management, law enforcement, gorilla census and tourism.”

A mountain gorilla-tourist encounter

Conclusion – Can ecotourism and gorillas coexist?

The Karisoke Center continues to advance its research goals and conservation objectives, and is currently in the process of conducting a new study, Environmental Economics Research, putting special attention on the impact of human activity on the Virungas region, namely tourist behaviour toward conservation efforts.

The scientists who work with these animals know that, in general, gorillas are peaceful and gentle. However, a study by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund on the direct impact of safari tours trekking in on the Virunga gorillas found that,

“The gorillas were more aggressive and exhibited a number of stress-related behaviours during the one-hour tourist visits … This study has provided the park management authorities the scientific information needed to guide sustainable long-term management of the gorillas in the face of increased economic pressure to include more gorilla groups in the tourism program and to increase the number of visitors and visits per day to each group.”

I believe that with careful regulations, controlled and conscious ecotourism – real ecotourism – can aid the gorillas of the Virungas region. Money from tourism helps revive the local economy and, in turn, helps these gorillas.

Being one of our closest the living primates, I think it is essential for us to step up and ensure their safety and survival.

Cinthia Pacheco is a Canadian-Argentine living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She writes about feminism, ecotourism and basketball. You can connect with her via email and on Twitter at @rincon200.

Rainbow sunset off Miami Beach, FL

Here are two upcoming eco events for the greenies in Florida, U.S.:

Hands Across the Sand

Save the date: Saturday, February 13, rain or shine, head to your local beach (and if it’s not listed, go ahead and organize an event in your community) to hold hands with other Florida beach lovers to protest oil drilling from 1-2pm EST (get there a little early and plan for parking).

The event is called Hands Across the Sand and the idea is to push for the protection of Florida’s beaches and wildlife from oil drilling.

“This is an opportunity to show your opposition to oil drilling as close as 3 to 10 miles off our coast. This movement will be made of people of all walks of life. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our shoreline, our tourism, our valuable properties and our way of life. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting our waterways and beaches from the devastating effects of oil drilling.”

Join their Facebook page for Love Tourists Not Drilling Coalition in Pinellas County, Florida, here.

Check it out on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. You can also sign up for the newsletter here.

It has already received public support from legislators and both governmental and non-governmental organizations like the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, the City of Sarasota, Pinellas County, and the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce.

It’s just one hour. You know you want to! Tell your friends!

Take a Hike!

The Florida Forever Coalition is organizing public hikes across the state of Florida to celebrate 20 years of public land acquisition on Saturday, February 20 at 10am EST. You can join or put a hike together in your area by filling out this form and emailing it to info@supportfloridaforever.org.

Already organized are hikes in Central Florida, Tampa Bay, the Panhandle, and Lake Okeechobee. There are none organized in the Everglades thus far, but you can go ahead and set one up!

The coalition is made up of over 125 nonprofits, public agencies and private groups and has protected over 2.4 million acres of Florida land since 2000, according to its website.

Among its successes, Florida Forever counts the preservation of

• 53,600 acres of springs and springsheds
• 5,190 acres of fragile coastline
• 300,000 acres of sustainable forest lands
• 158,700 acres of working agricultural lands

Learn about volunteering, sending emails to your legislators, writing op-eds for Florida newspapers, and more for the cause here.

The coalition is also organizing plenty of lobby days and other events across Florida.

Enjoy!

A swamp in the Everglades

By Cinthia Pacheco

The Everglades of South Florida: an ecotourism hotspot to explore the unique mingling of subtropical wetlands, or another tourist frenzy disturbing serene wildlife?

The Everglades already have a dense history of human impact, and one is left to wonder if we can improve the situation or just make it worse by visiting this special environment – even from an ecotourism angle.

Geographically, the Everglades are an anomaly: a combination of swamps, mangrove forests, pine rockland, and other systems. This diverse environment contains a colourful array of plants and endangered animals that stretches 100 miles from Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee, around Disney World and through Florida Bay.

The strain of urban development has culminated in the draining and contamination of 50% of these wetlands.

Map from library.thinkquest.org

A peek at the history of the Everglades: in the 1950s, the land was considered for residential development. The U.S. Government started building canals and water control structures to improve flood control and drainage. The result: the natural flow of water from the ocean to the Everglades was ruined, and the water that did reach the wetlands was contaminated with chemicals, while fresh water became unable to circulate in the area.

Restoration Plans

Today, there is a number of restoration plans underway to turn around the damage. The CERP (Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers form the largest ecosystem restoration plan in global history. They work together to, among many other projects, restore water flow and rehydrate drained wetlands. The Corps are building a special pump to encourage natural water flow, as well as remove many miles of road.

On January 7, 2010 the CERP held a ceremony to reinvigorate the Everglades restoration plan.

“Over the past-century, South Florida’s explosive growth has absorbed half of the original Everglades,” Col. Al Pantano, Corps’ Jacksonville District commander stated. “Today, together, we are returning some of those lands that were prepped for development to their former, natural conditions.”

Regulations on Tourism

Amidst the myriad projects and initiatives, very little is being done about the human impact on the Everglades – including regulations on tourism.

A typical Everglades alligator

Large swarms of tourism bring noise and garbage to this delicate environment. And according to many self-proclaimed ecotourism companies, the Everglades are still considered an ecotourism hotspot.

The Everglades Day Safari defines ecotourism as ”responsible travel” – and then proudly announces its “six vehicles in the fleet” and exploration of the area by “airboat” or “pontoon boat.” These companies do not help preserve the stillness of an environment that is under threat.

Other more responsible projects have less impact.

Everglade Trail, a smaller tourist trail project, promotes individual trekking through the landscape, encouraging activities like canoeing, hiking, and biking. They also offer a CD for you to take along to listen to information and stories about the wildlife and history. This strategy is healthier for the Everglades, even if it is considered “slower” tourism.

One recent regulation set on human activity in the Everglades National Park is a Pole and Troll boating rule. In designated areas, boats are required to use push poles, paddles, or electric trolling motors to protect sea grass and wildlife.

But there is still a lot of work to be done.

David Reiner, president of Friends of the Everglades, wrote in a recent 2009 newsletter,

“In spite of our accomplishments and best efforts, the Everglades continue to degrade. Developers continue to be given permission to develop sprawl west of the Urban Development Boundary. Protections for the ecosystem which is the lifeblood of South Florida are hard won and expensive.”

Do tourists – even ecotourists – only make the matter worse? Or can public education contribute to saving these wetlands?

Studying the impact of human activity will help us better understand which restrictions must be established and how to properly enforce them.

Working hard to heal the damage done by urban sprawl is important, but we must also be attentive to our present actions. Taking responsibility in the present is a direct way to work on reviving the Everglades in the future.

Cinthia Pacheco is a Canadian-Argentine living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a feminist who spends her leisure time writing and playing basketball. You can connect with her via email and on Twitter at @rincon200.

View from the MAYAB Holistic Center and Educational Retreat

MAYAB Holistic Center and Educational Retreat, opening this month, educates its guests “about critical environmental issues facing the coastal ecosystems of the Sian Ka’an [Biosphere Reserve] and surrounding area.”

Eco education

This is crucial, and something I wish all eco hotels did. Think about it: what if someone wants to help the environment and so chooses to vacation at an eco hotel, but then wears regular sunscreen while checking out coral reefs? What if a couple celebrates their wedding on the coast of Quintana Roo, where so many severely endangered sea turtles go to nest? Or if people with good intentions visit bird sanctuaries and fail to keep their mouths shut? Noooooooo!

Disaster!

Violating the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

However, Mayab was built just north of Tulum in the Yucatán Peninsula within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a 1.3 million-acre nature reserve that also hosts Mayan ruins. I know what you’re thinking: this does not sound ecologically auspicious, sustainable and green as Mayab may tout itself to be. I absolutely agree.

Building a hotel – eco or otherwise – within a natural reserve is egregiously intrusive and atrocious.

(I’m not even going to go into the accommodations set up by the Sian Ka’an reserve itself!)

Photo by Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

Sure, founder Delainia Haug means well, but placing her premises within a UNESCO World Heritage Site sounds like more of a marketing move than an environmentally magnanimous one.

As the eco hotel’s website says, “Approximately 36,000 tourists entered the reserve in the year 2000, and those numbers are expected to increase significantly each year.” And don’t forget “The increase in tourism and overdevelopment are threatening this fragile habitat.”

Oh, and “In the summer three species of endangered sea turtles come ashore to build their nests here.” I don’t think tourists should be trusted to respect nesting sites, no matter how ostensibly ecologically mindful they may be. Staying at a hotel placed right by these sites – not to mention being responsible for it – is decidedly irresponsible, to say the least.

How, then, could building a hotel within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere be ecologically responsible?

The good stuff

Apart from educating its guests, Mayab filters its grey and black water, turning the latter into organic matter. It is also developing a solar generated power system, composts, and recycles.

Also, retreats and programs are held to increase awareness about environmental issues.

What do you think?

Is its presence within a reserve ecologically laudable or destructive?

Leave a comment here and contact Delainia to voice your thoughts!