Resort in Dubai named region’s leading eco-tourism site

Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa yesterday has been named the region’s leading sustainable eco-tourism development by a collective of environmentalists, academics and government officials who met for an environmental conference this week.

Organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, the Sustainable Eco-Tourism in Desert Ecosystems conference in Dubai was arranged to discuss sustainable development, conservation of natural resources and tourism growth.

A benchmark in discussions was the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR); the first and largest protected wildlife conservation area in the UAE, formally recognised as a Protected Area by UNEP and also home to Emirates Hotels and Resorts’ Al Maha property.

In 2003, the Government of Dubai took the decision to create the conservation area and charged Emirates with its management and protection.

Since then, Emirates has invested over AED 10 million (US $2.7 million) in support of wildlife conservation programmes, scientific research and protection of this 225km² area.

Dubai makes steps towards being eco-friendly

Leading environmentalists, academics, government officials and eco-tourism experts visited Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa yesterday, after a three-day conference identified the award-winning property as the region’s leading sustainable eco-tourism development.

Image via Wikipedia

Organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, the Sustainable Eco-Tourism in Desert Ecosystems conference in Dubai was arranged to discuss sustainable development, conservation of natural resources and tourism growth.

A benchmark in the conference discussions was the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR); the first and largest protected wildlife conservation area in the UAE, formally recognised as a Protected Area by UNEP, and also home to Emirates’ exclusive Al Maha property.

In 2003, the Government of Dubai decided to create a nationally significant conservation area and charged Emirates with its management and protection. Since then Emirates has invested over Dhs10m in support of wildlife conservation programmes, scientific research, and protection of this 225 square kilometre area.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, and also the Chairman of the Dubai Conservation Board, commented, “We are honoured that Al Maha and the DDCR have been held up internationally as a foremost example of sustainable tourism development at this prestigious conference. We are determined to preserve a balance between conservation and Dubai’s rapid urban expansion. Emirates and Al Maha have contributed enormously to ensure the management of conservation, research and tourism within the DDCR is at the highest international standards.”

Sheikh Ahmed added, “Much of the region’s natural resources, habitats and wildlife are under pressure; however, sustainable developments such as Al Maha offer the biggest opportunities to develop the tourism economy, while also protecting natural and historic heritage into the future.”

Since the opening of Al Maha in 1999, the successful re-introduction of the Arabian Oryx, Arabian Gazelle, Sand Gazelle and large-scale indigenous flora re-seeding programmes are just some of the major projects that have been delicately carried out in the DDCR. It is the only location within the UAE where visitors are able to experience completely free-roaming wildlife within their natural desert and dune surroundings.

The reserve is the most actively researched and carefully managed conservation area in the region. It is registered with the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), audited by UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and is a member of the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN). The DDCR has joined some of the world’s most treasured conservation areas, including such reserves as Yellowstone National Park in the USA and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Confirmed by scientific research, the environment and habitat within the DDCR has greatly improved from what it was ten years ago. Quite apart from the wildlife which has been reintroduced, many species that had disappeared from the area are now returning on their own accord.

The DDCR is segregated into four utilisation zones. In some areas, only researchers are allowed to enter on foot. In another zone a select number of safari operators – who worked closely with the reserve management to create a foremost example of sustainable desert tourism in the region – can conduct safaris for visitors, providing an experience of the desert and dunes, and its unique fauna and flora, and gaining a better understanding of Dubai’s conservation efforts.

Related articles by Zemanta

• World will miss 2010 target to stem biodiversity loss, experts say (scienceblog.com)
• Supervisors sought for conservation district (theolympian.com)
• Yellowstone bison conservation program in limbo (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Interior head ends 1st year with vows of reforms (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• First global scientific conference supporting UN efforts to curb desertification opens in Argentina (scienceblog.com)

Ecotourism in Israel

I stumbled on the following article at the Jerusalem Post regarding ecotourism in Israel.  I’ve got to be honest, Israel is not the first country I think of when I think “eco-tourism“.  Ecotourism, as I wrote about in the post immediately preceding this one, means communing in a natural environment with both flora and fauna in their natural habitats, and Israel doesn’t seem to have much of either, from what I can tell (I’ve never been there), but they also have other problems, do they not?  I’m aware of the kibbutz concept, and it looks like the government is trying to use the previous success of Israeli farms to push tourism into Israel farther.

At any rate, seeking to help farmers diversify their income, the Agriculture Ministry has launched a course to train farmers in eco-tourism. The pilot class started this week and includes 20 farmers from the Galilee and the Golan. As it becomes more difficult to make a living off agriculture, more farmers have turned to tourism to supplement their income. Taking advantage of their rural setting, the farmers want to cash in on the world’s hunger for ecologically friendly enterprises. The ministry hopes that by combining environmentally sound agriculture with green tourism, farmers will be able to remain on the land. “Agri-rural tourism is one of the major leverages that the rural regions have to offer,” said Shai Dotan, director of the ministry’s agricultural-tourism development project. “The goals of the course are to assist the residents of Israel’s rural areas to adjust to the changes that are taking place in Israel’s agricultural sector.” The course has seven full-day sessions, each taking place in one of the participants’ farms. The participants learn about different methods to make their farm an eco-friendly environment, focusing on things such as water conservation, energy production, organic gardening and recycling. “In the past I’ve attended many courses that taught the principles of environmental farming, but I always left with the feeling that I don’t know how to begin,” said Miri Falach, counseling director of the ministry’s Galilee and Golan districts. “This course is different, because it doesn’t only teach the principles, it gives participants the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of the things they learn. Next week, for example, we will be teaching the participants how to set up and maintain an organic garden. The week after that we will work on installing a water-recycling plant.”

Falach came up with the idea to offer the course, and many of the topics covered are already in practice on her farm on Moshav Had-Nes in the Golan Heights. “I have several cottages on my property and I felt terrible about the amount of water that goes to waste,” Falach said. “My home overlooks the Kinneret, and I can plainly see what the water shortage has done to the lake level. “To think that every tourist who comes to stay fills the Jacuzzi, and that the water then goes to waste, seemed like a real shame,” she said. “So I decided to collect the drained water and water my garden with it.” Falach said she often gets funny looks for her sustainability-promoting actions, but she hopes that others will catch on soon. “There are 120 farms on my moshav, and I’m the only one to take any action on this front,” she said. “But I believe that there is a real potential here for growth.” While environmental tourism may not be a top priority for Israelis, Falach said, when it comes to the international market, there is a growing demand. “I can only hope that Israel follows this trend the same as it does others,” she said. “Maybe in a few years people here will also take environmental considerations into account when choosing a place to spend their vacations. We think this course will help prepare people for that day.” The ministry’s rural-development branch hopes to eventually set up a ranking system to evaluate the levels of sustainability of each farm, Falach said, adding: “In the same way hotels have star rankings, we’ll have leaf rankings or something like that.” The course is also being supported by the Israel Farmers Federation. Federation chairman Avshalom Vilan, a former Meretz MK, said he supports the ministry’s efforts to promote tourism in the rural areas because farmers can no longer rely on agricultural production alone. “This doesn’t replace agriculture, but it can definitely supplement it,” Vilan said. “We have seen this phenomenon pick up momentum in the last 10 years and have been involved in similar efforts ourselves.” The course is being subsidized by the ministry and costs NIS 850. If the pilot proves successful, there are plan to hold the course in other parts of the country.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Ten Top Green Startup Triple Wins (startupprofessionals.com)
• We Are The Startup Nation (techaviv.com)
• J-Street’s College Arm Drops ‘Pro-Israel’ From Slogan (usnews.com)

Ecotourism a focus of Jordan’s tourism efforts

Image via Wikipedia

DANA (AP) – A trek uphill from Jordan’s scorching Dead Sea shore through the towering sandstone walls of the Mujib gorge leaves you with a pulse-racing way to get back down – strap into a harness and rappel down a waterfall into a sparkling river.

Jordan, home of the ancient red-rock city of Petra, is reaching beyond its considerable historical and biblical tourist attractions to try to capture a stake in the growing outdoor adventure and ecotourism market.

Besides the Mujib gorge – which has the distinction of being the lowest elevation nature reserve in the world – Jordan is marketing places like the wooded highlands and rocky slopes of the Dana Reserve in the country’s south.

Visitors there take in views of massive domelike clusters of red-beige rock and – with luck – might catch a glimpse of the shy mountain ibex before settling in for the night at a campsite, rustic guesthouse or the reserve’s candlelit eco-lodge.

The Kingdom’s effort to lure ecotourists – 66,000 came last year among a total of 3.4 million tourists – seeks to reap the benefits of four decades of pioneering wildlife and nature conservation.

Environmentalists founded the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) in 1966 at a time when war with Israel, not ecological conservation, dominated most Arab agendas.

“The area was in turmoil,” said the society’s director, Yehya Khaled. “The following year we had a war between the Arabs and Israel.” Since then, the nongovernmental organisation has led environmental education programmes, set a national environmental strategy and established and maintained eight nature reserves so far.

Other countries in the Middle East are following Jordan’s lead.

In the United Arab Emirates, for example, Dubai’s dune-rippled Desert Conservation Reserve was recognised in November as a protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, thanks in part to its sustainable tourism programme and its re-introduction of Arabian oryx and gazelles.

Among the region’s more far-flung places, Yemen’s island of Socotra is also drawing determined eco-tourists and has been compared to the Galapagos because of its hundreds of species of plants and animals that are found nowhere else on earth.

Her Majesty Queen Rania, known for her activism on issues like poverty and education, has been working to boost eco-tourism numbers. She promoted the country’s natural heritage recently at a Conde Nast travel forum in New York.

“If you want adventure, you can abseil [rope] down waterfalls, paraglide off sandstone crags, navigate Red Sea reefs, then cook supper deep in the desert sands of Wadi Rum,” she told an audience of hundreds of travel industry leaders.

Such exhilaration can be had along one of the trails through the Mujib gorge. From the edge of the Dead Sea, it winds up through hills and descends to the Mujib River via a rope rappel down a (20-metre) waterfall. Along the way, you can stop and cool off in natural pools.

The country’s reserves are also great places to spot wildlife. Jordan’s conservation efforts included the 1978 reintroduction of the once nearly extinct Arabian oryx, an elegant white antelope native to the Arabian Peninsula.

The Dana Reserve is home to the Syrian wolf and other endangered animals, as well as 700 plant species, including Jordan’s national emblem, the rare black iris, and 215 kinds of birds. You might even cross paths with a horned ibex.

In establishing the reserve in the 1990s, Jordan also resurrected the fortunes of a dying bedouin village there, providing residents with jobs helping run the reserve.

With Dana and the other reserves, (RSCN) also helps market and sell hand-crafted silver jewellery, organic jams and olive oil produced by the local communities through its wild Jordan division.

Officials at Dana also took into account the area’s broader environmental problems, including by setting up a sustainable grazing programme for bedouin goat herders.

“We’re ahead of the entire Mideast region. We’ve introduced integrating biodiversity conservation with sustainable community and socio-economic development,” Khaled said.

The RSCN, which is looking to establish nine more reserves, hopes eco-tourism will serve as the main source of income for the work.

Dana is the country’s largest reserve, covering some 310 square kilometres.

It is a place of startling variety.

Lush mountains as high as 1,500 metres descend to open woodlands of juniper and oak. And farther down sits scrubland and sandy desert below sea level.

“Your walk may start in snow and after four hours you’ll only need a T-shirt. You’re still in Dana, but it feels like a different country,” said local guide Tayseer Qteishat.

The reserve has 11 walks ranging from a gentle one-hour jaunt to a more invigorating 10-hour trek that demands some climbing and swimming.

Dana and three other natural sites in Jordan – the Azraq Wetlands, Mujib and Wadi Rum – are soon to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which already includes other Jordanian favourites such as Petra, Qusayr Amra and Umm Rasas.

American tourist Daniel Dyer, from New Jersey, has visited several of Jordan’s nature reserves and said he plans to keep coming back, especially to Dana.

“There is drama here. Such natural beauty is exceptional,” Dyer said. “I’d have to agree with Queen Noor who called the views here nothing less than ’10-star’.”

Jordan’s nature reseves

- Dana in southern Jordan has a chain of valleys and mountains extending from the top of the Rift Valley down to the desert lowlands of Wadi Araba. Dana is home to 703 plant species, 215 different kinds of birds and 38 mammal species, including raptors and ibex.

- Mujib is located within the deep Wadi Mujib gorge that enters the Dead Sea at 410 metres below sea level. It is the lowest altitude nature reserve in the world. Mujib has over 420 plant species, 102 species of migratory birds and 10 species of carnivores, including the red fox, the jackal and mongoose.

-Wadi Rum is dotted with massive mountains, coloured in shades of red, yellow and orange. Here you can rent a camel and follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia or sandboard across the rolling dunes. Spring reveals hundreds of species of wild flowers.

-Shomari Wildlife Reserve is a breeding centre for some of the most endangered and rare wildlife in the Middle East, including the Arabian oryx. Ostriches, onagers and desert gazelle are also rebuilding their populations in this safe haven protected from hunting and habitat destruction.

- Azraq Wetland Oasis is located in the heart of the semi-arid eastern desert. A wide variety of migratory birds stop here each year on routes between Asia and Africa.

Eco Travel in the Middle East

(From Karin Kloosterman’s excellent site – highly recommended):

VISA issues aside, eco-touring is no longer a concept found only in the West. More Middle Eastern organizations are starting to cater to the ecologically minded and are marketing eco-tours. Whether it’s a trek on a camel through the desert, or a backpacking excursion through unspoilt forests, if you are willing to not be spoiled in the Western way, the Middle East offers a number of eco-friendly holidays. Here we offer a recap of some options provided by Israeli blogger Karen Chernick from Green Prophet.

While some countries like Costa Rica have started abiding by sustainability standards and practices, no such organizations or initiatives like this exist in the Middle East. In the interim, we can just suggest contacting the websites of the organizations to ask them any specific questions you might have.

JORDAN

Terhaal Eco Adventure: Terhaal offers a variety of adventures with a focus on outdoor activities. Rappelling, snorkeling, camping, camel trekking… you name it, they got it. You can choose from a list of trips that they offer, or they’ll tailor a trip to what you want to see.

Baobab: Alternative Roots to Travel: This tour company offers eco tours all over the Middle East and Africa, with some unique options in Jordan. You can check out some of their cultural tours or have them take you around some of Jordan’s nature reserves.

Feynan Lodge: Developed by Jordan’s Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, this eco lodge is in the middle of the Dana nature reserve. The lodge itself is built entirely out of local materials with traditional methods. It also incorporates green technologies such as solar power and they try to stick to candle light at night to save electricity. Very green and very romantic.

LEBANON

TLB Destinations: TLB is a tour company that offers sustainable tourism trips all over the Middle East. The small company is local and multilingual (they speak English, French, Arabic, and German), and promotes responsible tourism. This means that their tour guides inform travelers about local concerns regarding the conservation of natural areas, support local communities, and that the company itself tries to raise awareness about biodiversity and heritage. TLB offers a diverse range of trips in Lebanon, including adventure, biking, cultural, gastronomical, discovery, trekking, and hiking tours.

Eco Village: Eco Village is a spot in the Dmit Valley for educational eco tourism. While staying in one of their mud huts or camps, you can enjoy organic meals, learn about the environment, and help out on their farm. In addition to organic farming, fishing, hiking, swimming, and rock climbing, you can also do some yoga or tai chi at the Eco Village.

Lebanon Mountain Trail: The Lebanon Mountain Trail is a 440 km path that leads from the northern tip of Lebanon to the southern part of the country and goes through more than 75 towns and villages. It promotes environmentally and socially responsible tourism, and is the first long distance hiking trail in Lebanon.

Blue Carrot Adventures: This tour group brings together nature and adventure lovers to explore Lebanon’s wilderness. Some of their adventures include snowshoeing, paragliding, amateur caving, and diving. Sign up for their mailing list to find out about their next adventure.

IRAN

Ecotour Iran: Ecotour Iran, a leading tour operating company, cooperates with experts in the field of ecotourism. It runs the only official ecotourism center in Iran as well as training courses for ecotour leaders in the fields of zoology, ornithology, botany, geography, history, photography, outdoor sports, anthropology, and more. They offer a wide range of tours, some of which include bird watching and nature photography tours.

Iran Paradise: Iran Paradise is a tourism agency whose eco-tours focus on the many national parks and protected regions in Iran. According to their website, there are currently 10 national parks and 41 protected regions in Iran constituting 7.9 million hectares (around 4.8% of the total area of the country). Highlights of their 12 day/11 night eco-tour itinerary include visiting a variety of national parks, sleeping in tents, and viewing various aquatic, forest, and desert eco systems.

Let’s Go Iran: Let’s Go Iran is another tourism agency that offers a variety of eco-tours – skiing, diving, desert, and nomad tours. Highlights of the nomad eco-tour include a full day of camel riding in the desert followed by a delicious lunch of camel meat, camping overnight with the nomads in the Zagrus mountains, and trekking through mountains.

The Adventures of Dancing Matt

A video was forwarded to me, promising it to be impossible to not smile if I watched it.  A tear went down my face and pangs of jealousy and missed opportunities crossed my mind.  It made me kind of sad.

Where The Hell is Matt is a website chronicling a traveller of the most aggressive sort.  His catchy videos have been viewed millions of times.

You can see the video in high definition here:  http://www.vimeo.com/1211060

Or just click below and enjoy:

Turkey gears up for Adventure and EcoTourism

– from ricof3

I was sent the interesting article below from http://www.ftnnews.com.  It’s interesting to me, because the marketing for Turkey has always been, since I’ve been alive, in its rich history, richer culture, well placed geography, and intersection with the world’s major religions throughout time. (The famous Hag Sofia Mosque above is one beautiful example).  But now, the good health of seniors, in part, is inspiring members of the Turkish travel industry to consider more active options:

Monday, 16 June 2008 A great range of ideas, experiences and areas of expertise were shared and debated at a symposium on alternative tourism in the Kackar last week.

It was attended by around 40 government representatives, members of civil societies, representatives of the Turkish private sector and foreign journalists – the first time such an event has been organised in Turkey.

Why develop alternative tourism?

The private sector, the government and NGOs are all aware of the potential of the alternative tourism sector in Turkey, for different reasons but with the same aim: to develop the sector. With many years of experience in the tourism sector, both in the public sector as international relations manager of Turkish Airlines (THY) and the private sector through SKAL International, as editor in chief of the only incentive tourism magazine MeeTurkey (published ever 3 months) and editor of Turkey’s leading travel trade magazine New Focus Travel Magazine, Sevil Oren explained the process which led to her initiating the idea. “I could see where the world was going to go through changes in lifestyles, the changing profile of tourists, the third age groups getting healthier and wealthier but, by the same token, showing an interest in alternative tourism like trekking, culture and history-based tours, bird-watching, endemic plant and flower studies on the land, regional food, cultural heritage, sailing and ecological holiday villages. Added to which, I met Kate Clow while she was putting together her trekking guide “The Lycian Way;” what she was doing seemed very exciting for tourism in Turkey, especially as alternative tourism is the sector’s fast growing new baby.”

The Culture and Tourism Ministry is interested in diversifying the sector through investing in and encouraging alternative tourism (as set out in the Tourism Strategy of Turkey – 2023) and thus increase annual revenues. Last year the Turkish tourism sector, mainly through mass tourism, brought in over $18 billion and the ministry’s goal is to more than double that to $50 billion by 2023 by investment and diversification, mainly in the alternative tourism sector.

…

The Culture and Tourism Ministry and National Parks have yet to agree on what constitutes an ecotourism guide, and Karaerkek highlighted that to make some tours possible he needs to employ four guides: a KOKART guide to meet official requirements, a National Parks guide, a botanic professor to explain nature and a mountain guide to ensure the safety of the group. This is obviously impossible for a small group of 10 or 15 people, he highlighted, and emphasised the need for a specialised qualification recognised by all.

Journalists discover the Kackar

Prior to the conference, a group of foreign journalists spent six days exploring the Kackar, courtesy of the Culture and Tourism Ministry. They hiked to “yaylas” (summer pastures), walked through forests and along old mule tracks over mountain passes, spent nights in local villages and experienced Turkish hospitality firsthand (the “kaymakam” of Yusufeli organised a show of the traditional Black Sea folkdance, the Horon). One of the highlights was camping in the snow and then, with snowshoes, descending icy slopes past some lakes to Ayder.

…

The five foreign journalists shared a wide variety of experience acquired throughout their careers with their audience. Maes – a travel editor from Belgium – spoke about walking and bicycle tourism in Belgium, and showed how much both have added to the local economies of the areas through which they pass. Belgium, a country of 10 million, has 10,000 km of trails. Razetti, a travel writer and photographer from the UK, gave a talk entitled: “How do the people of the Himalayas benefit from ecotourism?” His pictures really impressed the audience, although they were removed from the direct experience of most of them. Nearer to home were the mountains and trails of Italy, illustrated in Ardito’s talk. He also pointed out that Turkey’s bear population is a potentially huge tourism attraction.

Scholnik – a travel writer from Israel – spoke about Israel’s walking route system, showing exactly how the trail network was created and is maintained and financed by the sale of maps. Israel has 6,000km of trail maintained by professionals. Scully, a travel marketer from Ireland, gave a very popular talk about the development of alternative tourism in a region of Ireland. Her explanation of the Green Box eco-marketing scheme was felt by all to be relevant to the Kaçkar, in that it has brought together both those who provide small village accommodation and service providers in a supportive network. Their standards, reinforced by training, have united the 130 participants in a joint marketing scheme, which is reaping many rewards, and will be extended through the whole country.

Have you been to Turkey?  After reading some of author James Michener‘s works, (okay I’ve read all of his works, and his travel experiences have inspired me since I was 21), Turkey is one place I’ve always wanted to visit.  I’ve been to Greece twice, and it’s only a ferry ride away, (and we lived in Iran for a short time when I was a kid), but I’ve never made the trip.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments.