| |
Apr 9, 2008
Google ecoAfrica! |
Introduction
by Clarissa Hughes
A recent damning report by WWF indicates there has been an overall decline in the world’s biodiversity since 1970. We have lost, in 38 years, 27% of all species. Heads up! It has taken 3.5 billion years to create these species and in 0.000000001% of that time for us to destroy a quarter of them.
Ecotourism (that which ecoAfrica Travel espouses) makes a difference, and a difference is what the world is in desperate need of now. If you’re in any kind of doubt as to why biodiversity loss is so dangerous here are some comments from the sales team in our office. "We are all interdependent and it is hubris to think we can exist without the rest of the planet." "We constantly learn from nature. If she's not around, how will we continue to learn?" "Humans enjoy spiritual fulfillment from nature." "If we continue to destroy the planet we'll enter a process of decay and eventually become extinct ourselves."
Having just returned from the annual Indaba, the tourism industry’s largest African travel fair, I’m happy to report that ecotourism is alive and well in Africa. In fact, it continues to grow steadily, as African governments realize this is how they will preserve their environment and develop their people.
|
|
Brought to you by ecoAfrica
We are happy to announce our very own map of the Kruger Park on Google Earth (2MB kmz file). As part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park (I know, I know we’re big fans of these). It ties in perfectly with the 110th Anniversary Celebrations of the Kruger National Park, a fantastic wildlife experience.
|
|
In South Africa and Zimbabwe
The so-called xenophobic clashes in townships in the Gauteng Province of South Africa and the backlash of violence against opposition party supporters in Zimbabwe have made news headlines recently.
As with Kenya earlier in the year, leisure tourists are not targeted in these clashes. The South African violence is limited to the townships. Economic and political refugees, driven by desperation from many countries north of here, come to South Africa just to survive. Now they have learned, at the most fundamental level, that they’re not wanted. My weekly newsletter from Zambia included a letter this week from one such refugee in which he said “believe me, the streets here are not paved with gold”. I think it will become apparent in hindsight, that some of the violence was fed by the deeds of looters. In one Cape Town township the local people got together and decided to flush out the loot and return it to their rightful owners. Not that this is any consolation to those who have lost their lives and suffered physical torment.
In Zimbabwe, the violence is political and is restricted to rural villages. I know it’s sometimes a hard call as to whether one should morally visit a country ruled by a tyrant. But individual tourists need to ask “whom are we hurting by not visiting?” The same dilemma faces those wishing to visit Myanmar, North Korea etc. |
|
Prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize
The 2008 Goldman Environmental Prize recipients are a group of fearless grassroots leaders taking on government and corporate interests and working to improve the environment and living conditions for people in their communities.
Feliciano dos Santos, 43, of Mozambique was one of seven people to be recognized in San Francisco this year. Using traditional music, grassroots outreach and innovative technology to bring sanitation to the most remote corners of Mozambique, Feliciano empowers villagers to participate in sustainable development and rise up from poverty.
With Mozambiquan tourism rising out of the ashes fast, the country (at the tourism fair in May the stand was buzzing) has much to offer by way of African game species and tropical island paradise. |
|
Saves More Trees
Climate change is already affecting the people of Madagascar, a country that is hit almost every year by deadly cyclones.
Being peasant farmers, the Malagasy cut down the forests to cultivate land. The enormous forests on the world's fourth largest island are home to some of the planet's rarest species, including lemurs, chameleons and baobab trees, but deforestation has put great pressure on its diverse environment.
Now Conservation International and WWF are working closely with the Madagascar government to protect Madagascar's remaining biodiversity while simultaneously reducing poverty and promoting rural development. The plan is to increase the country's protected habitats from 1.7 to 6 million hectares, or from 3 percent to 10 percent of the Indian Ocean island's surface area.
|
|
Now featuring at Addo
Addo Elephant National Park is well-known for its spectacular elephant viewing opportunities but many people do not realize that the Park has recently become a lot more diverse.
Recent expansion of the park (it’s now called the Greater Addo) has facilitated the inclusion of new ecosystems and biological processes and patterns to increase its biodiversity conservation status. Now covering over 164,000 hectares and extending to the ocean, you can see the Big Seven (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, whales and great white sharks).
Enjoy a magnificent safari to the wonderful conservation success called Addo. |
Travellers Feedback
Tony Arnoldi & Pamela Bedford (Australia) 3 day Classic Kruger Safari
We found Willem to be exceptionally well versed on all that Kruger has to offer and found him extremely confident in all the situations we found ourselves in. He is absolutely passionate about Kruger and its wildlife. This in turn rubbed off on us and made our tour an unforgettable one. We really didn't want our magical 3 day Kruger tour to end.
We feel we had the best guide one could ask for. Five stars for Willem.
Our 3 day tour was a memorable life experience, even the trip from Johannesburg to Kruger, and the return journey thru the canyon was delightful... Unforgettable tour, wish we had booked a five day tour, not three."
|
|
ecoAfrica Newsletter © 2008 ecoAfrica Travel.
| |
|
|
