Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on May 4

If you live in California, or a planning a trip there in the next week – then look this place up.

Basically, it is a huge celebration of the landscapes, natural heritage, wildlife and rich native culture, across a huge area of the state; including walks, sea kayaking, very early birding tours and heritage trails from coast to mountain top!

There are areas of land here that can almost take you back in time to a place where humanity hasn’t interfered. A place where native Americans still practice their way of life, whether it’s salmon fishing or kayaking through their land and hunting.

The rivers run free here – and virtually untouched by dams and pollution. There are also large patches of land that are home to some very endangered species – both large and small – as well as hummingbirds, frogs and condors! Out at sea there is ample chance to see whales and dolphins as well!

The Festival 2010:
There are 69 events in total over the Friday thru Monday morning festival days, and there are plenty of experts on hand to to run workshops, run tours and offer hands-on advice.

The areas covered in this festival are wide reaching and include Redwood National & State Park, Smith River National Recreation Ground and Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge amongst many others.

And in fact it was the Castle Rock refuge that is the predescesser of this event as this refuge is home to hundreds of migrating Aleutian Geese – which formed The Aleutian Goose Festival.

What’s There?
Firstly the event will be host to it’s keynote speaker: Micheal Fay (from National Geographic) on the Friday evening, as well as offering up a whole host of active biologists, geologists, ornithologists and foresters to help you explore all the available habitats.

Whether you are studying earthquakes and owls, ecology and salamanders or condors and giant redwoods – there will be plenty of time available for you to explore and learn to work with and love these precious habitats and their vital biodiversity.

And all this in your own back yard!

Getting There:
All events are based at or start from the Crescent City Cultural Center in northern California, although some leave before 5am!

You need to register for the event and pay a 1-off fee, but this includes the keynote speech and Friday night reception – as well as all the free events and the meet-and-greet.

There is of course no way that you could attend all 69 events anyway – so make sure you take a look at the schedule of events and get your moneys worth – and really get ‘inside’ this amazing habitat in the US.

Anything Else?
As if this wasn’t enough, the festival coincides with the International Migratory Bird Day (May 8th), and is a celebration of all migratory bird species for North, Central & South America – certainly a huge event to be incorporated into this annual wildlife festival.

posted by Catherine on Feb 18

March 27th 2010 will be the 4th Earth Hour across the globe – and you can get involved in something big!

After the reportedly pointless Copenhagen meeting last year, we need to try a different tack – and I think the Earth Hour is certainly getting results.

Not only is it so easy for you to get involved and make it even more of a success than last year, but it is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the tireless and endless work of the World Wide Fund for Nature (the WWF) and to keep up-to-date with global wildlife news and activities.

The Challenge:
Earth Hour is as simple as turning off your lights for an hour – that really is all you need to do to be a part of this global movement. 

Of course, you sitting in the dark for 60 minutes isn’t much fun and it only involves you – so why not make a night of it with your friends and family.  The more people that are at your event the bigger the impact:

• If they are with you then they don’t have their lights on at home either.
• They will know more about Earth Hour so can pass on the word.
• They will know more about Climate Change and so could lower their impact.
• They will have so much fun that they might organise their own event next year, inviting more people!

There are also massive events being organised across the world and in major towns and cities that you could become a part of too.  And there is even a video competition for Earth Hour this year – you need to create a short video that the WWF can use to promote Earth Hour on the website – and you could win £1000 for your efforts as well!

The Results:
Although turning off your lights for an hour at 8.30pm local time will help visually show the cause – you should really Sign Up on the official WWF page so that your numbers can be counted towards the global targets and be used in official figures.

The numbers of people involved has been steadily rising – and this year they are aiming for 1 billion to join in!  So make your actions count, and be a part of this.

Only 37 days left to sign up – so get organising!!!

Read a related article from WWF’s 2009′s Earth Hour.

posted by Catherine on Feb 7

Last time you went on holiday – did you inadvertently encourage animal ‘tourist attractions’?

Sometimes it’s a fine line between having the opportunity of seeing a rare or unusual animal and having that animal abused or used in some way that isn’t natural or has caused the death or injury of others of the same kind.

You probably think that it is easy to tell the difference – but not always.

Take for example the dolphins used in ‘friendly dolphin events’ across Mexico and many other countries.  Yes, they are in a nice beach-side enclosure, seem ‘happy’ enough to swim around you and are fed by the keepers – but were they wild caught?  And separated from their family pod?

What about ‘pets’ in hotels and lodges around the world?  Yes we have parrots and lizards as pets back home, but were theirs taken from the wild at the cost of the parents – or the habitat itself!

The Obvious Ones:
However, sometimes it’s all too obvious that an animal is suffering.

A monkey chained to a tree, a bear made to dance or small donkeys made to carry tourists around a historic site!

These are the ones that need to be dealt with – but the frightening part is that these cruel acts are only to be found because they are making someone a lot of money.  And that means that there are tourists across the globe that are paying local people to show them or photograph them with (maltreated) exotic animals.

Think about it – if a local man traps a young bear and spends months training it to dance to music but no-one gave him a single penny for his troubles – I doubt if he would bother to do it again.

And if every tourist visiting that historic site told the man with the donkey that they would not pay to ride one of his donkeys as they could only really carry the weight of a child – do you think he is going to keep buying more donkeys and standing around in the street for days on end for nothing!

What Can You Do:
There are plenty of organisations out there who are striving to protect these animals and to try to stop their abuse and you could help them to achieve their goals.

The International Primate Protection League would like to help stop abuse of monkeys and apes with their campaigning and the rescue of mistreated animals.  They can send you a small form that you can complete if you ever see monkeys or apes being abused, containing details on location, time, date and possibly with photographic evidence to help them identify the species and the abuse.

You can of course just donate to their efforts without ever seeing an abused animal – and your donation will help make sure that you never do!

Donkeys have got someone fighting their side too with The Brooke amongst others, that are trying to make sure that donkeys, asses and mules used to help people make a living are kept in god health and looked after.

Because equines help to earn a living for their owner – they are sometimes put though a hard time or made to work through injuries just to earn more money.  So, to make sure that these animals are still helping their owners without getting hurt or abused, charities like the Brooke give advice and support to their owners to help them make better use of their resources (and less stress for the donkey!).

It’s not just these species that are used, I have seen baby anteaters, baby elephants, tiger cubs and even sloths that have been waved infront of tourists to try to make some money.

Have you paid to see one of them?

posted by Catherine on Jun 2

Seriously – think of you favorite wild animal – and then ask yourself the question: What am I doing to keep them alive?

Many people love pandas, tigers, penguins or even great white sharks – but many of us don’t really make a difference to their fight for life on this planet.

What Can I Do From Home?
Watching a documentary about them on TV does actually help believe it or not. If the TV ratings for a show on African Hunting Dogs gets top ratings – they see money they are making and go out and make another one. But to film these creatures, they need to make sure that they are healthy and their habitat is kept safe.

Buying specialist magazines or books can also make larger companies aware of an interest in certain wildlife or habitats so that they focus more on them and possibly invest more money in research and/or protection.

Similarly, you can join a charity or wildlife group that is helping to educate local people to live with dangerous species (as with the lynx), train specialists to protect endangered animals (as with gorillas) or just stop people chopping down their home (as with orangutans)!

Some charity organisations also sell ‘gift’ packs for certain animals or habitats – such as the WWF. This allows you to buy a gift for a friends birthday/wedding/event that actually sends fund directly to your chosen destination!

Your friends get a cuddly toy, information and magazines all about the dolphin or turtle or whatever – and they get to help protect the wildlife! Rather than buying some consumer gifts and throwing away loads of packaging and sticky tape to haunt future generations – your gift will be keeping those habitats alive for future generations (and yourself) to enjoy!

What Can I Do Abroad?
Obviously joining a charity vacation abroad to actually work with the animals or local communities involved will be a great help. You will be there first hand to help protect your favourite creatures – and learn so much more about them.

You could even just take a vacation to the country that they live in and just support that nation in terms of tourism – maybe booking a tour specifically to see those animals in their habitat. By telling your local hosts and native tour guides that these animals and this habitat were the only reasons for you trip here will make sure that they are aware of the importance of preserving that.

If you went to India and didn’t pay to go see the tigers – why would they bother to help keep them there? Tourism runs like a business – if the tea plantation makes more money than the tiger reserve – guess what might happen? The reserve is taken over by tea!

Make sure that you also tell tour companies the reason for your holiday – I mean if you (and 100′s of other vacationers were asking for a whale-watching holiday in Mexico and they didn’t offer one – I’m sure they would start looking into it!

You must be active in telling companies why you are or are not booking with them. If they don’t know what their potential customers are wanting – they can’t offer it. Don’t just leave them to guess – make the choice for them – make them support your cause.

It may even have a multiplying effect as some people who aren’t so active may book an alternate holiday instead – but if they saw a new wildlife trip on offer in the brochure – they may book it themselves, sending even more funds and interested people to your favorite location or to see your favorite animals!

Basically - you need to get active and show your support for the things you like. Just like you favorite store: if you don’t support it – you could lose it!

posted by Catherine on May 2

It’s not just in the tropics that disease can spread and be debilitating!

The Northern Hemisphere has it’s ‘bug’ that can ruin your eco holidays, andit is found in woodlands all over the US and Europe.

It’s called Lyme’s Disease and is now classified as an emerging infectious disease as it is becoming more widespread over the past 10-20 years.  It is not yet as bad as some diseases, but if you have plans to go camping, trekking or hiking – then give this a quick ‘Heads Up’.

What Is Lyme Disease?
This is currently the most common tick-borne disease affecting humans north of the equator.

Ticks are the main vector, and having fed on an infected host like a woodland deer, they fall off onto the floor until they are hungry again.  They then sit and wait for the next warm body to come past to hop on for dinner!  That could be you.

Once on you, it will search for direct contact with the skin – bite through – and then start feeding.  This prolonged contact with your blood allows the infection to pass into your system.

Think you would pick it off before it bit you?  Well, no.  It is usually the nymph stage of the ticks life cycle that carries the disease, and they are a lot harder to see than the adults!  And – they have materials in their saliva that prevent you from feeling pain where they are feeding.

Therefore, making sure that you are well covered in clothing or natural tick repellent is a must.  Especially from May through September as this is when the nymph stages are most active.

What Are The Symptoms of Lyme Disease?
There are currently 3 distinct stages of Lyme Disease, but not all stages have symptoms and symptoms can vary immensely from person to person, so these are only a guide.

Stage 1: Local Infection.
Well, you may well get a large rash at the wound site within a few days or up to a month, looking a bit like a ‘bulls-eye’.  However, not all people get the rash and it is generally painless.

You could also experience flu-like symptoms, including headaches, tiredness, muscle soreness and a fever.  But you could get no noticeable symptoms at all at this stage.

Stage 2: Spreading Infection.
After the initial localised rash, the infection starts to spread around the body in the bloodstream and it is possible to get more rashes anywhere across the body.

Others include a purple lump appearing on the earlobe or other extremities, heart palpitations and muscle, joint and tendon pain.  If Stage 1 was left untreated, symptoms can be worse – and include meningitis and facial paralysis (Bell’s palsy).  Also shooting pains throughout the body and swelling on the brain have been noted as well as mood changes!

Stage 3: Late Persistent Infection.
This is usually only found in untreated patients – and is reason enough to prevent tick bites in the first place!

Many patients go on to develop severe (short term) or chronic (long-term) symptoms including many important organs: brain and heart, as well as nerves, eyes and joints – and can be disabling.  In severe cases it can even be fatal!

And Your Pets?
Dogs, cats, horses and even cattle can get Lyme Disease too from infected tick bites – although the symptoms and time scale are different.  It has even been identified in other small mammals.

How To Prevent Infection:
So, when you are planning a summer trip to the woods – make sure you have adequate protection for your skin – either with clothes or natural and organic repellent sprays.

May is actually Lyme Disease Awareness Month, to raise the profile of the problems surrounding this little known but growing infection.  Although it is not transmitted people-to-people, it is still important not to get infected in the first place, and to avoid the symptoms.

Don’t let this put you off having a great eco adventure in the forest – but just be aware that we have nasty little bugs too!

posted by Catherine on Apr 9

Would You Buy A Tiger Cub?

The trade in live animals and animal parts is one of the most active in the world – and only people like you can stop it by refusing to buy any animal parts or any live animals – and by reporting anything you see that is suspicious to the WWF

Live Animals:
Even if it is legal to import live animals into your home country – why would you do so?

They will no doubt be live caught (with parents and siblings often killed to collect them) and will have been badly handled and possibly smuggled in tiny spaces to you or your seller. The rates of survival on these journeys are very low, so for every animal that arrives, huge numbers could have died along the way.

As the animal is not endemic to your country, it may well need imported foods or specific diets and nutrients that you may be unaware of, equipment to maintain the correct humidity and temperature (which you might not even know yourself) and no doubt any illness or disease it has already got or may pick up from your end may not be treatable by a local vet as they have no experience or the veterinary equipment and medications to treat it.

And most obviously, if you brought one, then someone else might want one therefore creating or increasing the numbers caught and traded. You are perpetuating the cycle of death and destruction of species and habitat.

Stuffed Animals:
For the same reason – be wary of buying stuffed animals that are endangered species.

We all know that the rarer something becomes – the more it is worth, so by buying even a really old stuffed animal that has since become endangered you are letting that vendor know that there is a demand for whatever it was. It may well encourage him to find someone to supply him with another one……

Traditional Medicines:
There is no scientific proof that traditional medicines are effective against disease or can increase your fertility. It’s like your bank manager telling you how to make loads of money with shares and investments – when if he knew how to make loads of money – why is he still working in a bank rather than in a big mansion on a desert island?

However, most traditional medicines are made with animal parts – and many of these animals – like tigers – are endangered. There is no need for you to try any of these treatments as you are very likely encouraging illegal poaching and trapping.

And as with most ‘natural’ remedies that sound to good to be true – they probably are. Surely if there really was a part of an animal that really did prevent disease almost 100% of the time – do you not think that medicine would be available worldwide rather than in some tiny backstreet store outside of town??

Any Unidentified Animal Parts:
If you really want to do everything you can to avoid encouraging illegal wildlife poaching, then avoid buying anything made of or by any animal.

Just as the sale of leather from cows is a by-product of the beef and dairy industry, so the sale of teeth, bones and fur, feathers and quills can be the by-products of other trades.

It is a minefield out there, so you need to be quite broad with your shopping choices no matter how pretty or ‘amazing’ that souvenir is – because it would look a lot better if it was still alive!

And remember no matter how bad the trade is – if you buy it – they will make more. Just look at McDonalds!!!

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posted by Catherine on Apr 5

We continue on with more ‘not to buy’ souvenirs below – including endangered sealife and caviar.

Tortoiseshell Products:
Now, even I didn’t know that this ‘name’ was actually representing turtle shells!  I just used to think it was the name of the ‘print’ or ‘design’, but real tortoiseshell products are generally derived from marine turtle shells – mainly the Hawksbill turtle: critically endangered since 1973!

It was mainly found as accessories like sunglasses and hair clips, which were very common in tourist resorts, hotels and airports.  A man-made alternative was developed – but still buy with care – or not at all!  Unfortunately, unless they are clearly made of plastic such products should be avoided to be sure they are not affecting wild populations of turtles.

Seahorses:
These can be brought dried or alive – but obviously neither is recommended! 

Import and export of all seahorses is controlled by CITES under Appendix II, although Indonesis, Japan, Norway and South Korea have opted out of these trade rules!

Captive-bred seahorses are now becoming popular as wild caught specimens usually don’t live very long once captured.  This obviously lowers the threats to wild populations, but should be thoroughly checked before purchase to make sure of their true origins.

Corals:
The colors and shapes of corals have attracted buyers for years, although obviously has been taking it’s toll on marine environments.

Corals are very slow-growing and damage to a reef can take decades to recover – that is why diving guidelines have been changing to help prevent further damage.

Islands like the Maldives have ‘coral sand’ which is made up of dead and eroded coral and sometimes contains large chunks or material – however this coral is what makes the beach!  If coral offshore is destroyed for sale and large pieces of dead coral are collected from the beaches – there will be nothing left to protect the islands from eroding away!

Coral reefs are extremely diverse marine ecosystems – home to a whole host of exotic marine fish that can suvive nowhere else – so destrying their home will be destroying their chances of survival.

Seashells:
Mainly for the same reason as above – the discarded sea shells make up the beaches in most tropical destinations, helping to create the ‘sandy’ beaches and protect the land.

Depending on the shell type it is also possible that the live creature was captured and killed to alow the shell to be cleaned and polished for tourists to buy – not a good thing!

Also, many shells are used as homes for hermit crabs, and the more shells we take of of beaches, means that competition for new homes becomes fierce and ‘homeless’ crabs will be unprotected and likely prey.

Caviar:
A more unusual problem as it is not to everyones taste, but never-the-less sturgeon populations are in dramatic decline due to over-fishing and illegal fishing activities.

Since 1995, one species of sturgeon in Europe has been reduced by 40%, and around 12 tonnes of illegal caviar were seized in the European Union alone.  Governing bodies are working with CITES to create a labelling system to identify legal caviar.

Things aren’t always so easy to identify, so just think twice about your purchase.

Join us for Part 3 next – which covers live animals and animal parts…..

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posted by Catherine on Apr 1

Should you buy anything ‘animal’ when on holiday?

As with all retail, there is a certain aspect of personal choice, but if you want to make sure that your holiday souvenirs don’t end up destroying local habitats or result in the deaths of endangered species – then you need to shop a lot more carefully!

It’s no good saying that you won’t buy anything that says it is an endangered species – because lets be honest, 1) would anyone really boast about it being illegal, or 2) could you tell if that bone was from a threatened rhino or a pet goat anyway?

Why Not Just One……
And as with all products of any type – it will only be made again if people are buying it.

If a bar of chocolate was made that tasted awful and didn’t sell – you can almost guarantee that no-one will be making anymore of it – ever. And it is the same with any product: if it doesn’t sell – they won’t make any more.

So, there is no good argument anymore for saying ‘well the elephant is already dead, so I may as well buy it rather than let it go to waste’ – because if a business owner just managed to sell a whole shop load of elephant ivory – he will think he can sell another one – so bang: there goes another dead elephant!

Shop owners can also lie about the origin of their items making you believe that the endangered monkey species is just the flesh of a common species or a local pest, or that the exquisite jewelry is from a sustainable source not a threatened species of turtle who’s numbers are dwindling!

The Main Culprits:
There are 12 headings below and in further articles – containing the generally agreed items that you should avoid buying abroad, and they include:

Ebony & Other Hardwoods:
No matter how beautiful that wood-carving is – it could be from a protected species. Not only will the seller have to go out and chop down another tree to replace your purchase, it is also possible that your ‘gift’ wil be confiscated on return to your home country as well. A wasted effort all round!

And it’s not just the trees that suffer. By felling woodlands in any area, you could be affecting all the wildlife and local communties that rely on it. Degradation of the area can also lead to gradual habitat loss as the soil is eroded or exposed – permanently affecting the whole area.

Ivory:
Anything made of ivory has virtually always come from a protected animal – usually just killed for that one reason. Although there are large amounts of ‘legal’ ivory available, you will almost certainly be offered the illegal kind as a tourist. And why even buy it when you know that 1) it is from a endangered species, and 2) that you could be causing a continuation of the illegal trade as a result of your consumer demand.

Reptile Skins:
These are very hard to distinguish from each other and so you need to not buy any to be sure. Why would the seller travel miles to kill a common lizard to make into a belt, when the endangered species he lives next door to looks exactly the same once it has been treated?

He wouldn’t, so don’t trust his sources or labelling. Between 2000 and 2004 in the UK over 800 illegal wildlife items were caught entering the country – most were from crocodiles and alligators. There are currently 37 species of threatened or endangered reptiles just in the US alone – so even in developed countries there are risks!

Big Cat Skins:
Need I explain this one?

Yes they look fantastic – and that’s why we love wildlife – but please leave the skin on the animal rather than on your floor or worse still – in a storage box as you changed your mind about the decor!

Come back for Part 2 – For objects that should be in the oceans not in your jewelry box!

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