Ecotourism destinations
Top 10 Ecotourism destinations:
- Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and the Galapagos
- Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Kaikoura, New Zealand
- Pocatello, Idaho, United States
- Bandarawela, Uve Province, Sri Lanka
- Northern Territory, Australia
- Costa Rica
- Namibia
- Nunavut, Canada
- Himalayas, Nepal
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and the Galapagos
Located 600 miles off Ecuador's Pacific Coast and part of the country's national parks system, it has an incredibly rich diversity of animal and plant life. Nearly one in four of the islands' marine animals are found nowhere else on earth.
Watch blue-footed booby birds strut their stuff, iguanas that swim and tortoises weighing 500 pounds.
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Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Great efforts have been made to protect this 24-hectare marine park of endangered coral rag forest and reef. Located eight miles from the spice island of Zanzibar, in the Indian Ocean, it is also a refuge for tropical fish and island plants. Snorkelling here is a dream.
The non-profit-making organization CHICOP runs great holidays, including accommodation.
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Kaikoura, New Zealand
Sperm whales live just off Kaikoura's shores and the local Maori people once relied on hunting them to survive. When the practice was banned, unemployment became a real problem. Today whale watching has rejuvenated the local economy and restored a sense of pride and purpose in Kaikoura's Maori youth.
The whale watching boat tours are run by a community trust owned by the local Maori tribe, the Ngai Tahu.
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Pocatello, Idaho, United States
Hike in the Albion Mountains of south central Idaho and help track and radio-collar mountain lions (pumas). Wildlife ecologist Dr John Laundré heads the 15-year-old research project run by Idaho State University and the environmental institute Earthwatch.
The project aims to help the pumas and ranchers coexist. Accommodation is at the team's ranch house.
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Bandarawela, Uve Province, Sri Lanka
The opportunity to live in local people's households or on a tea plantation can give you a deep insight into the country. You can learn to cook traditional meals, hike through the jungle to the home of a reclusive Buddhist monk, or meditate at a local monastery.
These homestays are possible thanks to a women's eco-tourism initiative called the Woodlands Network.
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Northern Territory, Australia
Travel through the stunning, wide-open outback with those who know it best. Aboriginals are an incredibly conservation-minded people, and time spent with them will encourage greater respect for the earth.
With an aboriginal as your guide, visit the sacred site of Uluru (Ayers Rock), walk along 'dreaming' tracks (paths that have been used since time immemorial), and listen to 'dreamtime' stories.
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Costa Rica
The Costa Rican legislation to prevent clear-cutting, turned the forests into national parks and focused on attracting foreign exchange from tourists. Costa Rica is rich in natural beauty. Go on a cloud forest canopy tour, paddle through grade four white water rapids and bungee jump into a deep gorge.
Live and work at a national park for a nominal fee, with meals and lodging included.
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Namibia
In a land of unpolluted wilderness with stunning wildlife, live and learn the ways of the Bushmen in the Kalahari desert, stay with hunting and gathering people from Eastern Bushmanland, and visit Damaraland camp for a safari.
Namibia has made a concerted effort to attain sustainable development by involving its communities in tourism and conservation management.
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Nunavut, Canada
April 1, 1999 was a historic day for the people of Northern Canada - it marked the creation of a self-governing territory for the Inuits, called Nunavut. It covers 1,242,800 square miles, two thirds of which are above the Arctic Circle. In this magical place, see the midnight sun in summer and the Northern Lights in winter.
Stay with an Inuit community and learn about their hunting traditions, history and way of life.
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Himalayas, Nepal
Trekking through the Himalayas in Nepal has got to be one of the most incredible adventure holidays going. There are several non-profit-making organisations whose earnings go to environmental conservation, tourism training schemes and local health and education projects.
Such organisations include the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Explore Nepal, and Muir's Tours.
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