Posted by: Andaman Discoveries
on Mar 24, 2011
This March Andaman Discoveries was very pleased to welcome the Hong Kong International School in the Andaman coast. They were a group of 20 keen students between 15 to 17 years old who wanted to learn about the tsunami and work for the Tsunami relief in Yaowawit school.
Before getting to the school they met P'Tui, a member of Andaman Discoveries staff, and Bang Muth, a guide, who guided them through an introduction about the tsunami.
They were all able to visit a Moken village just after landing to understand what this community went through after the tsunami and also learning some AD work with the communities. We were also able to discuss about how tourism can help or harm the local communities.
After this brief introduction, they were able to go to Khao Lak where the Marine boat is since it was washed inland during the tsunami. After seeing the boat they visit the tsunami memorial. All the students showed their respect and understanding about the suffering from the tsunami.
P'Tui was really happy to had known all these amazing teenagers and pleased to guide them through this introduction day about the tsunami.
After this, all the group spent 7 days in Yaowawit.
We hope they had a great time during their stay in Thailand and we encourage them to come again.
We will receive all of you again with open arms!
Thanks
Posted by: Andaman Discoveries
on Jan 18, 2011
Wild Asia Press release
After months of consideration and site visits, Wild Asia’s judging panel has finally selected its 2010 RT Awards winners. Operators such as Andaman Discoveries (Thailand), Heritance Kandalama (Sri Lanka), and Sarinbuana Ecolodge (Indonesia) have surpassed judges’ expectations for their high standards of environmental protection and social responsibility.
Posted by: Andaman Discoveries
on Aug 31, 2010
Have you visited Ban Talae Nok village as part of an Andaman Discoveries tour? Andaman Discoveries and the villagers alike proudly announce that Ban Talae Nok is now on TripAdvisor, where three people have already given the picturesque village top ! We encourage you to visit the TripAdvisor site, read the reviews, and provide your own feedback.TripAdvisor.com is a free travelguide and research website that assists customers in gathering travel information, posting opinions of travel related issues and engaging in interactive travel forums. TripAdvisor is an example of consumer generated media. The website services are free to users, who provide most of the content, and the website is supported by an advertising business model.
Posted by: Like Wijaya
on May 12, 2010
The idea to make direct payments for environmental services (widely known as PES), including biodiversity conservation, is evidently not new. In fact, there is reasonable consensus that a contractual approach over public provision of conservation through so-called "conservation concessions" (also known as "conservation incentives") is both cost-effective and efficient, yet the implementation of applied schemes in Indonesia has been lagging behind. The accepted concept usually involves a public agency or non-governmental organization acting as the honest broker to mediate between environmental service sellers (landowners and local communities) and takers (so-called "conservation investors"). Recently, however, a 100% locally-owned ecotourism company active in Indonesian Papua (also known as West Papua or Irian Jaya) entered into an ambitious and innovative five-year pilot agreement with customary landowners on Waigeo Island in the fabled Raja Ampat group in a bid to preserve for future generations, the entire Orobiai River catchment there: 92 sq km of virtually untouched primary forest, set in visually stunning topography, and teeming with spectacular yet globally-threatened wildlife. The concluded Community Conservation and Ecotourism Agreement (CCEA) seals direct structured payments by the ecotourism outfitter to customary landholding groups on Waigeo in return for carefully defined conservation and education outcomes, and adds valuable elements to the debate on PES-based conservation strategies. First and foremost, the knowledge that the strictly necessary opportunity cost of conservation (the cost required to convince landowners) can be modest enough to enable the private ecotourism sector to play an active role in the development of meaningful conservation agreements. Second, that structured payments to landowners are then being backed-up by a sustainable income-generating mechanism with dignifying employment opportunities for entire communities. Third, and perhaps best of all, that such market driven initiatives are fully complementary and can be expected to yield similar conservation outcomes to public or charitable conservation projects but without affecting public or charitable budgets.
The conservation value of the area under protection can hardly be overstated. It harbors the paramount breeding population of Waigeo's endemic megapode (or incubatorbird), the enigmatic Bruijn's Brush-turkey Aepypodius bruijnii (Endangered according to IUCN 2008), and holds good numbers of the endemic Waigeo Cuscus Spilocuscus papuensis (Vulnerable). The area is a haven for regionally endemic or restricted-range yet globally threatened birdlife such as the Western Crowned-Pigeon Goura cristata (Vulnerable), the Brown-headed Crow Corvus fuscicapillus, and the Wilson's Cicinnurus respublica and Red Bird of Paradise Paradisaea rubra (all Near-threatened).
Read the full story here: http://www.PapuaExpeditions.com/agreementorobiai.html
Posted by: Andaman Discoveries
on Apr 30, 2010
Burmese Learning Center Field Trip
by Laura Pelegrina
Posted by: Andaman Discoveries
on Apr 30, 2010
Nai Tui Hike for Community Project Site Visit
by Jenny Lovell
Bodhi, Laura, and I took a walk at Nai Tui, a small outdoor recreation area near Kuraburi. There is a small community group that works together to preserve the watershed and encourage conservation and appreciation of the area.
They took us on a hike up the streambed, where we saw freshwater crabs and shrimp. It was beautiful and cool in the shade of the trees. They told us that there is a natural water hole at the source of the spring water for the river, which is used by wildlife in the surrounding area.
Our guides showed us the freshwater shrimp and crabs, which the locals catch as a source of food and saleable goods. Searching through fallen leaves and under the edge of rocks, they could find a surprising number of these little guys.
We hope to coordinate overnight backpacking trips with this community group. In the next few weeks me and a couple of other interns will go on a pilot trip with the guides, staying overnight in the jungle near an ancient Buddhist temple on a nearby mountain.
There is also an improvement project that we hope to lend funding and volunteers to help complete. They have already built benches at the waterfall near the trail head, but now they want to complete a restroom and functional day trip area. One of the great things about working with community-based tourism is helping to support the locals in encouraging appreciation for these unknown nooks of ecological goodness.
