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Bonifacio (South Corsica) in autumn: a worth living ecotourism destination

  I couldn't resist not to share with you my latest travel experience under the DestiMED Plus programme.  For those of you who are not aware of this, DestiMED Plus is an Interreg Med Programme for sustainable tourism, aiming to improve integration between regional tourism and conservation policies in Mediterranean protected areas. A susta...

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Are motorhomes an eco, responsible way to travel?

Are motorhomes an eco, responsible way to travel?

As usual, it basically depends on one’s own attitude. To start with, follow the basic “Leave No Trace” rules, pay attention to any special limitations of the place you visit (e.g national park), respect local culture, and shop locally. Energy (and water) supply is limited in motorhomes (compared with your home or a hotel room). So, unless you are stationed at an organized camp site, you’ll have to reduce your consumption even if you are not so eco-sensitive—this already puts you in a different mindset, which is a good thing. But note that most motorhomes nowadays come with solar panels, which are typically enough to keep you autonomous. Moreover, with a motorhome, you can drive less, as you can see everything you want, without having to return every night to some “base”. There is also plenty of space to carry bicycles, so that you may casually drive around the area and enjoy nature with a minimal carbon footprint. And of course, since you are so close to nature, you develop a much larger appetite for walking/hiking. Last but not least: if possible, travel in low season. This way, you get the most of the places you visit, while at the same...

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New article on ecoclub.com Paper Series

By looking at ecotourism efforts around the world, there is continuous change: some best ecotourism practices fail to keep their status, or are even suspended after a period of time; other ecotourism practices appear, some of them reaching high standards. "Ecotourism in Protected Areas, A literature Review" on the ecoclub.com papers session is a conceptual paper based on our presentations in lectures, workshops and conferences for ecotourism and protected areas, in the last 10 years. The paper offers a better understanding of ecotourism, viewed as a continuously evolving process in the context of the particular environmental, social, cultural, economic, political and technological features of each area, which may change with time. Finding the right, dynamic balance, which can differ from case to case, is the key for proper ecotourism development in protected areas. Read the article here: https://ecoclub.com/library/epapers/38.pdf  

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An experimental authentic experience of Eco-Tourism in Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan (IUCN MEET project)

  Photo 1. This is Dana Biosphere Reserve and Javier Zapata from Spain, one of my three co-travelers/trip testers/new friends. The MEET project follows a participatory planning approach, where managers of protected areas, local tour operators and service providers work in close synergy to develop ecotourism activities in Mediterranean protected areas. I couldn’t resist writing about my experience from a recent MEET test-trip in Dana Biosphere Reserve in Jordan, called “Rift Valley Mountain Trek”. This package was developed by the managers and the people of the Dana Protected Area, under the coordination of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) of Jordan; the tour was conducted by the local tour operator Discovery Circle Tours. Photo 2. Our guide, Aed I feel very lucky I took part in such an authentic and in part also adventurous trip – as our team (of four) was the first to try out this new tour. Local Bedouins, pleasant and friendly, guided us around the Dana Biosphere to Petra. After roughly 100km and five days of hiking (4-7 hours every day) in beautiful mountains and valleys (wadis), we definitely earned our way to the magical site of Petra. The ecotourism character of the trip was...

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