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Ecotourism Then & Now Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of The International Ecotourism Society

Ecotourism Society Launched in 1990 to Assist Parks Ecotourism 20 Years Ago In 1989, hundreds of thousands of acres were being added to park systems to conserve ecosystems around the world.  International conservation was going into high gear, driven by the rude fact that development was accelerating in the most vulnerable and biodiverse regions of the planet.  Conservationists were talking more about preserving the Amazonian rain forest, and less about “saving the panda.” As conservation objectives were being ramped up, parks had jumped from being places for family recreation to becoming a global tool to preserve the last “great” endangered places.  Costa Rica was winning awards for conserving the highest percentage of park land in the world.  But, the large majority of new protected areas worldwide were simply lines delineated on maps.  These under protected areas and fledgling parks became known as paper parks. While conservationists were thinking big, there was, unfortunately, little funding on the ground.  There was vision, and conservationists were quick to start raising funds to make these fledgling parks real.  But national budgets were short and economic resources within park agencies exceedingly tight.  Economic activity in these biodiverse zones was usually ranching, forestry and mining, or subsistence...

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'collateral damage'

leaked, shocking video captures the barbarity of war...Apocalypse Again. maximum respect to wikileaks.org and to those who leaked the video. otherwise, lost for words...unlike the trigger happy perpetrators.

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Qaqlasht Festival 2010 from April 16 to 19

Enjoy the fresh spring of northern Chitral and the sensation of: Free Style Polo of the Mountain Communities in the Hindu Kush Football by the players with strong stamina characteristic to high altitude Tug of War played with raw power by study village-based teams Cricket with its sensational moments Shot Putt—the oldest living sport in the region Traditional Wrestling, oldest sport where sheer power is demonstrated Marksmanship with ‘chikit’—the oldest locally made traditional guns Bodi Dik—the endangered sport with unique rules Day & night cultural events with music of reed instrument, pure Chitrali sitar, pasture flute, reformative poetry and many more.   Our packages are as follows:   1.  April 15, 2010:   Flight from Islamabad/ Peshawar to Chitral & hotel stay 2.  April 16, 2010:  Transfer to the festival venue, food & accommodation 3.  April 17, 2010:  Tent stay, food, accommodation, sight seeing & night musical programme 4.  April 18, 2010:  Tent stay, food, accommodation, sight seeing night musical programme 5.   April 19, 2010:  Visiting Booni/Mastuj 6.   April 20, 2010:  Travel back to Chitral 7.   April 21, 2010:   Fly back to Islamabad/Peshawar ________________________________________________   Total Package =   1.   Top end hotel  =  Rs40,000 2.   Medium end hotel   =   Rs25,000...

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unhappy landings

Our Member in Laos, Sompawn Khantisouk, co-founder of award-winning Ecolodge "The Boat Landing Guesthouse" suddenly dissappeared on his way to the town in early 2007,  escorted by men in "green uniforms" according to some reports. I had dedicated my presentation at the World Ecotourism Conference to him in May 2007 and enquired for info through contacts, to no avail. Three years after his family is still waiting for him to return... One hypothesis at the time was that he would 'resurface' when things were quiet so that various "stakeholders" could "save face", as is supposedly the cultural norm in these parts. Another hypothesis was that he had stepped on the toes of powerful private interests. An alternative theory, published in an annual review of the region was that Sompawn was made 'an example' , a victim of geopolitics in a border region. Geopolitics is a polite word to describe all those, on all sides, who play bloody chess games on the backs of ordinary people and communities, for profits and domination. The best reply to the forces of darkness is for ecotravellers to Laos to make an extra effort to stay at The Boat Landing Lodge to support his family and...

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Naurooz Celebrated in Chitral Pakistan

Naurooz, the spring equinox festival, was celebrated in northern Chitral and Lotkoh valley of the Chitral district on March 21st, marking the commencement of spring with trees putting forward fresh shoots and blossom. In Chitral, it is a time of the year when the newly sprouted blade of grasses and flowers fills the air with aroma and the land with motley colors immediately after receding of the white sheet of snow. For people, then this particular time is the right season to celebrate.    Naurooz in the beginning of New Year is a refresher of commitment of the locals to practice noble deeds for the broader community welfare, adopting the tradition of hard work in their professional life. Besides, it is time when one evaluates one’s achievements in life. Thus numerous time-honored values, such as self-evaluation, self-discipline, creativity, truthfulness, happiness progressiveness and plentitude emanate from Naurooz.   The important socio-religious aspect of Naurooz is that it always encourages the social bonds by bringing together the community, promoting passion for charity and ensuring that the more needy members of the community are not overlooked. These are some of the guiding principles keep in mind whilst celebrating Naurooz.   Chitral has a tradition of...

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Share your thoughts and experiences on Conference in Estonia

The call for presentations for the European Ecotourism Conference, to be held 26th - 30rd of September 2010, is now open.More information at: http://www.european-ecotourism.com/conference-2010/call-for-presentations/  

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Thanassis of the Kalash

Thanassis Lerounis, a greek teacher and lone volunteer, selflessly and tirelessly working for over 15 years with the famous Kalash people in the Chitral area of Northern Pakistan (2,500 m. asl),  was abducted, allegedly by Afghan Taliban in September 2009, and is still being held captive in Nooristan. His captors are reported to demand an exchange with a number of captive leaders imprisoned by Pakistani authorities. The last report I have seen on Thanassis was in January 12 2010 in the local Chitral Times  website after a delegation from Chitral went to hold talks with his captors, and includes a photo where he sports a long beard and even smiles. As a teacher he had read about the Kalash tribe, of whom just 4,200 remain, and was fascinated by their traditional belief that they are descendants of soldiers of Alexander the Great, a belief supported by their unique language, customs, and polytheistic religion (with 12 gods like the ancient greek one) and looks, so Thanassis first visited the remote mountainous area as a tourist in 1994. He was instantly hooked and when he returned to Greece he started lecturing across the country, raising funds and generating awareness. He would return each...

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Workshop for Kalash Tour Guides in Bumborate

Two-day capacity building workshop for Kalash tour guides was arranged by District Administration through the support of Ministry of Culture Federal Government of Pakistan was implemented by CAMAT [Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism]. The purpose of the workshop was to improve the service quality of the guides in view of the fact that many national and international tourists come to the valleys who are less likely to be provided with information showcasing the true aspects of the indigenous Kalash culture. This is because of lack of capacity on the part of the local guides.   The workshop was attended by 37 guides from Birir, Bumborate and Rumbor was conducted in participatory method through group works, using of flash cards aside from open discussion by the forum. Mr Dawood Khan, the experienced Kalash guides was the key facilitator in the workshop.   The workshop put forward the recommendations as follows: 1.       The true aspect of Kalash culture as tourism products has never been highlighted till now. Everyone has his/her own interpretation. It is therefore uniform information mostly derived from the local guides has to be provided to tourists. This will help generate unified knowledge about Kalash culture both at national and...

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"green development"

  A cartoon by leading greek political cartoonist Yiannis Ioannou, alluding to the latest austerity package introduced by the newly-elected "socialist" government, who before the elections promised green development and social spending, at the request of the guardians of the Euro and to the joy of speculators. Green as in putting green? There is also fear that the government may use the current crisis as an excuse to rush through tourism mega-projects involving holiday homes and golf communities, vigorously opposed by social movements.

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CAMAT’s New Board of Directors Elected

CAMAT’s new Board of Directors was elected on March 9, 2010 at Mountain Inn, Chitral, where the Board members cast their vote in favor of the candidates as follows: Chairman: Sikander ul MulkVice Chairman: Dr Inayatullah FaiziGeneral Secretary: IsraruddinFinance Secretary: Meherban KhanPress Sectetary: Taj Muhammad Figr   After the election, Prince Sikander ul Mulk, the newly elected chairman thanked the members for reposing trust in the new honorary set up. He also emphasized on the need to further strengthen CAMAT’s cause of protection of Chitral’s indigenous cultures and to highlight it worldwide. He added that the traditional cultures of Chitral with its festivals besides free style polo are remarkable tourism products. The peace of Chitral is intertwined with the rich cultural heritage of the region which needs to be protected at all cost.   The meeting also took decision to organize Jashan-e-Qaqlasht 2010, the spring festival of the people of northern Chitral, in the second week of April.  

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