The Green Mountain Sustainable Development, stretching between
Benghazi and Tobruk, will include organic farms, a national park and eco-friendly
hotels that will create jobs for more than 70,000 young Libyans. The plan also
aims at restoring the neglected archaeological sites, widely regarded as the
best in the southern Mediterranean basin. Read
more.
What is ecotourism?
Ecotourism is defined by the Chambers
Dictionary as, "The careful development and management of
tourism in areas of unspoiled natural beauty, so that the environment is preserved
and the income from tourists contributes to its conservation."
The preservation of natural tourist sites and the beautiful
biodiversity and reinvesting some of the generated revenue in local projects
which will help the local communities is also known as responsible travel or responsible
tourism. Responsible tourism also means rising awareness of the true value
of the country's heritage and its conservation; travelling with local guides
who know the local traditions and customs; respecting the local ecosystems; and
providing itineraries and tours that satisfy the ever-increasing travellers'
expectations.
Who coined the term ecotourism?
The term ecotourism was coined in 1983 by the Mexican Architect
Héctor Ceballos-Lascuráin. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has adopted his
modified version of the term in 1996.
What is Eco Imperialism ?
Eco or Green Imperialism is a situation in which rich developed
countries pay money to poor developing countries, such as African countries,
to emit less CO2 and other green house gases so that the rich can emit more-or-less
at the same rate. Some critics have voiced their concerns that some carbon offsetting
programs come under this category. Please research your contribution before you
pay, or choose not to pay, and save (by reducing) at home instead.
You need to verify the existence of the project and delivery
of carbon balance. You need to make sure of the visibility and the transparency
of the companies involved. Unregulated companies may prefer to fund certain projects that would suit brands.
This makes the job even harder for individuals to identify, as lack of time to
find out about all these issues is another kind of costly problem. This guide
lists a number of things you can do that really will help the planet in the long
run. Responsibility starts at home; if not in the mind.
How Can I help?
Travellers & tourists: you can
help in various ways, like offsetting your carbon yourself (without paying companies
any money); recycling your waste; respecting the sites you visit; donating some
money for local people in remote areas; buying directly from them some of the
local crafts rather than paying extortionate money to city dealers; respecting
the local culture; and following the various guidelines and travel codes published
by various eco-friendly organisations. As an example of irresponsible tourist,
we can recall some of the atrocities committed in the Sahara, such as urinating
on prehistoric paintings to bring out the colours for better photos; cutting
sections of prehistoric paintings and carvings to sell in online auctions and
to dealers; and throwing plastic bottles behind them when they finished with
them.
Tour operators,travel agencies & package holiday providers: need
to follow basic guidelines generally accepted today, including but not limited
to building tourist projects away from villages as to not disturb or affect their
way of life; avoid using air conditioning systems; ensuring conservation of water
in campsites and desert areas; using solar energy; preserving the local landscape
and designing projects to fit with local designs and culture; helping protect
the surrounding wildlife; reinvesting some of the profit in local projects; employing
local people and guides so that they benefit from the influx of tourists; recycling
all material used; disposing of refuse appropriately; and above all respecting
local customs and values.
Governments & organisations: can educate
people about the issue, train the concerned bodies to deal effectively with the
issue; publish and distribute material highlighting the main points people can
do to help preserve the beauty of the country; fund and allocate a substantial
amount of money to implement a working strategy to preserve and protect
the natural resources of the country; design and fund programs to teach and train
local tour guides a wide range of foreign languages and tourism skills to enable
them to provide a good service for foreign tourists; and support ecosystem research
and its sustainability and relationship to the health of the local people. Do
the job.
Please do not collect any specimens of geological and archaeological
nature, such as flints, fossils and stone tools. Doing so is against the law
and wholly damaging to history. These need to be scientifically collected
and catalogued, otherwise historical data about our distant history will be lost
forever.
