Environment

Traveling and exploring this amazing planet are passions many of us share. Frequently the desire to promote tourism can result in the tragic destruction of what attracted the residents and tourists to a particular destination initially. The first places to disappear are the wildlife habitats and then of course, the diversity of species who inhabit them. Next are the distinctive cultures that humans have always drawn from their sense of home and place . Conscientious travelers and some tourism businesses now recognize that a win-win scenario can only occur by preserving and sensitively protecting the natural habitats which give rise to a community's identity. Instead of economics trumping the environment at the expense of everyone's well-being, environmental protection is now being recognized as a way of enhancing tourism. The integrity of this preservation and protection will become evident enough by what continues to be lost and what remains . Constant citizen awareness and vigilance is key to the competing interests that rise, fall, and rise again, in everyone's own backyard.

Photo: Hayden Harvey

G.R.O.W.L.S. is a registered non-profit society whose mandate is the rescue of ill, injured, or otherwise disabled wildlife and the preservation of natural wildlife habitat on Gabriola Island. The main purpose of G.R.O.W.L.S is to rescue and transport insured animals to a veterinarian or one of the wildlife recovery facilities on Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island. The long term vision is to foster the education of ourselves and our community to be more knowledgeable and respectful of our natural world.

Turtle Information

Kauai, Hawaii

photo: D. Mace

This westernmost Hawaiian island is an island where vast areas of lush, protected greenspace make it a world class destination to live or holiday. Only 12% of the land base is available for development with many large state parks and nature reserves. It is home to abundant wildlife and marine life, including the green sea turtle.

Turtle Information Sheet

Coastline Cottages www.coastlinecottages.com

Zakynthos, Greece

photo: D. Mace

Volunteers monitoring turtle nests on Greek Island of Zakynthos (2006) . These dedicated volunteers come from all over the world. They commit to an intense summer of beach surveillance, nests, and hatchling monitoring. They work with and against large numbers of tourists and the constant pressures of the tourism industry to develop waterfront areas.

The Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece http://www.archelon.gr/eng/wois.htm

Since 1983, the primary objective of ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece has been to protect the sea turtles and their habitats in Greece through monitoring and research, developing and implementing management plans, habitat restoration, raising public awareness and rehabilitating sick and injured turtles.

http://www.earthseasky.org/aboutus.htm

In 1996 Earth Sea & Sky funded and built the Sea Turtle & Wildlife Information Centre at Gerakas - the only one on the island now - to encourage visitors to take a closer look at the rich heritage, natural beauty, wildlife and culture of Zakynthos, and to promote the need for sustainable tourism.

Archelon, Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece also operates from this centre, its volunteers providing important information to the many people who visit the nesting beaches each year, and doing research and monitoring work with the turtles on Gerakas Beach.

As a direct result of the Information Centre and the increasing pressure exerted on local government by European laws, Gerakas beach has now reduced the number of sunbeds from 180 approx. in 1998 down to 70 in the year 2000. The important nesting area to the left side of the beach being freed to allow easy access to nesting turtles. In addition, all pedalos and boating activities have been banned from the area.

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