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Page 5 of 6
Trying very hard to put something back.
Sustainable and Responsible Tourism…… features uppermost in our thoughts when we are planning new destinations or reviewing our existing tours.
We believe very strongly that increased human activities, such as logging, clearing land for agriculture, hunting and gathering fuel wood, are degrading both protected areas and the land surrounding them. As a non-extractive activity, ecotourism offers a sustainable way of using these areas and an opportunity to promote sustainable social and economic development. For example, by taking tourists to a country to see its wildlife, not only are a range of local employment opportunities created, but the association between protecting wildlife and a healthier economy indicates to both local people and national government alike the importance of conservation, and the great potential of national parks and wildlife reserves.
We may be a ‘small is beautiful’ tour operator, but at Spanish Nature, along with other notable wildlife tour operators, we regard the development of a detailed Responsible Tourism Policy by every tour operator as an essential step forward. You will find more details, such as Spanish Nature’s recommendations to you, our friend (the Tourist!) and secondly, our policy on the following link: Responsable Tourism
Some projects to benefit our host countries…
include the creation of our local guides scheme in Morocco and a ‘new’ project the ‘For the Birds’ education programme.
The use of our local Moroccan Guides Scheme (MGS) is designed to assist local awareness and conservation in areas of importance to Moroccan Fauna and Flora. If you intend to travel independently, please consider using these people, they are often the lonely guardians for otherwise unprotected areas. Choosing a good guide in Morocco can be tricky, we speak from experience, but we can supply details of MGS guides whom we feel able to recommend upon request. Currently we have registered guides in the Oued Massa and Moulay Bousselham areas on the Atlantic Coast, but are now training guides in the Sahara zone of the country and hope to add these to our scheme soon.
For the Birds! Inspired by Audubon (New York). For the Birds! is an elementary education programme that teaches environmental awareness and appreciation of nature through the study of birds. Together with a friend of ours, Barbara Vagliano of New York, we are intending to develop and adapt this programme to suit all our destinations. During an 8 or 16-week session, public school students, in grades two through five (ages 8 to 10), learn about their natural environment through classroom lessons, outdoor field trips, a live bird program, and a conservation project designed to provide bird habitat in the local community. For the Birds! is a well-rounded curriculum that is aligned to performance standards in Math, Science and Technology and English Language Arts. For the Birds! focuses on local birds and local habitats. This place-based learning encourages a sense of pride in one’s own community. Gaining knowledge of the local environment empowers students to take an active interest in protecting it. We have already planned a couple of courses in Morocco next spring and are working to introduce it into Spain, Kenya and India. We hope to bring you more news in future newsletters.
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