ties ecocurrents quarterly emagazine - 2006 q3

8/14/2019 TIES EcoCurrents Quarterly eMagazine - 2006 Q3

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SPECIAL FEATURE:GREEN BUILDING

& NATIVE LANDSCAPING

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 1

CHINAS FIRST PLANNED ECOLODGETAKES A METAPHYSICALAPPROACH

1

THE CASE FORNATIVE LANDSCAPING

4

EVERDAY ECOTOURISM 5

AGROECOTOURISM: ECOAGRI-CULTUREAND PERMACULTURE

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GUATEMALAUTILIZES

ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE8

FUTURE E CO C URRENTS TOPICS 11

I NSIDE THIS ISSUE :EcoCurrents

Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustain

Third Quarter 2006 Price: $2.00 USD

Editor: Katie Maschma

Log on to TIES new andimproved Web site at:

www.ecotourism.org

Copy Editor: Dave MesreLetter from the editor

he allure o land and its connections to culture plays a large role in the principleso sustainable tourism development and in the inspiration o traveler af nities.

Connection to place means connection to people. Architecture (both building andlandscape) has the unique capacity to establish experiential links between a culture andthe land in which its inhabitants dwell.

In recognition o these connections, Im pleased to bring you this edition o EcoCurrents .Featuring green-building, native landscaping, and innovative technology, we hopeto highlight the philosophy o and recent developments within these themes. I thispublication inspires you to learn more about or to implement green-building and nativelandscaping projects, please take advantage o thepractical resources in the Business to Business sectiono IES Web site (www.ecotourism.org).

I encourage you to share your thoughts with ellow IES members. For potential insertion in uture issues o EcoCurrent s, write us at [email protected].

Katie Maschman

IES Membership Director

Chinas First Planned Ecolodge Takes a Metaphysical Approach

By Frances Figart

C an you imagine working with a small indigenous community in China to create anecolodge that celebrates bamboo and takes into account the chi and eng shui o thenative landscape? While it might be hard or most o us to envision, planning such anecotourism destination and tshen working with others to make it a reality is seemingly allin a days work or Hitesh Mehta.

Mehta, a world-renowned landscape architect and environmental planner and one o the worlds leading authorities on ecotourism planning and ecolodge design has workedwith many indigenous communities during his tenure at EDSA, a planning and landscapearchitecture rm based in Florida, USA.

Hes worked on projects in Madagascar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, Kenya, Mexico,Dominica, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, urks and Caicos, (Continued on page 3)


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C ontemporary tourist acility development o enresults in the loss o indigenous vegetation andin its replacement by horticultural species selected ortheir exotic appeal. Te result is a landscape that valuesthe man-made over the natural and one that belongsto nowhere in particular. A gol putting green in NorthAmerica looks very much like a putting green in Europeor Australia. When we lose our connection to the naturallandscape, we lose the sense o uniqueness o the placeweve come to visit.

More and more travelers want to experience authenticnatural areas. For those visitors, natural landscapes

provide a welcome contrast to the urban environments inwhich most live. Teyre an important part o what visitorsexpect to nd at an ecotourism destination. Visitors dontexpect to see intensively managed landscapes that rely onertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation. Instead, they hope tond a natural environment where humans leave a smallootprint and where nature is respected and protected.Since our surroundings create our sense o place, thelandscape viewed rom the window is as important as the view along a wilderness trail.

While its pre erable that ecotourism developmentminimizes the impact on natural areas, its sometimesnecessary to restore areas that have been disturbed priorto or during construction. Re-vegetation with nativeplants maintains visual integrity with the surroundinglandscape and creates habitat or indigenous wildli e.Restoration projects can also serve as outdoorclassrooms, providing an opportunity to educate visitorsabout local ora and auna. Plant identi cation tags,brochures, and outdoor displays allow or sel -guidedinterpretation, while local naturalists can provide morein-depth knowledge and responses to visitors questions.Areas that undergo a naturalization can demonstrate theecological connections between climate, ora and auna,and the ways in which landscapes change over time.

Natural landscapes are also cultural landscapes. Visitorsseeking to understand the relationship between localpeople and the local environment enjoy discovering hownative plants have been traditionally used or ood, shelter,medicines, arts and cra s, and ceremonial purposes.ourists might be surprised to learn, or example, thatthe western red cedar, which was carved to make totempoles, was also used to make clothing, ropes, and baskets.Opportunities to demonstrate how plants in the areahave been harvested and used by indigenous people

can enhance our understanding and our appreciation o both native ora and native culture. Te conservationo natural areas and the use o indigenous plants inlandscaping recognize this connection.

Natural systems are sel -sustaining. Native plants haveadapted over time to local conditions, and theyretypically more resilient to disease, re, and droughtthan non-native species. Re-vegetated areas provide

valuable wildli e habitatand moderate sur acetemperatures; they alsoretain moisture, slow the

rate o water runo , andreduce the potential orsoil erosion. And becausenaturalized landscapesdont need ertilizers,herbicides, or intensivemowing and pruning,they require less ossiluel to maintain thancultivated landscapes and are there ore moresustainable.

Landscaping in remoteecotourism destinationsaces special challenges.In general, the moreremote the site, the greaterthe visitors expectationso a natural setting. Where its necessary to restore adisturbed area, detailed ecological knowledge is neededto prescribe the appropriate plants or a particular site. Inremote areas, non-native species could become invasive,resulting in widespread ecological damage. Another issueis the availability o plants or re-vegetation. Salvagingand transplanting native plants rom areas scheduled ordevelopment might be possible. I native plants arentavailable through nurseries, it might be necessary todevelop a propagation program to provide the plantsneeded over time.

When we understand local ecosystems and the conditionsnecessary or optimum growth, we can restore disturbedareas and create landscapes that will support moreecological diversity. Restoration could include small-scale native replantings around buildings, wetlandenhancements,

(Continued on page 9)

The Case for Native Landscaping

By Michael Bocking

Natural landscapes are the modelfor landscape restoration.


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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

I ts a common sight in hotel rooms these days: Telittle card in orming you that you can conserve waterand energy by reusing your towels and sheets, or askingyou to turn o the lights when you leave your room. Teact that such programs have become the status quo inour-star hotels and motels alike is an important step orthe environment, but the truth is its only a step.

Te built environment has a pro ound impact on bothenvironmental and human health. In the United Statesalone, buildings account or more than one-third o all energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and theEnvironmental Protection Agency ranks indoor air

quality as one o the top ve environmental health risks.Green-building designing and constructing buildingsthat are not only pro table but also environmentally responsible and healthy places to live and work isimperative i we want to protect the environment andour communities or the uture. Energy ef ciency and water conservation are important components o green-building, but trans orming the built environmentrequires a whole building approach to sustainability.

Te LEED Green BuildingSystem, a voluntary,consensus-based standardor green-buildingdesign, construction, andoperations, promotesthe whole building approach by recognizingper ormance in vecategories: sustainablesite development,energy ef ciency, waterconservation, indoorenvironmental quality,and materials andresources. By o eringindependent, third-party veri cationthat a building meetsestablished per ormance

benchmarks, LEED (Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design) helps building owners andoperators ensure that their buildings will per ormas expected. And because LEED certi cation is thenationally recognized standard or high-per ormancebuildings, its also a valuable marketing tool or hotel

owners who want to demonstrate their commitment toenvironmental stewardship.

Te bene ts o LEED certi cation are numerous,including reduced greenhouse gas emissions; signi cantenergy and water savings; increased occupant health,com ort, and productivity; and drastic reductions in

materials consumption and waste generation. For allthese reasons, a growing number o hotels are goinggreen with the LEED Rating System. Te HiltonVancouver Washington, or example, a 226-room hotelconnected to Vancouvers new convention center, isregistered to earn LEED certi cation and expects tosave $80,000 year on energy costs. 1

Te Inn & Con erence Center at the University o Maryland, a Marriott property that was the rst hotelin the country to earn LEED certi cation, has alsorealized signi cant savings and sees its certi cation asa competitive advantage. Operating an eco- riendly

hotel is not only good or the environment, but makesgood business sense, says hotel manager Bob Allen.Weve ound that our guests also appreciate our e ortsto protect the environment. 2

Its not just large hotel chains that are pursuing LEEDcerti cation. Te Len Foote Hike Inn at AmicalolaFalls, a small rustic retreat located deep within GeorgiasChattahoochee National Forest, was the second buildingin the state to earn LEED gold-level certi cation. Andthe Kandalama Hotel, a luxury hotel located within the

E E

By Jessie Sackett

(Continued on page 10)

Len Foote Hike Inn, LEED GoldGeorgia, USA

Kandalama Hotel, LEED BronzeSri Lanka


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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustaina

We helped the client build a truly international consultant team, includingthe top two bamboo designers in theworld, Mehta says. Te core consultantteam represents six continents, andthe rest o the expertise is local both rom academic and pro essionalelds. Te architect o record isbased in Guangzhou, while someo the most renowned academics inSouth China have provided input inecology, ornithology, plant selection,horticulture, and tourism planning.

Tanks to the eng shui master, thechi o the site is harnessed around

a bamboo entry bridge. All other structures, which utilize abundant localmaterials such as earth, clay tiles, marble, recycled railway ties, and river stones,are symmetrically arranged on the bridges eng shui axis. Local cra smenwere mentored in the construction o this bridge the rst o its kind outsideColombia, allowing them to learn a new skill they can use in the uture.

Sustainable Planning and DesignAs a result o this international teamwork, Nankun Mountain Nature Reserve will bean ecotourism destination that provides a variety o experiences and accommodationacilities. Te opening o the upscale Crosswaters Ecolodge this all is just thebeginning. Te overall nature reserve ecotourism plan calls, over a 10-year period,or the sustainable development o a boutique 25-room lodge called Sumoaping RiverLodge, a three-star Village Lodge, a visitors and interpretation center in Shangping

Village, a bamboo museum, a retail and civic center, and an enhanced trail system.ourists who visit the reserve will enjoy mountain climbing, hiking, boating, birding,tubing, cycling, walking, swimming, astronomy, wine-tasting, and ruit picking.

Te planning and design o Crosswaters Ecolodge also celebrates the richgarden history o China, with plants and materials native to the region. Weresearched and analyzed ancient Chinese gardens to understand the relationshipsbetween inside and outside and cosmic orientations o buildings and gardens,Mehta says. Tis research was then used in the planning and design o the

various gardens, each o which has its roots in Chinese poetry and history.

Te botanical garden will showcase bamboo species rom China and act asan interpretive experience or guests. Other gardens include a lotus garden,

a re ective moon garden, a seven-sages ao garden, a bamboo sculpturegarden, a butter y garden, and an organic rice and vegetable garden.

In May, EDSA received the prestigious Award o Honor in the Analysis and Planningcategory rom the American Society o Landscape Architects or CrosswatersEcolodge, one o only our winners selected by the jury out o 122 national andinternational entries. For more in ormation, visit www.crosswaters.com.cn.

Frances Figart is a magazine editor who plans to launch Green ravel magazine in 2007 to raise public awareness about sustainable travel and the industry pro essionals who make it possible.Learn more about her work at www.greentravel.biz.

Bamboo

Bamboo is called the

friend of the people in

China because of its di-

verse use in everything

from food and cook-

ing to furniture, paper,

musical instruments,boats, and houses.

Crosswaters Ecolodge

celebrates the spirit

of bamboo in its

landscape architecture,architecture, and

interior design. The

ecolodge represents

the largest commercial

project in the world

that uses bamboo

and the rst time

bamboo has been used

in Asia as a structural

element in a large-scale

place of habitation.

Chinas Ecolodge (Continued rom page 3)

Crosswaters Ecolodge


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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustaina

With an end to the regions longest running civil war,Guatemala a country rich in Mayan civilizations

as well as a Spanish colonial architecture is rapidly growing as a Central American ecotourism destination.In 2004, Guatemala enjoyed a 34 percent growth ininternational arrivals, demonstrating its expanding drawin the global marketplace. According to the Guatemalanourism Institute, more than one million internationaltourists visited Guatemala rom January throughAugust 2006 a record number. Guatemala boastsexceptional diversity in archaeological sites and strongMayan cultures that reigned until Spanish colonization.And now with national ecotourism organizations suchas Alianza Verde and Puerta Mundo Maya working toconserve and promote the natural and cultural resources,community-based tourism and ecotourism are two o the major activity draws in Guatemala.

Because more than hal o Guatemalas population isindigenous, its hotel and ecolodge construction are ableto re ect the strengths o native culture and practices.Te use o both local materials or construction andorganic arming is widespread. Many techniques, such asthe local production o organic cotton, have been a parto traditional customs or much o history, although they sometimes arent of cially organically certi ed.

Edmundo Solis,manager o theHotel JaguarInn in the ikal jungle region,explains that theuse o sustainablematerials orbuilding thehotels restaurantcame not rom adetailed designplan, but as a necessity that was satis ed with localmaterials. Materials rom the jungle such as quano (palmleaves), bejucos (wild vines), and stones are used or roo ,structure, and pathway construction, minimizing theneed or imported materials.

Indigenous methodologies are still extensively usedthroughout many Mayan communities in Guatemala,and they continue to demonstrate the bene cial balancebetween nature and the local peoples. Fransisco Sandoval,manager o Uxlabil Atitlan in the Mayan village o SanJuan La Laguna near Lake Atitlan, understands theimportance o local building materials to the overallexperience o this ecolodge.

D H :

G U z A K w

By Melissa Leggett

GUATEMALAN NATIONAL ECOTOURSIM

ALIANZA VERDE provides information on ecotourism destinations within Guatemala and administers the GreenDeal certication program. www.alianzaverde.org

The MESOAMERICAN ECOTOURISM ALLIANCE is committed to the development of sustainable tourism as a meansfor supporting conservation efforts throughout Mesoamerica, including Guatemala. www.travelwithmea.org

MUNDO MAYA ORGANIZATION works regionally on cultural and environmental development of the Mayan worldregion. www.mundomayaorganizacion.org

PUERTA MUNDO MAYA has helped establish an ecotourism route completely operated by Qeqchi communities.www.puertamundomaya.com

Tikal National Park, Guatemala

(Continued on next page)


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Uniting Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Travel

Using the centuries-old building techniques o thezutuhil Mayan, the hotel was constructed romexcavated stone that displays carved images throughout

the restaurant; the image designs emulate those o thelocal historical church.

Modern in uences and technologies such as solarenergy are also being applied to hotel and ecolodgeconstruction in Guatemala. Hildegard Valle, managero San Gregorio Wellness Retreat south o GuatemalaCity, explains that although San Gregorio is not de nedas an ecolodge, this our-star boutique hotel and spais taking special measures to implement sustainableprinciples. Tey plan to use solar energy as the primary resource or heating all the hotels water, while therestaurant will serve local organic produce.

Guatemala, with its living Mayan culture, impressivearcheological and architectural sites, traditionalorganic arming techniques, and present-day use o sustainable construction materials, is one o todayshotspots on the Mesoamerican eco-circuit.

Melissa Leggett, ormer IES Intern, is a recent graduate o the University o Cali ornia, Irvine, where she earned her B.A.in International Studies. She currently resides in Berkeley,Cali ornia, and will be traveling to New Zealand in 2007.

and long-term, larger-scale re orestation projects.Restoration could also involve the construction o birdblinds and nesting boxes, or recording the number o species present over time. Some o these initiatives cangive visitors opportunities to get involved and to make apersonal contribution to landscape restoration.

Te key to success ul landscape naturalization atecotourism destinations is a collective vision o conser-

vation, in which the local, natural environment is valuedand seen as the model or landscape restoration. Its basedon an understanding o how natural systems unction,a respect or indigenous culture, and a desire to createlandscapes that are ultimately sel -sustaining. Moreover,its what ecotourists come to see.

Michael Bocking is a landscape architect who specializes in ecologically based planning and design. His experience includes workin parks, as well as in private natural areas. His travels have taken him to ecotourist acilities in Central America, the Caribbean,

Australia, and New Zealand. Michael and his wi e, Evelyn, live on their 135-acre nature sanctuary outside Victoria, BritishColumbia, Canada.

G Cont(Continued rom previous page)

Native Landscaping Cont

(Continued rom page 4)

Author Michael Bocking revegetating lake edge


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TIES SPONSOR MEMBERS

Adventure Life Journeys Alaska Wildland Adventures Amazonia Expeditions Aventuras Naturales - Pacuare Lodge CanadianMountain Holidays Inc. (C.M.H.) Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (at Conservation International) CrossingLatitudes, Inc ecoAfrica Travel Ecoventura/Galapagos Network El Pescador Resorts Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn Green

Hotels of Costa Rica Holbrook Travel Horizontes Nature Tours InkaNatura Travel International Expeditions, Inc INTRAV /Clipper Cruise Lines Intrepid Travel Pty Ltd Jungle Bay Resort and Spa Lapa Rios Ecolodge Legitify Lindblad Expeditions Maho Bay Camps, Inc. Micato Safaris NatureAir Nomadic Journeys Ltd OARS (Outdoor Adventure River Specialists) Rainforest Expeditions (Posada Amazonas/Tambopata) Rhino Walking Safaris Rivers Fiji Solimar Marketing & Travel TiamoResorts Trans Niugini Tours Wilderness Travel Wildland Adventures

TIES NATIONAL & REGIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBERS

Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association AMTAVE (Mexican Association of Adventure Tourism & Ecotourism) Armenian Ecotourism Association Asociacin Ecoturismo Guatemala Asociacin Ecuatoriana de Ecoturismo - ASEC BrazilianSociety for The Environment Camara Nacional de Ecoturismo de Costa Rica (CANAECO) Central Balkan Kalofer EcotourismAssociation Discover Nepal EcoBrasil - Associacao Brasileira de Ecoturismo Eco-Nigeria Ecotourism Society of Nigeria Ecotourism Australia Ecotourism Kenya Ecotourism Laos - Mekkong Tourism Development Project Ecotourism Norway Ecotourism Society of Sri Lanka (ESSL) Ecotourism Society Pakistan Ecotourism Society Philippines Foundation EcotourismSociety of Saskatchewan Ecoturismo Italia Estonian Ecotourism Association (ESTECAS) Fiji Ecotourism Association FrenchEcotourism Society Grand Bahama Island Ecotourism Association Green Tourism Association Hawaii Ecotourism Association Indonesian Ecotourism Network (INDECON Foundation) Iriomote Island Ecotourism Association Japan Ecolodge Association(ECOLA) Japan Ecotourism Society (JES) Kunigami Toruism Association (KUTA) La Ruta de Sonora Ecotourism Association Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (MEA) Mongolian Ecotourism Society Murghab Ecotourism Association (META) Sri LankaEcotourism Foundation (SLEF) Sustainable West Virginia Swedish Ecotourism Society Taiwn Ecotourism Association ThaiEcotourism & Adventure Travel Association (TEATA) The Ontario Ecotourism Society (TOES) Toledo Eco Tourism Association Virginia EcoTourism Association

TIES BOARD

Heba Aziz , Ministry of Tourism, Oman Tracy Berno , University of the South Pacic, Fiji Rajiv Bhartari , Indian Forest Service &

Corbett Tiger Reserve, India Sylvie Blangy (Development Chair), TUKTU Ecotourism Consultants, France Kelly Bricker (BoardChair) , WILD-U, Fiji & USA Tony Charters (Vice Chair), Tony Charters & Associates, Australia Richard Denman (Secretary), The Tourism Company, United Kingdom Andrew Fairley (Treasurer), Turtle Island, Fiji & Australia Kamelia Georgieva , HumanResearch Center, Bulgaria Nandita Jain , Independent Consultant, India & USA Glenn Jampol , Finca Rosa Blanca Country Inn,Costa Rica Karen Lewis , Lapa Rios Ecolodge, Costa Rica & USA Clare Mcfarlane , Aries Tours, Australia Hitesh Mehta , EDSA,USA John Poutasse , Attorney, USA Ravi Ruparel , The World Bank; Uganda Chandra de Silva , Ranweli Holiday Village, SriLanka Keith W. Sproule , Independent Consultant, USA Masaru Takayama , Japan Ecolodge Association, Japan LouiseTwining-Ward , Tourism Resource Consultants, USA Wolfgang Strasdas , University of Eberswalde, Germany Jan Wigsten ,Nomadic Journeys, Mongolia & Sweden Carolyn Wild , WILD International, Canada

TIES STAFF

Courtney Baggett , Events Coordinator Amos Bien , Director of International Programs Christina Cavaliere , Director of

Training andEducation Alice Crabtree , Asia-Pacic Director and Research Associate on Certication David Diedrich , Directorof Finance and Administration Ayako Ezaki , Asia-Pacic Coordinator Martha Honey , Ph.D., Executive Director KatieMaschman , Director of Membership and Communications

CONTACT TIES:1333 H St NW, Suite 300E, Washington DC 20005, USA Tel: +1(202)347-9203 Fax: +1(202)789-7279 www.ecotourism.org

ties ecocurrents quarterly emagazine - 2006 q3

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