What
is Ecotourism? According to the "Ecotourism Society "Ecotourism is
responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and
improves the welfare of the local people"....."Ecotourism is about
creating and satisfying a hunger for nature, about exploiting tourism’s
potential for conservation and development and about averting its negative
impacts on ecology, culture and aesthetics. According to some researchers, "The
public is sometimes left reeling, feeling that ecotourism is nothing more than
another confusing blast of buzz in the ‘green market place’. But
ecotourism is much more than a buzzword; it is a movement having profound
effects on the future of the environment and of travel.
While ecotourism is a small and specialized segment of the tourist market, it is upmarket and deserves to be more fully exploited as it caters for nature lovers who are not only in the upper end of the market and are also sensitive to environmental problems. Further one could reach richer financial rewards while handling relatively smaller volumes of traffic.
Sri Lanka is a country of great natural beauty with scenery varying from palm-fringed beaches and mist laden highlands of the interior and a diverse natural environment with an equitable climate and altitudinal variation within short distances. Further the ancient historical and cultural sites are also an important attraction for the ecotourist. The smallness of the island ( 65,610 Sq.Km) affords easy accessibility to diverse attractions which factor constitutes the resource base for ecotourism.
The resource base set out above is central to the formulation of a tourism blue print on ecotourism. The preservation of the natural environment and the archaeological and historic sites is a prerequisite to the development of ecotourism.
According to the Tourism Master Plan of Sri Lanka 1992-2001 the resource base of the tourist industry, has been degraded by unplanned and uncontrolled tourism. However Ecotourism with its built-in environment sensitive programmes could markedly reduce environmental degradation. The Government should directly intervene to ensure the sustainability of ecotourist products as the resource base is fragile and the developer could destroy the resource base in order to maximise profits. A key component of these products is capacity and it is mandatory that a controlled approach be made in the development of ecotouristic lodges/hotels. Consequently the need to develop sustainable tourism models is imperative.
There are no internationally accepted guidelines for ecolodges/ hotels at present. However there are a number of well understood and accepted characteristics by researchers in ecotourism, the more important of which are set out below.
-A principal characteristic is that ecolodges/hotels must be designed and developed in harmony with the local natural and cultural environment using the principles of sustainable design.
-They should minimise the use of non-renewable energy resources and avoid the use of non-renewable material for construction. Recycled material should be used wherever possible.
-The developer should work in harmony with the local community offering jobs with a wide range of responsibilities and environment via contact with locally owned vendors.
Provide benefits for local conservation and research initiatives both public and private.
-Initiate research initiatives both public and private; and should offer excellent interpretive programme to educate the visitor about the local environment and culture.
According to researchers very few facilities in the world presently meet all of the above standards.
The term ecolodge/ hotel is an industrial label used to identify a nature-dependent tourist lodge that meets the philosophy and principles of ecotourism. At a purist level an ecolodge/hotel will offer a tourist an educational and participating experience, be developed and managed in an environmentally sensitive manner and protect its operational environment (Bottrel and Pearce 1995). A more generic name is a "nature based lodge/ hotel" which, although useful for those uncomfortable with the popularized "eco" label, does not distinguish a tourist lodge from those representative of the mainstream.
The ideal location would be an unique and rich natural environment away from the impact of local communities and providing a feeling of being "somewhere different". Isolation is a part of the product experience and access through picturesque country roads or transfer by canals or ferries creates a lpsychological impression of a nature excursion and gives the feeding of remoteness and exclusiveness. Reduction of the use of automobiles, and minimizing their penetration into the site is desirable.
In ecotouristic sites, the site is the compelling reason for the existence of the facility and should be recognised as such by the designer. Ecotourism is building with nature- not overpowering it. Local building practices and materials should be used as much as possible subject to practical problems of operation. Local people - the village elders should be consulted and informed that the Ecolodge/ Hotel will enhance the natural beauty of the neighbourhood and also improve the economic life of the community. From the inception of the construction village labour with skill in masonry, carpentry, woodwork, construction of traditional roofs etc., in addition common labour should be used in order to develop a lodge truly natural in appearance with a local flavour while impoving the skills of the workers as well as getting the goodwill of the community. Time-tested architectural motifs of local architecture can often be a rich source of contemporary inspiration. Local builders and craftsmen can provide their wisdom about local building standards. This approach exemplifies the basic concepts of Ecotourism, viz, welfare of the local people.
Many ecotouristic sites will not have the infrastructure facilities such as water, electricitiy and sewage disposal. Natural means of heating and cooling - such as breezes, sun and shade and ventilation can be used to maximise comfort minimizing artificial heating or cooling. Renewable energy sources such as solar power for hot showers may be utilized. Natural sources of water such as rivers and streams which are not only scenic sites but are also sources of water for a variety of purposes including water sports and gardening. Waste treatment should be self contained and recycling methods such as production of compost for vegetable plots should be encouraged.
Landscaping should be carefully handled by supplementing existing vegetation and use of indigenous plants to get the site back to the same natural environment from any degradation caused by the construction of the facility.
Some
personal Experiences in Ecolodge Development
I have had hands -on experience in developing an eco touristic activity product in Sri Lanka. Here one can see the building of a symbiotic relationship between the facility and the neighbouring community.
The facility continues to obtain numerous services from the village at all levels and some of the village youth have been trained for responsible jobs at varying levels. A very significant feature is that this cordial relationship has helped to preserve the lush and varying vegetation including the mangrove community along the river with its ecosystem enjoyed and studied by many guests.
The preservation of the mangrove habitat has added value both to the ecolodge and the ecosystem. According to a group of scientists who conducted a seminar recently on mangroves, the mangrove community is in an excellent state of preservation and reflects the functioning of a complex physio-chemical system which supports ‘mangrove flora’ and ‘mangrove fauna’. A reputed German naturalist Dr. Gaulke, a nominated consultant from the German Department of Environment has identified numerous fauna. .
A large number of birds also found in abundance in these wetlands have been observed and classified by an ornithologist. The bird life is also a source of enjoyment to our guests.
Through this project two major objectives of ecotourism development namely preservation of nature and the welfare of the community have been achieved. However, marketing the property as a special product has been hampered by a slump in tourism as the tour operators do not wish to change their marketing strategy from the beach holiday package, which has been in existence in Sri Lanka since the inception of a planned tourism industry, nearly two decades ago, in 1967.
The writer is a Tax Consultant by profession. He is a member of the Ecotourism Society based in the US. Mr. De Silva is a founder Director of a resort hotel. He is in charge of promotion and product development of the resort as an Ecotouristic product.
An Emirates aircraft made history on May15, when the latest addition to its fleet of Boeing 777s flew on its maiden flight non-stop from Seattle, Washington to Dubai in 15 hours and 03 minutes, to be exact.
Soon after take-off from Seattle, the aircraft entered Canadian airspace and flew across the Canadian Tundra region, Hudson’s Bay, the Greenland ice cap, Iceland, the North Atlantic, Scotland and crossed the North sea to the German coast.
The Boeing 777 then flew over Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, the Mediterranean, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf to Dubai. A distance of 7,329 nautical miles was covered in a span of 15 hours and three minutes.
On board this maiden flight were journalists from 16 countries including Sri Lanka.
The Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, Seattle assembles an aircraft every six to seven months and delivers one aircraft every four days.
Since its launch in 1990, the 777 has won 75 per cent of new world-wide orders in its class. The 777 flight deck is the result of unprecedented teamwork involving engineers, human factor experts, and some 675 airline and industry pilots who logged more than 5,800 hours in the simulator during its development.
Emirates’ Boeing 777 has 303 seats in three classes, with 18 first, 49 business and 236 economy class seats.
On the entertainment side on the flight, a stunning package of audio and visual entertainment distributed with the latest technology in a system supplied by GEC Marconi, what passengers will discover on Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft.
In 1992 Emirates became the first airline in the world to give passengers a personal video system, branded Emirates Television, on every seat in all three classes on its Airbus fleet. The new Boeing 777 fleet will be no exception, every passenger will have the very latest personal entertainment system from GEC-Marconi.
Favourite features such as touch-screen control have been retained from the personal video system in Emirates Airbus aircraft, but with more new technology, more movies, more children’s features, twice as many Arabic films, plus exciting new developments such as the Flying Camera channel.
The Flying Camera channel is something novel to any passenger flight. The aircraft has two cameras fitted to the front of the undercarriage, one providing a forward and one a downward view. Pictures are transmitted through the flying camera channel to the passenger’s personal video screen providing a bird’s eyeview of take offs, landings, magnificent scenery or spectacular sunsets.
On audio entertainment, programming for the 22 stereo audio channels is designed to provide something for everyone, with music from all countries on the Emirates network. All audio channels are supported by pages on the video screen featuring carefully selected illustrations to set the mood and information about the music featured.
Asian programmes: Two channels-Hindi Potpourri and Urdu Ghazals,
European music: Two channels- Les Chansons de France and Euromix,
Far Eastern programmes: Five channels- Thai songs-famous songs, Filipiniana, Nuansa Indonesia. Cantonese best and Mandarin hits collection.
Arabic programmes: two channels popular Arabic and Arabic selections.
Light music, EKFM-pop, Just Jazz etc., are the audio channels for the passengers listening pleasure.
Album reviews consist of two channels each one featuring an entire album,. These are launched with the sell out hit album ‘Older’ by George Michael and for opera fans, the album ‘Passions’ by Jose Carreras.
The Global Jukebox is an exciting mix of music from all over the world that many passengers would have never heard before. It is a compilation of music that does not fit easily into any particular category. It could be music from Mexico or Greece or from Africa or Australia.
Pure country channel is a feast for country music lovers.
We
set off for Negombo in a carefree mood not checking much of the intinerary
or details of accommodation. We are just glad to go on a jaunt to get away from
it all.
Friend Priya, more cautious than the rest, has booked hotel accommodation, but the rest do not care. It is early in the morning and there is little traffic on the road as we travel along the main Chilaw-Puttalam highway. We pass the busty statue of Rukamani Devi and someone says, ‘’Let’s go and see Muthurajawela; it is somewhere close by’’.
Not knowing its whereabouts, we peer at passing sign boards and quite by chance we spot the insignificant signboard. With help from passers by we find our way to the well kept Muthurajawela Centre.
It’s lovely having a breakfast of sandwiches and hot coffee under a spreading tree, seated on rustic furniture with hundreds of little yellow butterflies flitting about. Fortunately we do not notice the hundreds of caterpillars, dalambuwas, hanging on the tree which would have spoiled its charm.
What we are really looking forward to is a ride in a boat through the marshes along the Dutch Canal and onto the Negombo lagoon. This is something delightful.
The three of us get into the boat at the pier, holding onto a shaky bamboo post and once comfortably seated, sail away. We enter the Dutch Canal and glide along without a sound. The engine is not on as it is very shallow. We go along a narrow stretch with mangroves a touching distance away. We spot a Thalagoya (Iguana) behind the bushes. It takes a cautious look at us, but does not even bother to move away.
At Dalatuwa we see a woman carrying a child on her hip wading across the canal. It is shallow and the water comes up only to her hip. She joins an older woman seated outside her little thatched hut on the other side of the canal.
To the left of us, within touching distance, we see a white-breasted water heron and chicks. All is silent, save for the soft lapping of water. The wild plants of the marsh crowd in on us on both sides of the canal. Occasionally we duck our heads beneath low branches and now and then marsh plants graze our cheeks.
Blue Manel and Lotus growing in the canal and mauve Morning Glory by the edge add to the scenic beauty.
There are fishermen’s huts of cadjan and we stick to left bank of the canal. We are the fascinated by the rustic bridges of bamboo sticks lashed together with coir ropes with wooden planks at the base which make curved bridges for people to cross the canal.
They are ingenious simple devices. The bamboo and kaduru posts are cut from the wild bamboo and kaduru trees which are plentiful in the neighbourhood.
Each time we come to one of these rustic bridges we have to bend low or else our heads would be chopped off, so we are given early warning.
We also see prawn traps close to the water’s edge and pigs and piglets wallowing in the mud.
Egrets, pond herons wade in front of us quite oblivious to our boat. Others seen are a brown marsh harrier, a water snake, open bills, cormorants, purple herons and an atikukula. ‘Caron Koku’ grows by the edge and borupen and white olu in the shallow waters.
At Dandugama, the canal broadens and the boat engines are turned on. The scenery and vegetation too changes.
You see lots of coconut trees by the riverside. Plants like welbatu, a crosticum - ‘Carankotu’ with large leaves and Kapok bursting with pods could be seen. We spot a pair of black and white pied kingfishers seated on an overhanging branch at the edge of the waters.
As the canal broadens out to the Negombo lake, whistling teal fly overhead. We see small platforms of decayed mangrove vegetation and sticks, a breeding ground for fish known as ‘’Masaththa’’, (Dark file), the oldest and most propitious fishing gear in the world. They dot the lake at intervals to attract fish which are harvested by the fishermen.
Further on we see two fishing boats in the lake.There is camaraderie and they waved us on.
And then a crocodile, the only one we see that day.
Hidden away we also spot Kasippu distilleries on the canal bank.
We return along the narrow part, where the canal is lovely, sombre and cool after the bright glare of the Negombo lake. Butterflies flit about and a Koha calls out in strident tones, the only discordant sound in the stillness of the canal.
Two pheasant fowls, atikukulas walk about in the thicket and bamboo grass, wel bata with twisted stems adding interest to this area. We come away thanking our guide for a well conducted tour of the mangroves.
We reach Negombo early and have a quiet day and an nearly dinner of sea food. Next morning, just as sunlight is breaking, we stroll down to the beach. The seashore is deserted.
One of my friends lagging behind picks up shells. We come to a pier.
I spot oysters clinging to the side of the rocks that are constantly washed by the waves. I think of Samuel Pepys who invited friends for breakfast and gave his guests a whole barrel of oysters along with tongue and anchovies and a variety of wines. Just think of it. A whole barrel of oysters.
Some people say that oysters stimulate sexual desire but I cannot vouch for it. But it does have a reputation for being an aphrodisiac, though in China they think the opposite.
What I do know about oysters is that they are absolutely delicious especially when eaten raw with a dash of lemon juice.
I remember eating a whole plateful of oysters straight from the sea at a seaside restaurant in New Orleans. Bags of oysters were unloaded where we sat and ate them and they were heavenly.
The Ambalangoda area too has gorgeous oysters. Edible oysters are a delicacy in any part of the world. The humdrum would say oysters are also nutritious as they are full of vitamins, proteins, phosphorous, salt, chalk, iron, iodine, copper and manganese and are low in carbohydrates, but the value of raw oysters is far above anything that could be measured in nutritional terms.
Lewis Carroll in ‘’The Walrus and the Carpenter’ capriciously refers to oysters:
‘Their coats were brushed, their faces washed, Their shoes were clean and neat- And this was odd, because you know. They hadn’t any feet.’
Footless and headless they may be, but they are delicious eating. Oysters are curious creatures. They can lay up to 50 million eggs at a time and they can also change sex and their thirst is incredible. They are quite capable of drinking 2 gallons of sea water which is comparable in body size and capability to a human being drinking all the water in a large swimming pool in 24 hours!!
The Romans who came to Britain knew a thing or two and were connoisseurs of raw oysters. British Roman sites excavated in recent years have revealed hordes of oyster shells.
The Roman Emperor Vitellius is said to have eaten 1000 oysters at a sitting but this must be an exaggeration. There is evidence of our prehistoric ancestors having eaten oysters in caves.
The likes of me can only afford to eat a dozen oysters as costs are prohibitive, but in days gone by they were not expensive, and there was an abundance of oysters in Kalutara and Ambalangoda. The 19th century Pickwick Papers mentions that oysters and poverty went hand-in-hand and that oysters were four a penny.It is the subtle flavour you relish, the flavour which distills the sea and what else you may wonder:
"A loaf of bread,’’ the Walrus said, ‘’Is chiefly what we need Pepper and vinegar besides Are very good indeed’’
- and I would add, good company, champagne and a starlit night.
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