“Without tourism, the Pantanal (in South America), the world’s largest wetland, would have just turned into a major cattle feed-lot for McDonald’s” – Costas Christ, at the International Symposium on Sustainable Tourism Development. Highlighting the roles of tourism in supporting and promoting conservation, this article discusses the social, economic and environmental sustainability of travel and tourism, noting that “the very essence of tourism is selling culture and nature, and those must be protected or there will be no industry.”

“The Maasai of Kenya and Namibia’s Himba—two of the oldest cattle cultures on earth—are emerging from a century of ‘white man’s conservation,’ which turned their lands into off-limits game reserves. Now, with a new model of conservation, wildlife is back in their hands and the tribes are vying for a piece of the ecotourism pie. But can poachers become protectors?” On April 7, the Emmy Award-winning PBS series INDEPENDENT LENS presents David Simpson’s MILKING THE RHINO, which examines the deepening conflict between humans and animals in an ever-shrinking world.

Jamaica for Sale, a documentary about tourism & unsustainable development, takes a sharp look at the environmental, economic, and social impacts of tourism such as: degraded water quality and shoreline habitats, depleted marine species, poorly regulated large-scale development that relies on low-wage, unskilled local labor, and uncontrolled development of an industry that leads to inflation in land and housing prices, and consumes large amounts of local natural resources.

The current economic situation and its impact on the industry was “the hot topic” at the 2009 Annual Cruise Shipping Convention in Miami, though discussions on the impact cruise tourism has on the environment “was not covered enough,” reports this article by Vacation and Cruising. Fuel consumption by cruise ships, which includes energy use for laundry, restaurants, leisure club activities, water and waste treatment, can, according to a 2008 study, be nearly three times those of the new Airbus A380.

By choosing responsible travel, you can have the fabulous vacation that you’ve dreamed of, while ensuring that the money you spend at your destination is benefiting the environment and the local people. In this article, Ashish Dutta introduces five travel habits that can “transform your travel experience — shed off the tag of a ‘tourist’ and saunter around as an enlightened eco-traveller” Habit 1. Travel to Discover: The greatest impediment to fun is the blinkers of attitude most tourists put on, almost unknowingly. Leave all attitudes behind and set out with an open mind to discover.

Through practical steps facilitating and enhancing the natural regeneration of trees, Trees for Life works to re-establish areas of healthy young forest scattered throughout the barren, deforested glens. As these new trees reach seed-bearing age they will form the nuclei for an expanded natural regeneration in the surrounding area. “The Caledonian Forest originally covered 1.5 million hectares of the Scottish Highlands as a vast primeval wilderness of Scots pine, birch, rowan, aspen, juniper and other trees. Today, though, just 1% of the forest remains.”

“There are plans to build an incinerator in St. Dennis in Cornwall. We want people to stand up and protect Cornwall and its beautiful countryside!” Due to the dioxins that would be released from the incinerator in St Dennis, no one in Cornwall will be able to grow organic produce within the next seven years, if these plans are executed. Good is Planet Earth is collecting as many names as possible to support this cause until Saturday, March 14, 2009. The petition will be submitted to the Prime Minister, requesting an immediate cessation of the planning, building and commissioning of the waste incinerator.

TIES encourages you to reduce your carbon emissions by minimizing energy use, utilizing alternative transportation, and choosing low-impact activities. There will always be unavoidable carbon footprint of your travel. Contribute to a credible carbon offsetting program to support conservation, renewable energy, and other energy saving projects. For those travelling to and within the UK, here are some useful information on measuring the carbon footprint of your travel, and how to travel consciously as you select air travel, local transportation and lodging options.

We recommend these great travel books for those considering visiting the UK for the first time or returning to the UK and looking for new experiences. Encouraging travelers to “enjoy life at its slowest,” this guide celebrates fascinating people, fine architecture, history and landscape. Go Slow England is the first in a series of “Go Slow” guides, featuring stunning colour photography and interviews with the owners. Imagine sitting in a bath looking out over a beautiful Welsh bay from the comfort of a tiny eco cottage, knowing that you won’t be polluting the sensitive coastline.

Looking for amazing rural destinations and traditional experiences? Learn from Sally Broom, Founder, Your Safe Planet: “The UK is not well known for being an ecotourism destination and yet we have some of the most beautiful rural areas in Europe. On the border of beautiful Wales is Shropshire where ‘Eco-cabin’ is located costing just £90 a night for up to 4 people! From there you can head to Mid Wales which is an ecotourism haven. The Lake District offers the chance to stay in traditional tepees and yurts.”