Roteiros de Charme Hotel Association was founded in Rio de Janeiro by five independent hoteliers in 1992, immediately following UNCED, as a private non-profit organization. Recognising the pressure imposed by the growing tourism industry on the maintenance and integrity of ecosystems and biological diversity, its mission is to support actions that encourage environmental conservation where they operate, aiming at promoting the sustainable development of tourism in Brazil. Roteiros de Charme has reaffirmed its commitment to the environment through the development…

The fundamental objective of The Southern Right Whale Project is to guarantee the survival and population recuperation of the Southern Right Whale, an endangered species, in Brazilian Waters. The season for whale watching in the state of Santa Catarina is from July to November, with peak sightings occurring between mid-August and early October. In addition to getting up close and personal with this spectacular species, a journey through Santa Catarina offers great breaks and a shipwreck for surfers, kite and wind surfers, quaint fishing villages, and a true escape.

Wilderness Scotland, an award-winning adventure travel company in the Highlands and Islands, has been awarded the maximum 5 star Responsible Tourism rating from AITO. Stevie Christie, Director commented, “AITO represents the very best of specialised British Tour Operators and we are extremely proud that our policies and practices have been recognised at the highest level.”

When travelling through Brazil, you see horses everywhere. According to the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE)’s 2007 data, there are nearly 6 million horses in the country, which means Brazil has the fourth largest herd in the world. Many of these horses are of mixed origin and often used in cattle-ranching. But Brazilians also breed and enjoy riding quality horses in disciplines that range from classical dressage to horseback archery.

With 650 species of birds, 120 of mammals, 80 of reptiles, Pantanal is home to the largest concentration of fauna in the Americas, covering parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. In the Wet Season, this area is flooded by waters overflowing from its rivers: this is the time when there is an explosion of color in the rich aquatic flora, with the mammals concentrated on a few mound hills. In the Dry Season, lakes are formed which provide a source of food for an enormous variety of wildlife, including migratory birds from all over the world.

In recent years, increased tourism in the Park, infrastructure development, electricity lines and mobile phone stations has becoming the case of uncontrolled littering around the camps set-up for visitors and at scenic spots, selected for picnics or camping. Over 90% of he garbage disposed of improperly in the park are done so by Mongolian visitors and Mongolian employees of the visitors camps. Up to date, there is practically no non-biodegradable products that are produced in Mongolia: virtually all plastics and other polluting elements are imported.

Despite the Australian tourism industry being in crisis mode, academic and keynote speaker at this year’s Tourism Futures conference Dr Stefan Gossling is calling for an industry wide restructure of current business models. “When the economy emerges from the current recession, Australia tourism should look to relaunch itself with a more environmentally compatible business model,” said Dr Gossling, Professor at Lund University, Sweden. Dr Gossling is one of the world’s most highly regarded academics specialising in the impact of climate change on the tourism industry.

There is plenty of adventure in the great outdoors of Brazil. The adventure tourism industry has grown a lot and, since 2005, Brazil is investing heavily in improving the quality and safety of its adventure tourism product. Here are some ideas of what you can do and where you can do it in Brazil. For those who like their shot of adrenaline in wild and beautiful natural areas, Brazil offers many interesting technical climbs. Hiking and trekking are popular all over Brazil and there are endless possibilities. Brazil has 29 peaks over 2.300 meters, and many of them are located in National Parks.

Wild Asia is looking to hear from accommodation operators from across Asia (big or small, privately run or community driven). The awards, now in its fourth year is one of the only Responsible Tourism awards driven by Asians, and aims to support the creation of sustainable destinations in Asia. All entries are screened by Wild Asia’s team using a self-assessment checklist (aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria) and all finalists are visited by a team of fact-finders.

The present day mammal fauna of Brazil is a mixture of the descendants of ancient inhabitants of Gondwanaland and newcomers that descended from North America with the closing of the Panama land bridge about 3 million years ago. Some animals managed to reach South America after it was isolated, but before the sea became an unsurpassable barrier. These include the new world primates and the caviomorph rodents. But many of South America mammals are descendants from more recent arrivals and probably out competed species now extinct.