Boasting a species list of over 1,800, including over 120 endemic species, Peru either is or should be on anybody’s destination list who is even vaguely interested in birds. From coastal deserts to high Andes mountains, to the cloud forest, to the extensive lowland Amazon that covers 60% of the country, the range of habitats is immense. Each ecozone in Peru is home to unique birds, and nowhere are the numbers of birds greater than in the lowland Amazon rainforests.

Deep in the Sacred Valley and off the Inca Trail, many indigenous rural communities are literally fighting for their survival, unaware that they themselves are part of the reason for their own demise. The majority of the rural people living in the Sacred Valley cook their meals inside their homes over an open fire, and without proper ventilation. This practice is causing rapid clearing of endangered forests and the inhalation of large amounts of injurious smoke. It is estimated that more people die from this type of indoor air pollution worldwide than from malaria every year!

The Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) celebrated the International Day of Climate Action on Oct 24th, 2009 in the Kalash Valley region (Rumbor, Chitral District, Pakistan) promoting actions with the motto “think globally, act locally.” The theme of the day was “The Impacts of Global Warming on the Kalash Communities,” and the CAMAT’s October 24th events gathered together local environmental groups, students, community leaders and women’s groups.

Amidst the mountainous surrounding, stunning architecture and rich culture of Cusco, you will see bitter reality of young children either working or begging in the streets. 35% of children working in the streets of Cusco are unable to cope with the stress of both working and going to school. This often results in their giving up their studies in order to provide for their families. Other children leave home because they have been abused, neglected or abandoned.

Planeterra aims to provide passengers, when visiting Ccaccaccollo, a chance to see first hand how people during Inca times and today make clothing using only natural materials found in their community. Yet with globalization and the increase in tourism over the years, competition for woven products has increased in Cusco. It is impossible for the women of Ccaccaccollo to offer their products at the same price as those that are machine manufactured. Planeterra works to maintain a delicate balance of community economic development.

Afghanistan, before becoming known mostly for guns and bombs, was a popular tourist destination, not only to the world’s “hippie” generation, but also as an attraction for those living in the region. Band-e Amir, which you may have heard of most recently in the news as it has become Afghanistan’s first National Park in April 2009, was actually meant to become a National Park in the 1960s, but political instability has put any development of the destination on hold until now.

Located on the banks of the majestic Amazon river in Yanamono’s Communal Reserve (80km/50 miles away from Iquitos City), Amazon River Expeditions’ Heliconia Amazon River Lodge is surrounded by an amazing collection of brilliant flowers such as heliconias, bromelias, and orchids. The nearby streams and lagoons full of wildlife make the lodge a wonderful place to relax, as well as enjoy exciting nature adventures. Heliconia Lodge, in association with the Rotary Club of Iquitos, has successfully coordinated the establishment of a new secondary school.

The Manu National Park is one of the most pristine natural areas in the world with extraordinary biodiversity. The park’s over 1,700,000 hectors, between 492 and 13,779 ft in altitude, of amazing natural environments range from Andean grasslands to cloud forests to foothill and lowland forests. The park is home to an unrivalled variety of animal and plant species, with over 1,000 species of birds and 200 species of mammals, including endangered species such as the harpy eagle, jaguar, and giant river otters.

By Ethan Gelber, whl.travel – Nynette Sass shows all of the bold spirit, but none of the impudence, suggested by her surname. From her first talofa lava (greetings to you) of the day, her gusto is contagious, especially when she talks about her native Samoa. This is unabashedly a good thing for the CEO of the Samoa Hotels Association (SHA), a board member of the Samoan Umbrella of Non-Government Organizations and chairman of the Private Sector Support Facility.

By Nina Fogelman – Discovering opportunities to help develop “Rural Living Tourism” in Peru has become a real passion for me. My visit in September 2007 led me to a community in the Lake Titicaca area that truly captured my heart. I feel blessed to be able to offer opportunities to a segment of Peru’s tourists who wish to participate in unique and rewarding activities, and return to Peru, to my heart of hearts. The local residents of a village called Atuncolla (pronounced atoon coya) are the descendants of the Qolla Kingdom in the Andean highland region.