Beginning in January of 2010, Blue Ventures, already in its eighth year of operation, began a project with the Belizean community of Sarteneja, the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD) and other organizations to understand the impact the local coastal communities have on the nearby reef. For six weeks, volunteers with the Belize project are able to conduct research with Blue Ventures and their partner organization, the SACD.

By Karolyn Wrightson

Aboriginal elder Willie Gordon of Guurrbi Tours offers ancient stories oriented toward the human soul. The wisdom of Willie is what distinguishes his Guurrbi Aboriginal tours from others – his remarkable sense of what each visitor brings to the moment. To ensure that he bridges the gap between his culture and ours, he begins with his family’s story, then relates that to the story the visitor has (or lacks).

By Victoria Okoye

Mole National Park, Ghana’s largest protected ecosystem, is surrounded by nearly 30 indigenous rural communities that rely on the land for their livelihood. Addressing these fringe communities’ livelihood concerns is an important part of the work done in the area by one tour company, M&J Travel and Tours, committed to ecotourism in Ghana. It currently works with more than 350 women to support the local Shea-butter production efforts for commercial trade.

By Adriana Braun and Julio Bin

Ecotourism for people in wheelchairs? You may wonder what that looks like, how it’s done. You’d be pleasantly surprised to learn that in many destinations there are efforts in place to improve tourism infrastructure to better serve people with disabilities. Brazil is one such example. Recently the Brazilian company Accessible – Adapted Tourism has developed a new project featuring an online tour guide for travelers with reduced mobility.

On March 11th, shortly after the first earthquake, Japan Ecolodge Association, in collaboration with local experts, mobilized a relief team to collect and deliver basic necessities to the victims of what is now being called the Great Tohoku Kanto Earthquake and Tsunami. The Association has set up Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund and is accepting donations both online and via wire transfer. “Japan’s Eastern Pacific Coast and other regions affected by the earthquake and tsunami are in dire need of your generosity.”

March 8th is International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future! To celebrate IWD, we would like to share the voices of our members and supporters about women and tourism. “I look for opportunities to promote tourism as a way to empower women, provide education, and support better health care – through my engagement in research work, our ecotourism business in Fiji, and working with TIES and the GSTC in areas such as education, training, outreach.” – Dr. Kelly Bricker, TIES Chair

TIES’ global network is made up of members from over 90 countries who are individuals and organizations dedicated to the principles of ecotourism, and are leading the vital efforts to make travel and tourism more sustainable. A number of our business and professional members have recently received much-deserved recognition and awards, highlighting their key achievements and leadership in sustainability practices. We are pleased to share the good news, and would like to share our admiration and gratitude for these ecotourism pioneers and sustainability leaders.

TIES Association member Ecotourism Society Pakistan (ESP) announced The Region project in May 2010 with the aim of building and strengthening relationships among intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, tour operators and other stakeholders from across South Asia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

The average length of stay for a traveller to Cambodia is less than three days – Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh, and move on. What about the rest of this amazing country? What about cycling the back roads through rice paddies, navigating the Mekong by boat before visiting a river dolphin conservation project, discovering beautiful waterfalls, remote temples, and learning about development issues while visiting a range of Cambodia’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs)?

The Resort at Isla Palenque is a private island resort located in Panama’s sparkling Gulf of Chiriqui. The resort has recently been recognized for its creative planning, innovative foresight and original thinking in the areas of sustainable design and development. The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has presented Isla Palenque with the 2010 ASLA Professional Award, recognizing the resort’s development process outlined in its master plan as a model for sustainable and responsible development for others to follow.