Ecoventura has announced a 2012 scholarship program for local students from the islands of Isabela, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz to study conservation and ecology-related issues. The company has pledged up to $4,800 to cover the cost of 12 scholarships for one course/module for 2012. Guests aboard Ecoventura’s fleet will be invited to donate to the scholarship fund that is dedicated to training young people to become leaders in society and contribute to the sustainable development of the Galapagos islands, a World Heritage Site.

By Adriana Braun

What a great experience it was, returning to Fernando de Noronha and finding that previous obstacles for us wheelchair users no longer existed! When I first visited here ten years ago, I almost went crazy looking for a hotel that would accommodate me. It was beyond difficult just trying to put luggage in a buggy, dealing with a rude taxi driver who did not hide his prejudice for the disabled people, and trying to get through a bathroom door only 0.6m-wide with my wheelchair, let alone participating in any of the activities that the islands offers.

Islands are the most vulnerable and fragile of tourism destinations and will experience even more pressure as the combined impacts of economic, social and environmental change accelerate in the future. In order to understand the process of island tourism development, response to change and challenges and their journey to sustainability, the 2011 CABI book “Island Tourism – Sustainable Perspectives” provides insights and instruction on topics including social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects of island tourism.

Hilton Head Island, a coastal barrier Island located off the southeast Atlantic Coast, nestled geographically between Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, was the first eco-planned resort communiy in the nation. Initially founded by Charles E. Fraser with The Sea Pines Resort, the concept of preserving the environment while providing a wonderful recreational and residential community was a novel concept in 1956, but has become the foundation for the entire Island’s development pattern today.

The travel and tourism sector is the key economic sector for small island states with tourism accounting for a significant share of their foreign exchange earnings. Warming seas threaten the livelihood of small island developing economies worldwide, in part because of their dependence on healthy coral reefs. A lack of basic sanitation and the continued rise in sea levels due to climate changes are significant environmental stress factors impacting fragile coral reef systems throughout the world.

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.

Chumbe Island, a half-mile-long coral rag island just eight miles south of Zanzibar’s infamous Stone Town, has become a celebrated ecotourism success story in the Zanzibar archipelago. Its history is a narrative best told directly by Sibylle Riedmiller, a German conservationist who came to Chumbe looking for a coral reef to protect in the late 80s. After years of complex negotiations among several actors, Sibylle’s determination persevered and in 1994 Chumbe Island Coral Park became Tanzania’s first marine protected area

By Carmelina Ricciardello, Sicilian Experience – On the geographical map of Italy, at the bottom of the peninsula, lies the island of Sicily which looks like a football being kicked away by the boot of the Italian peninsula. This might be the heartfelt wish of some Italians, mainly because of the island’s historic link with the mafia. I live in a quiet little village of Sant’Ambrogio, just 5 kms from a bustling tourist town. Founder of Sicilian Experience, I’m a firm believer that Sicily can become known as a haven for ecotourism and sustainable tourism opportunities, rather than for its “Il Padrino” (The Godfather) reputation.

Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP), as its name suggests, study whale sharks in the Republic of Maldives. However, that aspect of their work is merely the tip of the ice berg. The programme was created in 2006, when four British university graduates set off to the 1192-island archipelago on a pilot study in search of the whale shark, after learning from the dive industry (already well established in the Maldives) that there were a substantial number of whale sharks throughout the country but not one person was studying them.

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.