By Laurel Angrist

Here in New York, we are currently in the midst of an ongoing battle that pits the gas industry against conservationists over whether or not to allow hydraulic fracturing, also called “fracking,” a controversial technique that uses numerous chemical additives for extracting the gas that lies buried under deep shale formations.

By Laurel Angrist

Well-planned ecotourism is one key to rainforests’ continued survival. It places value on preservation of nature as a commercial resource. Reputable tour outfits offer employment opportunities for locals as leaders and wildlife guides, enabling them to earn their money through sustainable and environmentally responsible forms of income. Travellers’ passion for traditional culture encourages locals to continue ancient forest-friendly practices.

By Anja Lorscher

The way Bloom Microventures, in Soc Son, Vietnam, combines tourism with microfinance is extremely innovative. Compared to numerous microfinance institutions, Bloom’s unique model of cross-subsidising microfinance operations with income generated through tourism enables the organisation to have a far greater social impact.

By Cindy Fan

In Laos, former logging elephants have found new employment and a healthy, peaceful life at camps such as The Elephant Village, 15 kilometres outside of Luang Prabang. At its stunning location overlooking the Nam Khan River, visitors can get up close and personal with Asian elephants, the planet’s second-largest land animal, whose mass is surpassed only by the African elephant. Travellers learn that despite an elephant’s hefty size, it is a remarkably gentle, sensitive and agile creature.

While most summer holidaymakers descend in mass on Europe’s top beaches, some look for something a little less crowded. They might consider a Budva beach retreat in Montenegro, a new ‘it’ spot with a classic summer vibe, music festivals, impromptu theatre, beach parties and much more. Even better, Budva is one of those rare gems that offer true cultural immersion away from the tourist trail, but with the services of a major destination.

While Thailand or New Zealand frequently make headlines by virtue of their natural wonders, one small corner of the Balkans has slipped below the radar for years. Set against the deep blue waters of the Adriatic Sea, Podgorica, Montenegro, is home to some of the most stunning gorges, peaks, rivers and valleys in Europe, if not the world. Even better, thanks to its relative distance from the tourist track, its centuries-old culture and traditions have remained largely intact.

Maliau Basin is one of the world’s finest remaining wilderness areas. It encompasses over 390 square kilometres of pristine rainforest in the south-central part of Sabah, Borneo, in Malaysia. The rainforest is so dense that less than 50 percent of it has ever been explored. Today, the Maliau is awaiting UNESCO World Heritage Site status, which would help with conservation efforts.

Deep in the South Pacific, in the Solomon Islands, is an atoll called Rennell Island. Like so many other natural World Heritage Sites that have gained UNESCO recognition for their unique biogeography, Rennell faces a dilemma: It wants to realise its high potential for ecotourism, but this can only happen if the infrastructure remains basic and little or no development is imposed on the area’s natural and cultural attractions.

In rural areas of Ghana, the Student and Youth Travel Organization (SYTO) works to arrange volunteering trips, internships, homestays and cultural exchanges for foreign visitors. To reach and get around the most remote and underserved villages of rural Ghana, these visitors need transportation on which they can rely; however, they often find that there is nothing suitable in their village destinations.

Mynatour ecotourism community, sponsored by WHL.travel, is launching the Ecotourism Travel Blog Contest, an innovative competition inviting travelers to share their travel blog in order to promote green travel and ecotourism best practices. The idea of the contest is to promote ecotourism and responsible tourism through a travel blog competition where the audience is involved in electing the best ecotourism story.