Conservation Biology in the Boreal
HOW DOES NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR COMPARE??
Activities Elsewhere
British Columbia
When people begin their ecotourism travel plans they think first of the different activities they can do (after the destination of course) during their trip. Each different travel destination plays to its individual strengths for the specific activities they provide. Such as in British Columbia, Canada where they focus many of their efforts on their rich old growth forests, providing guided tours and hikes throughout their many acres of land. They also offer nature walks with biologists, wildlife viewing tours and bird watching tours (Coastal Revelations, 2005).
Whale watching is also very popular on the west coast as it is on the east. Places such as Victoria Island provide great whale tours such as Eagle Wing Tours that promote being “carbon neutral”. They have rehabilitation programs for local salmon streams and enhance their populations; they have orca adoptions that support ongoing research and no carbon footprint! They are the first in Canada to do so. The boats themselves have a “low-impact” design as they have a low “acoustic footprint” (Eagle Wing Tours, 2009)
Manitoba
Closer to home in Manitoba they pride in their beautiful parks such as their national parks Riding Mountain National Park and Wapusk National Park of Canada as well as their many Provincial Parks. A System Plan for Manitoba’s Provincial Parks was created under the authority of the Provincial Parks Act. The system plan establishes the boundaries, classifications and land use categories of every provincial park and park reserve in Manitoba. It also identifies provincial park and park reserve lands that contribute to Manitoba's network of protected areas. The system plan is updated when new provincial parks or park reserves are established and when there are regulatory amendments to boundaries, classifications and land use categories. Approximately 6 million hectares (9.8% of the province as of 2010) are designated as protected. Environment Canada maintains 2 protected areas in Manitoba, both National Wildlife Areas (NWAs), comprising 60 hectares of the province's protected lands and waters. Currently, there are no Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (MBSs) in the province (Environment Canada, 2012).
Arizona
In Arizona they focus more on their beautiful desert landscapes and parks such as Red rock state park which is a nature reserve that provides a place not only for great out-door activities but also wildlife viewing and environmental education. Arizona also supports events such as the Sedona International Film Festival that have “gone green” in which they provide compost and recycling services as well as using clean energy and local resources to support the event. This state has rich heritage spots such as Honanki and Palatki as well as the Tuzigoot National Monument which all provide easy ways to learn more about the people who live in Arizona presently and those that lived there centuries before (Neville, 2006)
Colorado
Colorado has many parks of which it has 42 state and 13 national. Therefore camping is very popular; there are 4000 campsites across the state.
Colorado also offers ways for tourists to help the conservation efforts themselves such as joining groups like the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative or the Colorado Trail Foundation both of which work towards preserving trails throughout the mountain ranges (Gordon’s Travel Guide, 2013).
Greece
Greece is very well known for its abundance of history and culture, which is its prime attraction. Places such as the temples of the Greek Gods and Mount Olympus itself have tourists flocking to them. The Greek islands have a multitude of activities available for any ecotourists including everything from the manufacture of olive oil and wine to scuba diving and hiking.
Mystic Blue Eco Sailing located in Greece, provides a great way to go whale and bird spotting. They also provide access to eco-seminars and participation in biology research for any ecotourist turned volunteers.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is the original eco-tourism success story and the home of activities like zip-line tours through the rainforest canopy, and a world leader with 25 per cent of its land protected from development (Long, 2011). Many sustainable lodging options exist as well. Costa Rica has 2.3 million acres of protected park spaces and reserves and has long derived more than 90 percent of its electricity from renewable sources (Long, 2011). Professor Dr. Carlos Barahona of INCAE says “To seek carbon neutrality is a natural next step. Costa Rica lacks many things to arrive at neutrality, but it has many of the ingredients” (Long, 2011).
How does Newfoundland & Labrador Compare??
Newfoundland has trails and excursions which rival those in other locations. The beauty of our province is amongst some of the most astonishing in the world. Furthermore, hiking the east coast trail or visiting Cape Spear and Cabot Tower allow people to further connect with our Island’s Heritage. However, as outlined above, other places in North America Europe and the Caribbean provide examples of how we can do better when it comes to sustainable travel. More and more tourists are becoming interested in “green” travel and having things such as boats with quiet motors may in fact enhance tourism within our province. Furthermore, as seen in the table on the introductory page, Newfoundland is not doing well when it comes to protected areas. Manitoba is also not doing well in this regard, while Costa Rica could give us pointers on this problem.
For your knowledge:
Becoming Carbon Neutral is a strategy in which a person or company may become responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions. It works by purchasing carbon offsets which are credits for reducing emissions through such projects such as wind farms, solar installations or tree planting (David Suzuki Foundation, 2013). One can implement such strategies as seen above by Costa Rica in an effort to reduce climate change.