Sustainable Mountain Tourism in action: Brief Case Studies From

AFRICA, ASIA/PACIFIC, LATIN AMERICA: EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA:

Case studies Sustainable mountain tourism in action

According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), tourism is sustainable if it meets the needs of the present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing the opportunity for the future. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) sees sustainable tourism as leading to the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled, while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. The following examples from around the world show how tourism in mountains can be implemented successfully in a sustainable way.

AFRICA
Morocco: Kasbah de Toubkal The Kasbah de Toubkal is a mountain retreat situated in the High Atlas at 1800 metres above sea level and 40 miles from Marakech. The Kasbah is the home of eleven villages of the Ait Mizane tribe of the High Atlas and is equipped for day visits, seminars, residential stays or as a base for more active pursuits. The Kasbah has been developed for tourism in a joint Berber and European partnership: and with a shared belief that the beauty of the Toubkal National Park should be accessible to all who respect it. The Kasbah was reconstructed by locals using as many local materials as possible. In 1996, the site became a the setting for the Martin Scorsese film Kundun and the funds earned from the film were used to start up a waste removal system. During the same year, the manufacture of local handicrafts was encouraged for the Kasbah du Toubkal to display for visitors. In 1998, a High Atlas Tourist code was developed and is distributed to all visitors: it requests that they respect the mountains and keep them clean. Read more: Tanzania: Cultural Tourism Programme The Cultural Tourism Programme (CTP) in Tanzania is a network of local groups who operate independently from each other: each group offers its individually developed tour package in different parts of the country. Supported by the Dutch Development Organization (SNV), the Programme aims at helping rural communities to enjoy the benefits of the tourism sector of which they are a key part. Typical packages include hiking and trekking tours, and imparting knowledge about the cultural heritage of the Maasai tribes and their history. Tourists can also learn about "wildlife", flora and its medicinal uses, or simply about East African agriculture. The Cultural Tourism Programme is a successful attempt at offering direct participation to the population in the existing tourism industry. The Programme shows that it is possible to develop a completely new product, parallel to and without having to compete with mainstream tourism, a product whose profits go straight to the local project holders and through them also to the village communities involved. The initiators have succeeded in creating a socially responsible and sustainable tourism product which, through its

attractiveness, is suited to being marketed by the established tourism industry and which could be of interest to other tour operators for Africa. Read more. Uganda: Buhoma Village Walk Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is situated in Southwest Uganda and hosts almost half of the worlds mountain gorilla population and 12 other threatened animal species. To protect the mountain forest's rich biodiversity, the Ugandan government declared Bwindi a national park in 1991. However, this barred the local population from removing forest products and so threatened the communities that depended on the park's forest resources to make a living. Forty percent of the population living around the park lack sufficient land to meet basic needs and 16 percent of the population are landless. They rely on the forest for weaving materials, medicinal plants, hunting, honey collection, fruit gathering and building poles. The inaccessibility of the park to those living around it fuelled conflicts between the communities and the park.A FAO project, launched in 2001, has enabled more than 300 small-scale natural resource-based enterprises to be set up around the park, with community members running them independently and earning income. Activities range from food production to tourist tours. The Buhoma Village Walk, for example, is a guided tour offered mainly to tourists visiting the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla watching. This initiative adds to the variety of tourist activities offered in the area, while also providing members of the local community with an alternative source of income directly linked to conservation. Read more.

ASIA/PACIFIC Afghanistan: Mountain Wilderness Few tourists have ventured to Afghanistans magnificent mountain ranges over the last two decades due to persistent war and conflict. Yet, a new era in Afghan mountaineering may be set to begin. In a special ceremony in Kabul on 4 August 2005, 22 mountain leaders graduated from a pilot programme designed to begin reviving Afghanistans trekking industry. The graduates of the programme -- the first environmentally-friendly mountaineering programme in Afghanistan -- came from various parts of the country (Badakhshan, Bamyan, Nuristan, Kabul and the Panjshir), and included two women and eight former soldiers. Each trainee was taught to assist tourist groups in their mountain climbs or treks, as well as shown how to build capacity with local populations and promote community-based and environmentally-friendly tourism that would help preserve Afghanistans natural environment and cultural values. The programme was sponsored by the Afghan National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) and Mountain Wilderness International (MWI), in cooperation with key partners including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). As a next step, the programme will coordinate the development of a framework for sustainable tourism by local, national and international partners. Read more Australia: Anangu Tours Anangu Tours is an Aborigine-owned tour company based at Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the Northern Territory of Australia. It started operations in October 1995, and is now the most recognized Aboriginal tour company in Australia as well as having a significant national and international profile. All the trips offered by Anangu Tours are led by local Aboriginal people. For this reason, Anangu Tours do not climb Ayers

Rock which is contrary to the Tjukurpa , the "creation law" of the Aboriginal people. Instead, guides lead tours on paths their ancestors walked, interpreting cave paintings and explaining foods and medicines: how to make bread from the naked woollybutt grass seed, where to find bush plums, how to treat sore muscles and colds with a native fuschia, irramunga. Furthermore, the guides teach bush skills, including fire making, spear throwing, and how to make kiti (glue). Read more. China (Tibet): Huanglong Biosphere Reserve The Huanglong Biosphere Reserve is situated in a mountainous area with peaks reaching up to 5,588 meters above sea level. The area has already been noted for its rich biodiversity and part of it has been inscribed as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site. Major wild animals can be found in the reserve including the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and the leopard (Panthera pardus fusca). It is also remarkable from a scenic point of view since the Biosphere Reserve includes a system of 3,400 travertine pools that are linked by travertine shoals, rapids and waterfalls. About 630 permanent residents of various ethnic and religious backgrounds live in the Biosphere Reserve and subside mostly on farming and 1 animal husbandry. However, tourism is of increasing importance in the local economy, especially since the sacred site of Huanglong Gorge attracts large numbers of worshippers every year. The managers of Huanglong Biosphere Reserve are now trying to find a scientific way to protect the natural resources in the area, but at the same time use them in a sustainable way. In order to improve the economic situation of the local population it is therefore crucial to cooperate with the local communities, and use existing traditional knowledge and local products. The Biosphere Reserve has started to take action to implement sustainable tourism through a wide number of measures including sustainable management of non renewable resources, waste management, social and cultural management, wastewater and traffic management. Read more. India (Ladakh): Community based eco-tourism in Hemis National Park Strong connections to existing livelihoods and local culture, as well as the development of a diversity of tourism products, helps to reduce poverty, improve livelihoods and mitigate seasonality. Such is the case of the Himalayan Homestay Programme, initiated in 2001, in Hemis National Park, under a partnership between the Snow Leopard Conservancy, The Mountain Institute, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Hemis National Park is a high-altitude protected area in the eastern part of the cold desert of Ladakh created in 1981 for the conservation and protection of its unique flora and fauna and the endangered snow leopard (uncia uncia). The goal of this eco-tourism programme is to empower local communities to benefit directly from an eco-system that includes snow leopards, through building on existing income-generation activities. Training and support was provided to village women co-operatives in Ladakh to offer foreign tourists traditional Himalayan accommodation (homestays) and to run a small restaurant during the tourist season. Emphasis is placed on environmentally friendly practices, including good waste management, the use of natural gas and kerosene for cooking ( instead of scarce firewood or yak dung) and the sale of pressure-boiled, filtered water to minimize use of plastic mineral water bottles. Solar cookers and solar water heaters were provided as a subsidized loan, contributing to the hygienic, ecologically friendly and sustainable operation of these facilities. They will be repaid at about 50% of cost, which goes into a community improvement fund. Both men and women are also trained to be village-based nature guides, offering visitors short walks or day hikes to look for plants, birds and other wildlife. Local travel agents have now begun to participate in the programme. For visitors, these eco-tourism activities provide an authentic and distinctive experience in the worlds highest mountain range. For villagers, these activities conserve local cultural and natural heritage and values while improving livelihoods; and it all adds up to communities being willing

and able to protect their fragile, high-altitude ecosystem, and the snow leopards who make it their home. Read more. India: International Tourism Eco/Bio Tourism in the Kumoan Hills Kanda, a dispersed settlement of about thirty villages, is situated at 1500 - 1900m above sea level in Uttranchal, a hilly province in northern India. The area is surrounded by beautiful mountains and terraced fields and its pure air and healthy environment are appreciated by visitors from all over the world. Kanda, and its

surrounding villages, face similar challenges to other mountain communities in the Himalayan foothills: including high unemployment, poverty restricted access to quality education, health, and sanitation problems, decreasing agricultural productivity and environmental degradation. All these factors are exacerbated by the ever-rising population. In 1981 the Rural Organization for Social Elevation (ROSE) was founded by local residents, concerned about the plight of the poor in the Kanda area. Since then, ROSE has implemented a wide range of projects to fight poverty, including one that focuses on ecotourism. Since1988 tourists of different nationalities have come to stay at the tourist centre in Sonargaon village. During their stay, which can last from a few days to several months, visitors watch, join and enjoy community life. They are encouraged to use their own personal skills to contribute to the community and take on the role of an eco-bio tourist. The objective of the project is for ecotourists to learn about the area and the culture of the people, while at the same time contributing to the host community: for example, by teaching English, helping with construction or reforestation projects. Read more. Nepal: Annapurna Conservation Area Project The King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation launched the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), the first and largest conservation area in Nepal, in 1986 as an innovative concept in the protected area management system of the country. The conservation area embraces a multiple land use principle of resource management that combines environmental protection with sustainable community development. Traditional subsistence activities are woven into a framework of sound resource management, supplemented by conservation, development and alternative energy programs to minimize the negative impacts of tourism and enhance the living standards of the local people. Read more. Pakistan: Karimabad and Baltit Project Development, The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has restored the prime historic landmark of the 700year old Baltit Fort on the terraced slopes in Hunza, in Northern Pakistan. The main aim of the project is to preserve this setting despite natural decay and the inevitable impact of recent changes, such as urbanization which has begun to threaten the integrity of the built heritage. The Fort is now a museum and cultural centre. Moreover, culturally and environmentally compatible small enterprises are being promoted which provide gift items, local woollen rugs and hand-knotted vegetable dye carpets for visitors. These activities are playing a major part in reinvigorating the traditional community spirit and restoring the residents' pride of their heritage. A selfpaying waste management project has been set up to safely dispose of human waste and garbage. The project now attracts over 20,000 visitors a year, half of which are from outside the country. Access to the Fort is limited to pedestrians and only 25 visitors are allowed at any one time. To reduce the pressure on the environment, the Fort is closed to tourists during the 4-5 months of winter. Read more.

Viet Nam: Village of Lao Chai in Northern Viet Nam Viet Nam only opened its borders to travellers in the late 1980s and, in many areas, village life continues as it has for centuries. The great cultural diversity and history are important attractions for many travellers, but the lack of development also creates incredibly poor and unsanitary conditions in many of the countrys remote regions. In the village of Lao Chai, Lao Cai Province in the mountains of Northern Viet Nam, a family has taken action to develop ecotourism, in collaboration with Handspan Adventure Travel. The family invested money to improve living conditions and sanitation in their home, and Handspan guides now bring trekkers from around the world to stay. Other families in the village have now followed the example and the living standard of the families, as well as of the village as a whole, have increased substantially. Handspan Adventure Travel is currently helping to raise funds to renovate and expand the school in Lao Chai village. Read more.

LATIN AMERICA
Argentina: San Martin de los Andes, Patagonia San Martn de los Andes, a typical mountain village in Patagonia, lies at the entrance of Lann National Park and represents a classic example of sustainable tourism in Latin America. Surrounded by woods and mountain ranges, the village is a suitable location for a wide range of recreational and sporting activities such as skiing, rafting, fishing, hiking and excursions. As tourism is the main socio-economic activity of San Martn de los Andes, the municipality has acknowledge the importance of an environmentally sound environment that needs to be preserved at all costs for future generations. It is now actively promoting good sustainable practices among the private sector and tourists and has developed a code of good practices for hotel owners, as well as an exemplary code of environmentally-sound behaviour for visitors. Read more. Bolivia: Alto Madidi National Park The Alto Madidi region in northwestern Bolivia is located in a belt of high biodiversity, which runs through western South America at a point where the Andes meet the Amazon Basin. The Government of Bolivia recognized the importance of the Madidi area by establishing the Madidi National Park in 1995 and is now looking to ecotourism as a means of generating income for the people living in and around this important ecosystem. The Conservation International Ecotourism Programme has developed a model ecolodge situated in a unique position at Chalalan to demonstrate the pontential of ecoutourism. A small group of entrepreneurs from the QuechuaTacana community of San Jos de Uchiapomonas constructed a few buildings for backpackers in the local thatched-hut style at Lake Chalalan, a site 3 hours by boat down river from the village. This project aims to provide an excellent example of a community owned and managed ecotourism venture. Read more.

Peru: Saving the Sacred Valley of the Incas A new association, Saving the Willkamayu has been launched under the auspices of the HimalAndes initiative, in order to protect and restore the rivers and watersheds of Peru, and in particular the Willkamayu Basin, regarded by many as the Sacred River of the Incas. Like many of Perus rivers, the Willkamayu - one of the greatest tourist attractions in Cusco and the site of many recreational activities and sports - is threatened by consistent contamination and pollution which is putting the health of humans and environments at risk. The Saving the Willkamayu Association aims to promote awareness of these challenges and to highlight the role that individuals and local communities can play in helping to restore the river and its valley. Read more. Northern Peru: a birdwatching destination Northern Peru is a region with one of the worlds highest diversity of bird species (more than 1200 species), which makes it into one of the top destinations for birdwatchers. A scientific research group undertook an exploratory mission to estimate the potential of the area for international tourism aznd developed a report in which they recommend the implementation of a tourist circuit.This report includes strategies on how to attract the attention of birdwatchers - an area of tourism which is recognized as profitable. But most importantly the report emphasizes that the development of the tourist route has to preserve the environment and help to improve the life and livelihoods of local communities through the promotion of birdwatching. Read more Venezuela, Argentina and Bolivia: Programa Andes Tropicales The Programa Andes Tropicales (PAT) is a Venezuelan NGO, founded in 1996, which works for the protection of the natural environment of Venezuela's tropical Andes. The European Union and the CODESPA Foundation supports the programme. The programmes goal is to identify and study the causes of the problems that threaten the region's ecosystems and agricultural infrastructure. Rural ecotourism has been identified as offering support for the region's people, plants and animals. PAT is currently developing a network of sustainable tourism sites in Venezuela, Argentina and Bolivia. It has conceived a type of rural lodging called mucuposadas, in which the tourist lives with the indigenous community and contributes to improving their quality of life and protecting large areas of nature. At the same time, the farmers and farm workers who live in these areas obtain resources without having to destroy adjacent lands or cut down parts of tropical forests in order to expand their croplands. Although the programme began in Venezuela, PAT is currently trying to expand it into Bolivia and Argentina, with the aim of creating a large network of ecological lodging in the region. Read more.

EUROPE
Austria: The Cheese Route of Bregenzerwald The Cheese Route is an example of the successful diversification of goods and services in tourism. The Cheese Street is an affiliation of farmers, landlords, artisans and craft shops in the Bregenzerwald region, who wish to conserve the landscape as

well as the traditional handicrafts and products of the region. The Cheese Street provides visitors with a glimpse of local dairy farming and the role of farmers in cultural landscaping. A wide range of cheese specialties and dairy produce are available for purchase. The project has been co-financed by the European Union. (European Fund for Regional Development). For further information about weekly programmes, ideas for hikes, tips for those travelling with children, links to museums and all about cheese visit http://www.kaesestrasse.at/ (German) or www.bregenzerwald.at (German, English, French, Italian). Alps mobility II: Alpine Pearls The Alpine region is one of the most important recreational areas in Europe and is very sensitive to ecological imbalance. Tourism and mobility entail each other and are economic and regional key factors on the one hand, but on the other have considerable impacts on environment and health. A study has proved that 50-75% of the environmental impact of tourism are caused by transport. Trans-sectoral measures and transalpine co-operation are necessary therefore to reduce the emissions and negative impact of transport linked to tourism. The focus of the project I Alps Mobility II - ALPINE PEARLS, an EU Interreg III project, is the creation of innovative eco-tourism that combines tourist points of interest with the advantages of sustainable mobility with environmentally sound transport means. The eco-tourism package Alpine Pearls not only links tourism and mobility, but particularly links the participating model regions with each other in a transalpine sense. The objective is to develop a travel package through the Alps, using only environmentally sound transport means, such as railway, buses, bicycles, zero-emission-vehicles, and horses or walking. Read more One example of an Alpine Pearl is Werfenweng, a car free holiday resort in Austria. Werfenweng is located on the southern slopes of the Tennen Mountains and follows the concept or a car-free holiday resort. The use of private cars is restricted in the village. In order to ensure full mobility for the visitors, the local people provide horse coaches, private chauffeurs, night taxis and a Werfenweng shuttle service. In summer, a fleet of electric vehicles can be rented. Part of the electricity of the resort is provided by solar power stations. In addition, a farmers shop sells high-quality products from the area that directly benefit local farmers. Read more Via Alpina: a hiking network from Monaco to Italy The Via Alpina consists of 5,000 kilometres of trails, and is the first hiking network to connect the whole Alpine region, from Monaco to Trieste. The Via Alpina initiative was launched in 1999 by Frances La Grande Traverse des Alpes association, a body set up to promote hiking in the French Alps. It is supported by the European Union and the eight member countries of the Permanent Committee of the Alpine Convention (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Switzerland), and has a five-year budget of 4 million. The purpose of the project is to help mountain regions exploit their landscape and cultural resources in a sustainable way, explained Marcel Grandjean, the Swiss project leader. The trails

have been planned to serve less well-known regions, off the main tourist routes. The Grande Traverse des Alpes is in charge of international coordination, but national and local organizations are responsible for practical implementation. It is a good example of how to promote a socially and ecologically compatible form of tourism with a decentralized structure, but which embraces the whole Alpine region, explained Werner Btzing, Professor of geography at Erlangen-Nuremburg University and an expert on Alpine matters. Read more. Switzerland: St. Martin (Canton Valais) The St-Martin Township, located in the Val d'Herens mountain region, began a that would reconsiderpotential tourism activities in light of cultural, natural and agricultural sustainability. The main aim was to halt the out-migration of the local population through the generation of sufficient revenue. The project focuses on a form of soft tourism that emphasizes traditional mountain agriculture and built heritage in place of winter skiing, and is, until now, a great success story. It is also an example of the increasing awareness and emphasis on cultural and built heritage within local communities and within the growing tourism arena.

NORTH AMERICA
Canada: Whistler. Its Our Nature Whistler is a mountainous resort in British Colombia that has adopted a concept of sustainable tourism called Whistler. Its Our Nature. This concept is the result of a community-wide programme initiated by a partnership of local organizations and businesses to promote and support more sustainable practices among businesses, schools and households. It is based on the Natural Step framework which ranges from not using chemical pesticides to downsizing vehicles and installing low-flow toilets in all municipal facilities. Read more. Canada: The Banff Heritage Tourism Strategy Banff National Park in Canada is the world's third-oldest national park and, as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, must meet the highest standards of environmental stewardship. The Banff Heritage Tourism Strategy (HTS) is a community-based tourism initiative that has tremendous potential to help overcome the damage being inflicted by the large numbers of visitors to Banff National Park. The primary aim of the Strategy is to sustain Banff as a tourism destination by preserving and celebrating the beauty and ecological integrity of the park and surrounding areas. Tourism directly or indirectly employs virtually everyone in Banff and has enormous economic benefits for the province of Alberta and for Canada as a whole. In order to protect the precious heritage of the Park and retain its appeal as a tourist destination, the Banff Heritage Tourism Strategy has four linked objectives: i) to ensure visitors are aware they are in a national park; ii) to encourage opportunities, products and services that are consistent with heritage values; iii) to foster environmental stewardship; and iv) to strengthen employee knowledge of heritage values through training and accreditation. Read more.

Examples of unsustainable tourism

Climate change is affecting the world's mountain regions and has a particularly strong impact on the winter sports tourism industries. Inadequate snow cover over several seasons means that a destination's winter sports industry ceases to become viable. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predictions indicate that the effects of climate change will be stronger on land surfaces, in the northern hemisphere and in winter - the very location and timing of winter sports tourism. If the conditions predicted for the Swiss Alps over the period 2030-2050 hold true, the Swiss winter tourism industry is under threat. Only ski areas above 1,600-2,000 metres will offer snow-reliable conditions. Already, in many places below 2000 metres, resorts are keeping in business by using snow canons: these machines require huge amounts of energy and have a negative impact on fragile mountain ecosystems. Morzine-Avoriaz, a commune in the northern French Alps, has already experienced the effects of climate change in two of its resorts. Morzine, a lower-level resort (1,000 metres), catering to a family clientele, is facing snow cover problems, while the newer, high-altitude resort of Avoriaz (1,800 metres), attracting a sports-minded market, suffers from severe overcrowding at peak times. Avoriaz, like many other winter resorts in France and Italy, did not develop out of a traditional mountain community but was built uniquely for tourism. Its distinctive skyscrapers in the snow do not fit into the visual and cultural landscape of the Alps. Read more. Mount Kailash is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for nearly a billion Hindu and Buddhist people from Tibet, India and Nepal. Pilgrims travel for weeks across the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau to circumambulate the peak. In recent years, more and more western tourists have become attracted to the sacred site. This development is threatening the Mount Kailash area, given that there is a lack of a infrastructure necessary for this influx of visitors, such as rubbish pits and public toilets. The site is in danger of severe environmental damage. Mount Everest, the world's highest summit, has become littered with empty tins, batteries, ropes and used oxygen cylinders. Indeed, over 16 metric tonnes of plastic, broken ladders and even medicine bottles are thought to have been dumped since 1952, when the first attempt was made to reach the peak. Huge piles of rubbish are also buried under Everest's glaciers. The glaciers become rivers flowing through the Himalayan kingdom and on into India and Bangladesh which can lead to contamination of the whole region's river water. Garbage left behind by climbers is an ongoing problem which environmentalists say threatens the conservation of the whole Himalayan region. Climbers are therefore urged to behave more responsibly. During the last decade various expeditions have begun to clean up the world's highest mountain. In 1991, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal, with the participation of the local people of the area, launched the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Project to curb pollution and manage garbage collection. The project committee carries out the following activities in the region: garbage management, the clean-up of Sagarmatha (Everest) Base Camp, conservation education, reforestation, sanitation, tourist facilities (trail, bridge,

radio, and telephone installation), community services (maintenance of infrastructure, community water supply, hydroelectricity schemes, and cultural conservation. Read more. Mount Fuji is a sacred and important volcanic mountain in Japan. It is the countrys most popular tourist spot and the worlds most visited mountain. During the 2003 climbing season which officially lasts from July 1 to August 31, about 156,000 people made the ascentsome 5,000 per daybut in previous years the number has been 200,000 or more. This popularity has caused a pollution problem so severe that it has prevented Mount Fuji from receiving designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the 1960s, Japan built a highway halfway up the mountain, unleashing a tourism boom that over the course of decades has fouled the peak and its environs with trash and sewage. Japanese citizens and organizations responded by launching a clean-up campaign, and their efforts have been successful. Nearly 900 pounds of garbage were carried off the summit in 2003, and another four tons were collected from visitor rest areas along the trails. However, Mount Fuji still has not been deemed eligible for World Heritage site listing and environmental problems persist. Read more Machu Picchu in Peru, the Inca citadel inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, is under threat. Perus most visited tourist attraction and major revenue generator is continually endangered by economic and commercial forces. A great cause for concern is the sites increasing number of tourists, which has grown from 200,000 to more than 500,000 annually over the past decade. In addition to threatening the preservation of Machu Picchu, tourism has also served to disconnect the regions indigenous people from their spiritual and cultural heritage. The costs associated with visiting the site, which are geared toward foreign tourists income levels, make it practically inaccessible to the Incas descendants. Furthermore, indigenous groups play no role in determining management policies. Also of concern to indigenous groups is the desecration of burial sites and the removal and display of human remains from Machu Picchu and other Andean locations. In 2000, the Peruvian government introduced regulations to reduce the impact of tourism on the Inca Trail and at Machu Picchu. The law limits the number of people on the trail each day to 500 (previously during the high season, as many as 1,000 hiked the trail each day) and stipulates that all tourists trek with registered companies, which helps ensure that hikers adhere to trail conservation rules. Read more. In Mauritius, a project is underway to build a highway through Ferney Valley to service the island's lucrative tourism industry. The valley has one of the last remaining indigenous forests on the Indian Ocean island, and is home of some of the world's rarest plants and animals. The aim of the 25-km (16-mile) South Eastern Highway is provide a shorter route from the airport to east coast resorts for the thousands of visitors who flock to Mauritian beaches every year. Tourism is a key economic pillar for the tiny island. As sugar and textile exports are threatened due to liberalised trade laws, the island is trying to fully exploit its tourism sector which generated 23,448 million rupees last year (1 US$ = 30 rupees in Oct. 2005) -- a 20.8 percent rise compared with the previous year. Supporters of the project state that the new highway will provide a better alternative route and will support productive sectors

of the economy and promote tourism; while opponents of the $19 million project, funded by the African Development Bank, argue that the government could upgrade the existing coastal route or investigate alternative routes. This would save Ferney Valleys rich biodiversity and benefit poor local communities who could set up cafes, shops and restaurants along the

routes. Read more. How eco-friendly are ecotourism holidays? For the last 20 years ecotourism has been celebrated as one of the most promising tools for the conservation of natural habitats. When planned and implemented properly, ecotourism can be both an effective conservation tool and a successful community development model. However these high expectations have not always been fully realized and critics claim that many ecotourism ventures take advantage of the label ecotourism-marketing tourism as environmentally friendly, but in fact destroying the very ecosystems they claim to protect. Poorly planned projects labelled as eco or sustainable often dont benefit local populations but cause social tension and environmental degradation, while leaving the tourist dissatisfied and cheated. Therefore the market has to be well monitored in order to detect stowaways on the eco band wagon. Visit the Web site of the International Ecotourism Society (TIES) to learn more about ecostourism, its ethics and codes of practice.