Environmental
etiquette for trip participants, individual travellers and nature
photographers
First
rule: Relax and enjoy!!!
Camp and picnic sites - remember another party will be using
the same camp site after you have left. Leave the site cleaner
than you found it.
Don't fuel the fire - always discard matches and cigarettes
with greet care but also keep the use of wood for fuel to
a minimum. When possible, take kerosene or an alternative'
fuel source for cooking and heating purposes.
Remove litter, burn or bury paper and carry out all non-degradable
litter.
Keep local water clean and avoid using pollutants such as
detergents in streams or springs. If no toilet facilities
are available, make sure you are at least 30 metres away
from water sources; and bury or cover waste.
Plants should be left to flourish in their natural environment
- taking cuttings, seeds and roots is illegal in many parts
of the world: also remember the trade in many wildlife products
is strictly illegal.
Help your guides and porters to follow conservation measures.
When taking photographs, respect privacy - ask permission
and use restraint.
Respect Holy and sacred places, Churches- preserve what
you have come to see, never touch or remove religious objects.
Shoes sometimes should be removed when visiting orthodox
monasteries.
Giving to children encourages begging: adonation to a project,
health centre or school is a more constructive way to help.
GreenEye ask you don't give any money for children!
You will be accepted and welcomed if you follow local customs
in remote areas where people still lives on their traditional
way: loose, light weight clothes are preferable to revealing
shorts, skimpy tops and tight fitting action wear.
Visitors who value local traditions, encourage local pride
and maintain local cultures. Please help local people gain
a realistic view of life in Western Countries.
Respect Animals - In National Parks and wilderness areas
the animals are wild. Harassment can cause stress; keep
your distance! In some situations animals can catch human
diseases which can be fatal.
Stay on track - Unsupervised off road driving can cause
irreparable damage to the soil and vegetation, all for the
sake of that once in a lifetime sho.
In many areas, trekking and climbing are popular leisure
activities. By carefully keeping to marked paths and routes,
human impact can be kept to a minimum.
Principles
and Codes for Ecotourism 1./
Make tourism and conservation compatible!
To consider environmental implications in commercial decision
making and involve all staff in our commitment to environmental
concern and care.
To encourage tourism planning that supports conservation
efforts and incorporates conservation plans.
To cooperate with environmental organisations and other
groups
To support monitoring of and research on the effects of
tourism
To support conservation:
•Develop a positive relationship with organizations
and people that play a role in conservation, particularly
in the areas that you will visit with your clients.
• Encourage our clients to become members in conservation
organizations
• Use personal contacts and letters to educate others
and encourage governments and businesses to support projects
such as new nature reserves
• Contribute time and money to conservation organizations
and projects
To plan tourism so that it does not conflict with conservation
efforts. To obtain permission before visiting nature reserves
or other areas where access is restricted. When visiting
these areas, we ensure that our activities comply with
the rules of the park or reserve.
To know the laws and regulations that apply to the import
and export of products made from wildlife, and make sure
that our clients understand and follow these laws. To
encourage our clients to by products made from wildlife
by local people, so long as these products are not violate
the law.
To develop an environmental plan for our daily operations.
To have a written environmental plan that states our company's
commitment to conservation, to using resources sustainably
and to the principles in this Code of Conduct.
To use post trip evaluations to confirm that our tour
was environmentally sound. To use feedback from clients
as a good way to find out if our tour met client environmental
expectations. In our post.trip evaluations we ask whether
in our clients view the tour avoided unnecessary negative
environmental impacts, and whether the tour operator demonstrated
consideration of the natural and cultural environments.
To involve clients in the assesment of our environmental
performance and encourage their suggestions; and undertake
to react positively to any environmental criticism.
