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Carol Patterson

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Carol Patterson

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Why care about ethical travel when you plan a getaway?

January 19, 2017 by CarolPatterson 5 Comments

Why care about ethical travel when you plan a getaway?

I take a holiday for fun. I want to relax. I want to see wildlife, perhaps birds or marine mammals that I haven’t seen before.

I don’t want to see garbage or deal with cramped airplane seats and I confess, I don’t think about ethics when I’m planning my next big trip. Do you?

Maybe it is time to consider ethics in planning a trip. Each year Berkeley-based non-profit Ethical Traveler looks at policies and practices of the world’s developing countries using public data to evaluate environmental protection, social welfare and human rights.

Maybe it is time to consider ethics in planning a tripClick to Tweet

Sounds like a dull process but I was surprised to see a country that has long been a fave of nature travelers – Costa Rica – didn’t make the Top 10 list last year. It lost marks on animal welfare because no progress was being made on reducing turtle egg poaching and there was inconsistent support of endangered shark protections.

Ecuador – touted as an affordable place for ex-pats – doesn’t qualify as a top ethical destination because of environmental and human rights issues. Probably not something people are thinking about when planning a trip to the Galapagos but it is nice to know the information is there if you want it.

Wondering how your travel plans match up against the ethical travel criteria?Click to Tweet

Wondering how your travel plans match up against ethical travel criteria? Here are the 2017 Ethical Destination Awards Winners (in alphabetical order):

  • Belize
  • Cabo Verde
  • Chile
  • Costa Rica
  • Dominica
  • Mongolia
  • Palua
  • Tonga
  • Uruguay
  • Vanuatu

How many have you visited? Are there any you want to see now that you know they are making progress in three important areas?

“Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you act” Leonard Cohen

To read more click here

 

 

Filed Under: Reflections, Travel tips Tagged With: ethical travel, ethics

Where’s the Bear App: Help or Hindrance?

April 30, 2012 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

As I wrote in one of my recent travel stories, people are keen to see bears. Now there's an app for that. Where's the Bear app tells you where bears have been spotted in Yellowstone.

Bears are popular sightings with tourists
It makes it easier for wildlife watchers to see bears but it can also lead to bear jams and cause habituation of bears to people. This can ultimately lead to bear deaths. I also wonder if such an app could help poachers find wildlife. Currently it is used in a protected area but Parks are facing budget challengs which means there isn't a ranger behind every tree. And what is to stop technology being used in this way outside of protected areas?

Sometimes technology has effects we hadn't counted on. What's your feelings on Where's the Bear app? You can post here or join a discussion on Flickr

http://bit.ly/JWuqLz

Filed Under: Reflections Tagged With: bears, ethics, technology

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