Tucked away in the northeastern most part of India, with snow-capped Himalayas in the north and the plains of Brahamaputra river valley in the south is the diversity rich state of Aruanachal Pradesh. But for its geographic location and other political factors, the state would have been an ideal eco-tourism destination and an ultimate getaway for the rest of India and the world.

Presently, it’s a region hidden away from repeated human intervention, aptly tagged: Paradise Unexplored! Such is the lack of information about the biodiversity of Arunachal Pradesh that the Arunachal Macaque (Macaca munzala) - a species of monkey already known to the native people of Arunachal as Munzala or the “monkey of the deep forest”, remained unknown to scientists and biologists till it was “discovered” in 2004. The so called “discovery” was waiting to happen and it was after more than a hundred years that a new species of macaque was discovered (the last recent discovery being the Indonesian Pagai Island Macaque in 1903).

Now, for the past few years, the Prime Minister of India has had a vision. A vision to make India energy secure. And this is to be achieved beyond just the Indo-US nuclear deal, by tapping the over 50,000 MW hydroelectric potential from the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

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We’ve hand-picked inspiring holidays from over 270 tour operators (and 100s of places to stay) to save you time. All the companies are specialists in their chosen fields, the best at what they do, and run by passionate people who care about your holiday and about the environment and local people.

Responsible Travel has also partnered with Climate Care to help offset the trips taken. CarbonFund, Terra Pass, and Fly Neutral are all worth considering seeing that the average flight pollutes roughly seventeen hundred pounds of CO2 per person into the stratosphere. This scientific fact is frightening, and with this new knowledge comes responsibility.

So if you are living for an escape to the #1 eco-retreat located within the Fiji Islands (and created by Jean-Michel Cousteau), but worried about dumping over four thousand pounds of CO2 per passenger to get to Figi, please consider some of the awesome offsetting options we’ve listed above.

Image by Jose Manuel licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License.

My journeys along Highway 1, in search for leading ecopreneurial enterprises, brought me to this healing place and, as I discovered, a thriving residential community that draws energy and sustenance from their surrounding biological richness. It’s this residential community of researchers, staff, and educators, along with the enrichment programs and remarkable natural setting, that have drawn over 300,000 visitors from around the world seeking a greater connection to community and the land.

In their Solarium, a building attached to the main lodge where all the meals are taken in the community, I talked with Juliet Johnson, a former water engineer turned sustainability guide for the Esalen Institute as its Sustainability Coordinator.

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While tourism is big business, much of the industry can be just as destructive as the other extractive industries (mining, lumber, agriculture), sometimes operating in the same places around the world, places like the spectacular Alaskan Wilderness or rainforests of Indonesia. Oceans containing fish or oil hidden deep below the surface in certain parts of the world, provide the setting for the popular love affair by many people, of living on floating cities called cruise ships, turning port stops into Mall of America-type shopping sprees.

Not all tourism, however, thrives on the consumptive value of mass tourism that burns through resources or exploits people for the benefit of pleasure seekers. A small, but rapidly growing segment of the tourism industry, “ecotourism” has emerged which now accounts for as much as 4 to 7 percent of the industry, depending on definitional terms. While the academics debate these definitions ad nauseum, the industry and number of ecotravelers are growing at double digit rates according to The International Ecotourism Society.

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GO and ENN news articles have reported on Ecuador’s high-minded decision to leave its largest oil reserve untapped. The unexploited oil fields lie in Yasuni National Park, home to at least two indigenous tribes. Drilling them would add a pretty penny to the country’s purse. However, under the YasunÌ-ITT Initiative, President Rafael Correa has vowed to leave the oil in the ground. The initiative also sets the lofty goals of developing greater renewable energy, building greater mass transit, and stimulating eco-tourism.

How can the average person reading this article encourage Ecuador to do the right thing by the Earth and its indigenous people? Is it enough to say "good job, well done?" With the rest of the world fumbling to look busy over addressing climate change, it is our opportunity and perhaps our obligation to stand up and support Ecuador for its brave move.

Ecuador hopes to receive some compensation from other governments for the unexploited oil due to the benign effect on the global climate of leaving it in the ground. But for the average person in a country that exports 420,600 barrels of oil a day, President Correa’s decision may seem like a risky one. Ecuador’s official unemployment is 10.6% and an estimated 47% are underemployed, estimates the CIA World Factbook.

41 year-old Maritza Salazar owns a stationary store in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city. She is one of a long list of Ecuadoran entrepreneurs requesting a loan through the micro-financing organization, Kiva.org. For vendors like Mrs. Salazar, national oil revenues may be less important if she’s able to fund the growth of her non-oil-dependent business. By funding businesses like Mrs. Salazar’s, the average person from anywhere in the world can make substantive progress in alleviating Ecuador’s dependence on oil and encouraging its transition into one of the world’s leading environmentally friendly nations.

Another green option that may appeal to the lover of travel is to visit Ecuador and make use of its rich eco-tourism opportunities. Tourism is the Ecuador’s fourth most valuable source of revenue. Eco-tourism is a great way to get the memorable experiences that tourists often look for when traveling to Ecuador, including visiting indigenous tribes, experiencing local customs and tasting regional foods, horseback riding, animal-watching, and setting out on guided hikes through the unbelievably beautiful scenery of virgin rainforest. Take this opportune moment to visit the land that eco-tourism company, Global Exchange, calls "a bastion of cultural and biological diversity… home to one of the most successful and peaceful indigenous movements in the Americas." See the list of resources below for some ways to take advantage of Ecuador’s eco-tourism industry.

The decision not to drill in Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park will benefit the entire world, by protecting an ecological heritage and indigenous lands as well as effectively preventing 436 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. Ecuador must know that its decision was a good one, and here’s where you and I have the opportunity to step in. As usual, if you have other ideas about how to encourage Ecuador’s exciting, ecologically minded move, please leave them here below in the comment and discussion area.

Resources:

Kiva.org

Ecuador | Iloveecotourism.com

Adventure Ecotourism in Ecuador | Piedra Blanca

Ecuador | Global Exchange

Department of Tourism | Ecuador National Website

Ecuador Adventures | OARS

Ecotourism and Ecuador | Ecuador Tierra Viva Travel Company

Rio Muchacho Organic Farm | Guacamayo Tours

Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands | Lonely Planet

References:

Ecuador to Leave Oil – And Revenue – In the Ground | GO

Gutsy Ecuador proposes to put a lid on oil | Environmental News Network (ENN)

Introduction to Ecuador’s Economy | Ecuador Ministry of Tourism

Ecuador | The United States Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook