Genuine ecotourism
in West Papua
As our core activity, we approach the practical organization
of ecotourism or environmentally and socially responsible travel, as a
100 % locally-owned micro-company, trading as independent travel agent
with regional focus on the western half of New Guinea Island. Variously
known as Papua, West Papua, or Irian Jaya, Indonesian New Guinea is one
of the last great tropical wilderness areas left on Earth. We view genuine
ecotourism development here as an efficient vehicle to act and expand
upon existing conservation priorities, as well as an independent yet complementary
means of strengthening and fine-tuning both conservation as community
development efforts and policies.
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Ecotourism and
indigenous peoples
We firmly believe that carefully planned and implemented
ecotourism may contribute significantly to both the conservation of natural
habitats and the well-being of indigenous peoples. We recognize as our
duty to ensure that indigenous communities do benefit, to the maximum
extent possible, from deployment of our ecotourism activities if these
are to stand any chance of genuinely rivaling the ever increasing claims
to deleterious resource extraction throughout West Papua. After all, people
who earn a living directly through responsible travel, are more amenable
to actively help protecting the environment on which their livelihoods
depend.
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Ecotourism and
biodiversity conservation
That ecotourism is inextricably linked to biodiversity
conservation, follows straightforwardly out of the sheer enjoyment that
discerning ecotourists draw from visiting untouched natural environments.
We strongly believe that the key to the long-term spiritual and economical
well-being of indigenous peoples lies precisely in the active preservation
of their ancestral lands that set the stage for our ecotourism activities.
By linking up the financial benefits of ecotourism with the continuous
presence and protection of local wildlife through wise land tenure, we
instigate and nurture pride in customary landownership and bring a strong
conservation message.
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