ECO PLEDGE
Holiday Moods Adventures is firmly committed to preserving our fragile environment. All tours follow a strict eco-code that involves everyone, starting from the office to our clients, the adventure staff on the field, and the local community.
To that effect, we are proud to present the following article compiled by us, for you to read and share. The paper contains excerpts from the best eco-tourism practices around the world.
WE PLEDGE TO …
be a partner in conducting responsible and sustainable tourism with minimal impact on the physical, cultural and social environment of the area.
Moving towards the task outlined in the above pledge we have to conserve and protect our environment on all fronts. In the following article, we have endeavored to extensively outline industry-specific guidelines. These measures have to be adopted sooner or later by the tourism industry in a positive and proactive collaboration with the Indian Government.
Why conserve?
We all want to survive. To do that we all depend on the earth’s resources for our basic needs. If resources are no longer available, then we are not only threatening our own existence but also that of future generations and the wildlife with which we share this planet. Unfortunately, humans have not been looking after the earth’s resources carefully enough; instead, we have been using them without consideration for the environment or future needs.
We are in danger of destroying the natural systems that are providing those significant resources. The time has come when we have got to look at changes in lifestyle because, not only are we gambling with our own survival, but also with that of all the other species on earth.
How can we conserve?
This can only be achieved by living sustainably. Sustainability is a key word from the 1990s and for many people this has meant a significant change in both attitude and actions. Everyone must understand the effects that their activities are having on other individuals, other communities, other nations, future generations and other species. The internationally recognized text, ‘Caring for the Earth’ states that “sustainability is an ethic based on care for each other and the Earth.”
Development should not be at the expense of other communities or later generations, nor threaten the survival of other species. The benefits and costs of resource use and environmental conservation should be shared among people who are poor and those who are rich, and between our generation and those who will come after us.
TREAD SOFTLY
The Indian Outdoors is a fragile environment. They are also becoming increasingly popular with people who are learning to appreciate the natural values and the recreation opportunities available. The increasing number of visitors is having an effect on the area’s natural and cultural heritage.
Mushrooming construction, expanding campsites, bacteria in creeks and rivers, erosion, deterioration of walking tracks(some are even being turned into motorable roads), and the destruction of local architecture, giving way to ugly, modern structures, have all become more common in recent years.
Fortunately, some visitors and companies have adopted the ethic of minimal-impact recreation. We can minimize the damage to the natural environment by learning to tread softly and this reduces the need to place restrictions on visitors. Without it we run the very real danger of “loving our natural areas to death”.
By learning to tread softly, we can minimize the damage to the natural environment. Reduce the need for track and campsite closures, or even worse have them turn into built-up resorts and tarred roads.
We have compiled a series of codes covering a range of adventure and recreation activities. The codes contain common-sense information to protect the natural and cultural environment and encourage safety.
