Adventure Birding 'n Outdoors in New Guinea's Wild West
The joy of al fresco lunching inside Waigeo Island's beating heart of biodiversity with Papua Expeditions. Copyright © Like Wijaya
Released November 21, 2010
Papua Expeditions (EKONEXION) has been Highly Commended in the 5th Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards, the only award of its kind in the Asian realm. Established by Wild Asia in 2006, this annual award aims to recognize accommodation operators and tour operators who are making a difference. Wild Asia believes that in rewarding the bright sparks, more operators from the region will be encouraged to step forward and to share and inspire change from within the travel industry.
Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism Coordinator, Melissa Cornejo, wrote us: 'Due to the extremely high calibre of entrants this year, we short-listed eight tour operators in your category, instead of the usual four, and it was a very difficult decision to narrow it down to just two finalists. The short-listed operators were reviewed and extensively researched by our judging panel which is comprised of responsible tourism experts, academics, conservationists, and eco-consultants and the decision followed lengthy discussions and debate. We looked carefully at each operation within the context of their destination, while analyzing and comparing each answer from the advanced entry forms. The judging panel was very impressed with your application, and it was only narrowly beaten to a place in the finals. Therefore, we have decided to award Papua Expeditions with a Highly Commended recognition this year. It was such a close competition!'
Our team would like to congratulate you on your outstanding commitment and responsible travel efforts. We commend you on your dedication to environmental sustainability, and all of the outstanding social and environmental programs and initiatives. We truly appreciate your hard work!
The specific tour that was submitted to Wild Asia's critical assessment was our popular Waitanta endemics birding break, visiting the magnificent Orobiai River catchment on the Raja Ampat island of Waigeo, where Papua Expeditions (EKONEXION) is implementing an ambitious and innovative Community Conservation and Ecotourism Agreement (CCEA) with customary landholding groups.
Here, in visually stunning topography, there are highly rewarding opportunities to get up close and personal with some of the most glorious birds roaming the face of our planet. The nearly-mythical Wilson's Diphyllodes respublica and Red Bird-of-paradise Paradisaea rubra surely are contenders for the title of most beautiful bird on Earth. Add to this the mound-building Bruijn's Brushturkey Aepypodius bruijnii, the delightful Western Crowned Pigeon Goura cristata, and the cuddly marsupial Waigeo Cuscus Spilocuscus papuensis and this place has everything to make for an exciting first introduction to New Guinea's exquisite wildlife.
We are proudly motivated by this Highly Commended recognition to continue along a tough path to implement genuine ecotourism in West Papua under difficult market conditions and amidst increasingly complicated environmental problems as a result of adverse and often contradictory governmental policies on natural resource management.
Like Wijaya, Founder of Papua Expeditions (EKONEXION) said: 'We are proudly motivated by this Highly Commended recognition to continue along a tough path to implement genuine ecotourism in West Papua under difficult market conditions and amidst increasingly complicated environmental problems as a result of adverse and often contradictory governmental policies on natural resource management. Wild Asia's important recognition of our work also marks a turning point in our operations, from survival and consolidation to growth.'
Additional information
Wild Asia is a social enterprise working to support the conservation of natural areas and the communities dependent upon their resources. Its ultimate goal is to promote sustainable practices that will minimize adverse impacts on the environment, ensure that local communities are engaged and that local cultures are respected.
Wild Asia believes that sustainable destinations can be made a reality by promoting Responsible Tourism and sharing resources to inspire change from within the travel industry. To do so, the organization aligned its Responsible Tourism Check-list to the Global Sustainability Tourism Criteria (GSTC) of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Launched at the World Conservation Congress in October 2008, the GSTC are a set of 37 voluntary standards representing the minimum that any tourism business should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world's natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for poverty alleviation. Today, the GSTC are being used by businesses and organizations around the world to better understand the complexities of sustainable tourism and to make sustainability a hallmark methodology in the way we all travel, learn, and do business.
Related links
❯Read on about Wild Asia.
❯Read on about the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards.
❯Browse a list of all WARTA winners and finalists.
❯Read on about the Global Sustainability Tourism Criteria.
