Selling and Saving Nature
‘Tourism is like fire; you can cook your food, or you can burn your house down.’ (R.Fox)
New Zealand nature tourism operators are very firmly focused on ‘cooking their food’. New Zealand’s eco-tourism industry is growing and many tour operators have mastered ecologically friendly tourism models. The New Zealand Nature Network is a group of nature tourism operators who fulfil specific requirements for running eco-tourism operations in New Zealand. The group has a working charter that outlines its members’ responsibilities and their operations must focus on the promotion of and preservation of New Zealand’s natural resources and wildlife. These include practising sustainable management and best practice for ecologically sustainable tourism; operating or contributing to programmes that assist the conservation of natural areas; involving and providing benefit to the local community; monitoring the impact of their tourism operation on the natural area; and operating in a culturally acceptable manner.
The 17 operators who belong to the Nature Marketing Network (as at April 2004) are:
Guided Nature Walks www.nzwalks.com
Black Cat group (Canterbury) www.blackcat.co.nz
Kiwi Dundee (Coromandel) www.kiwidundee.co.nz
Nature Guides Otago (Otago)www.nznatureguides.com
Penguin Place (Otago) www.penguin-place.co.nz
Waimangu Volcanic Valley (Rotorua) www.waimangu.co.nz
Bush and Beach Ltd (Auckland) www.bushandbeach.co.nz
Heritage Expeditions Ltd www.heritage-expeditions.com
New Zealand Marine Studies Centre (Otago) www.otago.ac.nz/MarineStudies/
Stewart Island Lodge (Stewart Island) www.stewartislandlodge.co.nz
Whale Watch Kaikoura (Canterbury) www.whalewatch.co.nz
Dolphin Discoveries (Bay of Islands, Northland) www.dolphinz.co.nz/index.htm
Kauri Country (Northland) freespace.virgin.net/langley.cottage/
Nature Connection (Rotorua) www.natureconnection.co.nz
Otago Peninsula and Royal Albatross Colony (Otago) www.albatross.org.nz
Twilight Wildlife Tours (No current website) Email wildsouth@clear.net.nz
Wilderness Lodges New Zealand (Arthur’s Pass and Lake Moeraki) www.wildernesslodge.co.nz
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