Fanny Collado, 14th January
White Hotel Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka
Environmental education. To Fanny, a Spanish researcher from Valencia, Spain, this is the key success factor to build a sustainable society. Fanny is currently doing a 3-months project at White Hotel Adam’s Peak. Usually, environmental researchers from her background do projects in Europe or in other developed countries. However, Fanny believes that she can make a greater difference in this location.
Hence, she has four main project’s goals:
1- Create awareness around tourists about the diversity of opportunities in this mountain. This because, usually, a tourist comes to this area to exclusively climb Adam’s Peak, whilst in this area they can find tea plantations, natural forest and isolated waterfalls.
2- Cooperate with hotels: by increasing recycling habits and implementing sustainable practices in the daily tasks at the hotels such as composting, this area can, finally, explore touristic opportunities while protecting scarce resources in a mountain of this high. To implement this, she thought about creating an accredited green stamp.
3- Empower local people: there is a strong connection between Adam’s Peak, religion and ancestors’ stories. These last ones are known by the population but they don’t believe that tourists want to hear about them. But (we) they are keen to! On the other hand, Fanny wants to teach the locals how to plant the native species to face the increasing plantation of invasive species such as bamboo or eucalyptus.
4- (in case there is enough time) Work with schools: everything starts with education. The language is, yet, a barrier to create strong and inspiring connections. If there is enough time, Fanny with tackle this section of the population.
In conclusion, Fanny highlighted that in Sri Lanka, during the 19th century, forest occupied about 70% of the island’s space. Urbanization and agriculture are the priority now and, consequently, biodiversity is decreasing.
We can all make the difference and she expects that our generation make it happen through the 1. Spread of information and good practices, and through the 2. Implementation of corporate social responsibility in which companies that are taking more profit from environment, will become the main actors in finding sustainable global solutions.
Thank you for your time and inspiration, Fanny. Hope your thoughts will be spread around my generation! See you in Nepal...