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Go Eco - Explore, Conserve, Observe

Exploring nature, traveling to new places and experiencing other cultures is exhilarating. But keeping earth’s treasures pristine for future generations to experience can also be a challenge. If you like to travel and are concerned about your effect on the environment, Go ECO – the responsible way to travel – is for you. By staying informed and making responsible travel choices, you can minimize your effect as a tourist and help preserve natural environments, local economies and native cultures.

The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as, “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people.” This is important because tourism is the world’s largest industry and is growing rapidly. This is good news for travel operators, but tourism can also hurt the natural ecosystem. Increased numbers of tourists require a larger infrastructure and can lead to serious pollution and degradation.

Project AWARE created the Go ECO campaign to educate tourists about how they can travel responsibly and inspire tour operators to implement best business practices in their local area. By making informed choices, you can support operators committed to environmentally responsible business practices. And, by following a few basic guidelines, you can minimize your effect on the ecosystems while contributing to environmental, economic and cultural conservation. Scuba diving centers and resorts are also committed to environmental best practice. Mermaids Scuba Diving Center Pattaya, Thailand is now one of these such aware dive operators.

Project AWARE’s Environmental Achievement Award winners are tour operators making an exceptional commitment to the aquatic environment. These facilities are awarded for proving their exceptional commitment to sustainable business practices. Project AWARE also recognizes a select group of Eco-Operators who pledge to conduct business according to Eco-Operator guidelines. View the list of these outstanding facilities and support their environmental efforts whenever possible.

As an Eco-tourist you should:

• Enjoy nature but don’t chase or touch animals.

• Not remove anything that is part of the natural environment.

• Urge your guides to act responsibly and tip them for their cooperation.

• Stay on trails or other designated areas and leave the site cleaner than when you found it.

• Report environmental damage to authorities and encourage responsible behavior in others.

• Patronize locally owned businesses, but avoid items made from endangered species, threatened species, coral or tropical hardwoods.

• Interact with and show respect for local people, their culture and their traditions. Talk with them about environmental issues affecting their area. Visitors respecting a destination are key to ecotourism.

• Protect threatened fisheries by choosing seafood items caught or harvested from sustainable native fish populations.

• Practice buoyancy control skills in a pool or sandy area before swimming near a coral reef or any sensitive environment. Make sure your equipment is secured, you’re weighted properly and be careful not to touch, stand on or collect coral.

• Be an AWARE diver – enroll in a Project AWARE Specialty course to increase your knowledge about the environment and learn sustainable dive practice knowledge.

• Participate in local conservation activities when available and support established parks and reserves.

As a Go-Eco Operator Mermaids CDC will:

• Provide dive experiences that enhance visitor awareness, appreciation and understanding of the local aquatic environment.

• Use recycled products whenever possible.

• Participate in local conservation efforts and support established parks and reserves.

• Not sell items made from endangered species, threatened species, corals or tropical hardwoods.

• Respect local people, culture and traditions while abiding by local laws and regulations.

• Provide pre-dive briefings on responsible dive practices such as:

  • Proper buoyancy control.

  • Securing equipment and streamlining body position.

  • Maintaining distance from sensitive environments.

  • Not touching or chasing animals.

  • Abiding by all fish and game regulations.

• Use mooring buoys or drift diving techniques whenever possible to avoid damage to underwater habitat. (Check one of Mermaids Mooring buoy projects).

• Offer Project AWARE specialty courses that teach customers about ecology and conservation.

• Practice buoyancy control skills in a pool or sandy area before swimming near a coral reef or any sensitive environment. Make sure your equipment is secured, you’re weighted properly and be careful not to touch, stand on or collect coral.

• Display environmental public awareness materials and provide community involvement opportunities.

• Use environmentally sound methods of rubbish disposal.

For further information on Project AWARE pro-activity - check the website