Wild Asia Newsletter - May 2009

www.wildasia.net

Greetings to all!

Wild Asia wishes you Happy Earth Day!

Wild Asia's website is going through a major make-over in hope that your experience while visiting our website will be enhanced with easy-to-use navigation buttons and pages. For a sneak preview please visit http://wildasia.ipnhub.com. Work is still in progress, look out for the official launch soon!

After a hectic schedule in April, the mechanics are slowing down in May, giving our team a chance for a breather! From tree planting events to environmental education programmes, read the full summary of what kept us on our toes in April.

Our engines are fueled up again in preparation for a major tree party event with AMP Radio in conjunction with World Environment Day in June. Keep yourself posted on event updates via our website and stay tuned to community service announcements crafted by Wild Asia on AMP radio stations. Click on the "One Planet, One Home" banner that will soon be up on WA.net.

Also, our Responsible Tourism Awards checklists have been circulated to travel accommodations across the Asian region to stand the running to win the Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award. Final submission date for the checklists is 29 May, 2009, so hurry and send them in! In other areas;

Support our 2009 RT Awards

Wild Asia’s 2009 Responsible Tourism Awards is now confirmed to be held in association with the International CSR Asia Summit, an annual event that provides the most cutting edge knowledge and insights on corporate social responsibility in Asia-Pacific. This year, the Awards will be held in Kuala Lumpur on 27 – 29 October, 2009. Get latest updates here!

Wild Asia will also be facilitating a 2-day workshop as part of the Awards. Titled “RT in Action” this workshop aims to provide a background to sustainable principles in tourism and showcase case studies from the Asian region. Set for 28 - 29 October 2009, registration for the workshop is now open until September 2009, do make your bookings early. Find out more about this workshop and how it can transform the way you do business.

Attention Tourism Operators!

Eligible operators who are interested to participate, kindly e-mail us and request for the revised Responsible Tourism Checklist. Entries must be submitted by 29 May 2009. Finalists for the Awards will be announced by the end of June 2009.

Engaging the Private Sector

• It was a productive May 8-10 weekend for Sustainable Island Programme (SIP). Together with 5 EcoDivers from Reef Check Malaysia and Perhentian Watercolours Dive Centre, 4 reef sites around Perhentian Islands were surveyed. This marked the beginning of a series of SIP surveys to come. Marine water quality data was also gathered at the same sites to support and further strengthen the results of the reef surveys. A beach clean-up with volunteers at Teluk Kekek saw 58 bags of rubbish collected within 1.5 hours. Reef surveys will continue at other islands such as Redang, Tioman, Tenggol, and Aur under SIP09, fully sponsored by Sime Darby Plantation.

• May 18-22 sees most of the Wild Asia-ProForest Stepwise Support Programme (SSP) Advisory team away conducting training for oil palm plantation managers from Sabah Softwoods on the interpretation and implementation of the Principles and Criteria of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Endorsed by the RSPO, the training course uses real case studies from ProForest and Wild Asia's ground experience in Southeast Asia, providing valuable insights into the intricacies of the standard. Separately, a preliminary assessment is being carried out for Keresa palm oil mill based on the concepts of Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC). For more information, visit SSP or email SSP@wildasia.org.

Support a Cause!

Application for Seed Grants 2009 is now open! This year, we are going beyond projects-based initiatives to include eco film-makers, multimedia and graphic designers as we feel that creativity can be inspirational instigators for change. 6 Grants are up for grabs so do send in your application now! Visit Seed Grants for more information.

In support of conservation and creativity, Wild Asia will be holding a “Tees for Conservation Competition” in search for the most creative design for our special edition merchandise. The winning design will be printed along with the designer’s name. This is your chance to push your creative boundaries. For a full brief on the competition, click here.

What's new in Wild Asia?

• Duck, Duck, Helicopter, Bomb, Bomb - SZE NING shares her thoughts on poverty, ducks, helicopters and bombs, on a trip to Cambodia to get organizations up online on Elevyn.com.

• One With Nature - Long before the word ‘sustainable’ became a catchphrase, Sri Lanka’s most famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa, designed a green hotel that embraced sustainable tourism practices. LEONG SIOK HUI writes.

• Keresa Earth Day - In conjunction with Earth Day on 22 April, 2009, Wild Asia, together with Keresa Plantations and their stakeholders, planted 100 trees to commemorate the day. SHAFINAZ SUHAIMI reports on this significant milestone and the company’s journey towards a heightened sense of environmental and social responsibility via the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.

• Bario: From Warrior Dances to Wonderful People - With a sense of history and openness to Kelabit hospitality, British High Commissioner, BOYD McCLEARY makes a visit to Bario in Sarawak to experience the wonders of an indigenous culture and the dilemmas of integrating modern life.

All the best from the Wild Asia web team!
Reza, Deborah, Shafi, Eileen, Sharyn and Mike

www.wildasia.net

This newsletter is made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors.
Learn how you can be a WA Partner to advertise & be seen.

Responsible Tourism Partners

RT Awards: Malaysia Airlines; Islands Programme: Sime Darby; Media: The Star Newspaper, Lifestyle & Travel, Asian Geo; Supporters: GroupM, Malaysia Airlines, Six Senses Resort & Spa

Learn more about how you can support our efforts!

Empowering Marginalized Communities

Elevyn is a place to buy and sell hand-made crafts produced by indigenous or marginalized communities.

www.elevyn.com