Tuesday, September 19, 2006

All winners in eco-tourism project in Sabah

KINABATANGAN: An eco-tourism project launched five years ago in Kampung Sukau is helping villagers in more ways than one.

It has put food on the table for some 600 villagers who realised that farming and fishing were not enough to make ends meet.

Now, the project has come up with enough money for an electric fence to protect a communal graveyard from elephant encroachment.

Villagers have learned to live side-by-side with elephants and other wildlife, including orang utan, for the sake of conservation, after they were convinced that tourists would pay to see the animals.

Red Ape Encounters and Adventures Sdn Bhd, which is the community-based eco- tourism company that the villagers run, launched a conservation fund yesterday. It will receive 10 per cent of all gross earnings from tourism.

Continue reading (incl. photo) at: All winners in eco-tourism project in Sabah

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