This colourful ship in the photo behind the two happy snorkelling kids is the Kalabia. She cruises around Raja Ampat in West Papau engaging the natural curiosity of children in order to teach them about conservation, which in turn helps build community knowledge and awareness, pride, love, and a sense of ownership and responsibility for local marine resources.

By changing attitudes and behaviour, Kalabia inspires conservation of globally-important ecosystems in the  heart  of the coral triangle, and ensures food security and increased well-being for local residents for generations to come. If you would like to make a small contribution to her continued success, please visit the website here.

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Next: An 8-day Round Busuanga and Round Coron kayak expedition Dec 31 – Jan 08. 4 participants already booked. Room for 3 more.

Contact Symbiosis now if you would like to join. We can also help with travel arrangements, hotel bookings and anything else you would like to do while in the Philippines. One not to miss!

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Contact Symbiosis to start planning your visit to Laos.

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The centre prides itself on their natural and ecologically aware approach to working with these animals. The elephants inhabit a 106 hectare protected forest set by the Nam Tien Lake where there is sufficient natural food and visitors can watch them in their natural habitat without causing a disturbance to their daily activities.

Facilities at the Elephant Conservation Centre are also ecologically friendly, utilising solar power and water from the lake for filtration. To reduce the use of new building materials, ECC’s infrastructure uses traditional Lao houses that have been relocated to the centre.

A trip to the Elephant Conservation Centre will compliment any visit to Laos, providing the opportunity to see up close and gain a greater understanding of these endangered animals.

Contact Symbiosis Custom Travel to start planning your visit to Laos.

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Contact Symbiosis Custom Travel to see how a stay at one or more of these wonderful mountain lodges can be included in your visit to Thailand.

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Whaleshark interactions occur for short periods each year off Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef, as well as in Belize and other tropical waters, but the highest concentration is thought to be at Donsol, where the whale sharks linger for almost half the year.

Donsol’s whale shark industry is a textbook example of ecotourism succeeding on several levels. Fortunately, the discovery of the butanding, the subsequent influx of tourists and the close regulation of their interaction were virtually concurrent. As a result there are no entrenched jet-ski mafia, speedboaters or ride-the-whale-shark entrepreneurs to be battled against later.

Local fishermen immediately saw that the giant creatures were worth far more alive than dead. With more than 12,000 visitors a year, many Donsol families have found work in the industry and the small resorts that have sprung up along the shore, billed as whale shark capital of the world.

Whale sharks are common in Donsol from December to June; December-January is peak period. Definitely avoid the crowds during Easter Holy Week. The annual Butanding Festival is held at the beginning of May.

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Click here to book your space now.

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Limited to 500 international runners to reduce congestion, the race on October 5 is titled “La Procession”. It will offer participants the opportunity to run around the town’s greatest historical sites. The costs of the event are fully covered by corporate sponsors and, instead of the usual entry fee; runners will make charitable donations directly through online fundraising pages.

Proceeds from the half-marathon will go towards funding Friends International, an NGO benefiting children and young people across South East Asia. The race comprises three race routes: half-marathon, 14-km, and 7-km race for family members. The organisers hope to make the race an annual event so it will become firmly established on the regional half-marathon calendar.

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Come and stay with Topas Eco Lodge, located deep in the Hoang Lien Mountain – these beautiful lodges dotted in a circle around the hills offer breathtaking views across the scenic valleys below. Take this opportunity and enjoy the special promotion of Stay 3 Nights and Pay for 2 nights ONLY!

Rates:
Deluxe Bungalow: USD 272 total for 3 nights for 2 adults
Executive Bungalow $341 total for 3 nights for 2 adults

CONDITIONS:
*The offer is valid for stay during 01 July – 30 Sept 2012
*Reservations are subject to Room Availability
*Applicable for new bookings of at least 3 Consecutive Nights Only
*Plus USD 25 for banking cost

Contact Symbiosis for further information

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Shangri-La also has plans to phase out blue fin tuna and Chilean sea bass in all its operated restaurants within the year.

In December 2010 the company initiated the process with the removal of shark fin products from its restaurant menus.

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An 18kg Cantor's Soft Shell Turtle ready for release into the Mekong River in Kratie Province, Cambodia

The goal of the Mekong Turtle Conservation Centre (MTCC) is the long-term sustainable conservation of the wild population of one of the world’s rarest and largest fresh water turtles — the Cantor’s soft shell turtle, (Pelochelys cantorii) of which the largest known wild population survives in the nearby Mekong River.

Read the full story from Conservation International.

Since June of this year, the Mekong Turtle Conservation Centre has been open to visitors daily, for a small entrance fee. Another good reason to visit Kratie and Cambodia’s north east region.

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Sign the petition to the local government of Moalboal by clicking the link below. The target is to get 5000 people to sign this petition to save the sharks of Moalboal, Cebu – an environmental issue of the highest degree.

Support the Shark Sanctuary in Moalboal, the first in the Visayan area of the Philippines.

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