ECOCLUB.com > ECOCLUB Rating™ > La Selva Jungle Lodge

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1. MINIMISING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

(a) Lighting: Solar on all footpaths

1a. This is the solar lighting that we use in all footpaths.

(b) Heating: no details provided

(c) Cooling: no details provided

(d) Cleaning: Sheet washing and other laundry carried out 60 miles away.

(e) Water: Filtered water brought in from two hundred miles away. Guests given refillable water bottle.

(f) Cooking: all fresh produce, no disposable plastic for meat and frozen storage.

1f. Fresh food has always been one of our highlights.

(g) Waste disposal: food waste fed to pigs at our pig farm as part of ECOCLUB.com Ecotourism Awards 2007 award-winning project, human waste piped through to various three chamber septic tanks with sand and gravel leech fields at the end (augmented by natural biological waste decomposer).

1g. We take all wasted food and feed it to the resident pigs. A protein source for our
indigenous neighbours, has effectively stop hunting in our forests.

(h) Insect, pest control (how): no details provided

(i) Noise Protection: no details provided

(j) Accessible by public transport: (No)

(h) What is the recommended way of reaching your Lodge from the nearest International airport: Only way is one of our motor launches.

1h. Once you arrive at the Coca airport, our nearest Amazonian town and airstrip the
only way to get to La Selva is by motorized canoe. The ride takes two hours and a half

(i) Distance from nearby village / city: Fransico de Orellana - 100 Km (60 miles)

1i. The lodge is located in the Garzacoha Lake.

2. FUNDING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

(a) Initiation or participation in environmental projects: Give monthly stipend to local indian group to help us protect the forest , build schools , paint communal centers , have motorized canoe “school bus”,legally constituted foundation for the benefit of indigenous people in our area.

(b) Contact, cooperation with local environmental organisations: Our foundation has begun to work with other foundations.

(c) Direct Donations: other foundations and individuals have begun to donate to our foundation which translated from the kich-wa means "Helping Hands in The Forest". With the donation from our sister foundation, The Cecilia Rivadeneira Foundation, a "Brigade" took place with La Selva providing all of the necessities and the foundation proving 50 volunteers to help our nearest and dearest indigenous friends, the Pilche Community where the volunteers developed different programs such as: painting the school and social areas, building a library, giving medical assistance to children and adults, equipping the school and building a playground for the children

2c. Helping our nearest and dearest indigenous friends, the Pilche Community

2c2. After one day of work this was one of the final products. Children were so happy
to see the new school that they began to help us to finish it as soon as possible.

2c3. This the team that made possible all the changes that we made in the Pilche Community.
 

(a) Initiation or participation in poverty-reduction projects: Pilot projects to teach skills to our local indigenous

(b) Direct Donations: La Selva has been donating in one way or another to the benefit of the kich-wa community in our area with substantial sums of money each month for 20 years. 

(c) Other:

 

(a) Do your employees have health insurance? Yes.

(b) Do your employees have paid leave? Yes

(c) Are your employees entitled to maternity leave? Yes

(d) Do you pay your employees above the minimum wage? Yes

(e) Average and maximum working day, and work hours per week: 40 hour work week with all overtime compensated

(f) Do you employ your staff all year round? Yes

(g) Do you offer concessions to elderly visitors? Yes

(h) Is there disabled access at your Lodge? (No) Impossible

(i) What is your policy towards volunteers? Will use them occasionally in administrative headquarters

(j) What measures are in place to protect the local indigenous population from some adverse impacts of tourism? We do not take guests to visit our indigenous friends. We have a retired employee who lives in the area whose house we visit and who can feed them germ-free traditional food and show authentically the traditional ways.
 

5. PROMOTING KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING

(a) Is there a local community / e.g. a nearby village? Yes

(b) Do guests interact with the local community and how: We do not believe in "trotting out the natives" or more properly put deculturizing the indigenous inhabitants of the region. Our guests do, however get a genuine native experience from the family of a 20 year employee of La Selva who knows the ways of "western" man.

5b. Bertha, the wife of one of our retired employees is making some traditional food to share
with our passengers. We just visit this house that belongs to one of our indigenous friends.

(c) What type of information is available to guests at the property: a neotropical nature library. Plus talks by guides besides their tours.

(d) What type of activities are available to guests at the property: 3 optional guided tours a day (usually) camping (at an extra cost) kayaking in our lake swimming, fishing, siestas, massages in our spa, visits to our butterfly farm.

5d. The Butterfly Farm is entering its 15th year of operation.
Guests have enjoyed this attraction even more than expected.

(e) Local guided tours for guests:

(f) Events / presentations held at the facility so far:

(g) Specific programme for children: We are very popular with families but once a year usually in January we have the family extravaganza where the lodge is taken over completely of families of all ages.

5g. Families are always welcome at La Selva and children always get special attention.

(h) Research / Publications produced / assisted by the property so far: The Birds of Ecuador 2 Volume Set, written by Robert Ridgely and illustrated by Paul Greenfield, and many scientific publications on butterflies.
 

1. Please provide evidence of any awards or green certificates won by the property:

Winner of "Ecotourism Award 1992" by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation at the First World Congress on Tourism and the Environment, Belize City, Belize, April 27 - May 2, 1992

Winner of the ECOCLUB.com Ecotourism Award 2007

2. Have there been any newspaper, radio, TV or guidebook reviews on your property, which may support any of your replies above? If so please provide detailed information and links (up to 10):

We have had more than 300 newspaper and magazine articles published about us including a feature in travel and leisure and we are rated in 12 English speaking guidebooks I know about including Lonely Planet but as to whether any refer to our ecotourism efforts I can not recall.  

3. Is there anything else you feel relevant to this questionnaire, that you have not already covered?
(No)

I hereby declare that all my answers are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and understand that I and/or my company will not have the right to veto or 'hide' our ECOCLUB Rating,
 if we find it unfavourable.

Please enter (paste) your signature below or type your initials to indicate acceptance:

Your Name:  Eric Schwartz  Date: 25 May 2008