Eager to explore the biologically diverse Amazon jungle back in 1980, several American tourist sought the advice of Hugo Pepper, the proprietor of small hotel outside Cusco, Peru. His suggestion: a trip to manu national park, a 5792-square-mile area containing both Andean highlands far above sea level and subtropical forest in the lowland jungle.

Today, 10 years after leading that first trip, Pepper's Manu Expeditions takes about 200 people into the park each year. INfact, during the last five years, such econlogical tourisium , or ecotourisium, has been a burgeoning subdivion of the travel industry. With a little negative environmental impact, responsibile tours to jungles, wildlands and natural habitats are providing economic alternatives to buring and slashing the rain forest for agriculture and cattle rasing, or slughtering elephants for thier trunks.

Turisium is only one industry aiding the planet's endangerd landscapes. Responsible lumber and paper companies are mangaing forest instead of harvesting them, thus helping preserve the jungle's bilogical diversity. Manufacters are recycling plasctic, paper and other materials that would otherwise increase the world's store of garbage. And many firms are working to educate consumers, promote environmental issiues and restore damaged landscapes.

These recent efforts provide a crucial balance for the unchecked industrial development and general public disregard for the environment that has characterized much of the 20th century. Pristine wilderness and natural habitats throughout the worldhave been gravely damaged, in some cases irreversibly. Landfills are overflowing with disposable plastic bottles, metal can and paper. And, in what experts say could be a tragedy of catastrophic propotions, the world's rain forest are shrkinking at a rapid rate.This could lead to the extinction of as many as half the world's species. What's mre, trees in the rain forest and eslewhere adsorb carbon dioxide(CO2), now, entering the atmosphere rapidly due to the combustion of fossil fuels. With fwer trees, CO2 might build up even faster and lead to significant warming trend on the earth.

One firm working in the rain forest is Riocell S.A a pulp and paper company based in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Once regarded as a major polluter, Riocell is today more environmentally aware. For instance, in order to make sure that organic residues do not end up in landfills or waterways, the company developed several new products, including fertilizers that would once have been thrown away.

Companies are also stepping in to protect habitats in northern climes. England's Rover Group, Ltd, maker of the Range Rover Group, and the Jeep/Eagle division of Chrysler Motors have developed extensive public awareness campaign to educate owners of thier offroad vehicles. IN fact, both have lent significant support to the U.S Forest Services's Tread Lightly Program, an educational effort aimed at encouraging environmentally reponsible offraod driving.

Other companies have have focused on recycling. BP AMerica, the US branch of British Petroleum, is using chemical solvents to convert its hazadous watse to a benign powder that can be disposed of on site; oil extracted from the process is used in variety of industrial applications. and in 1989 the U.S based Weyerhaeuser Co. which has manufactured pulp and paper products for 20 years, collected and recycled 1.2 million tons of watse paper from business and communities throughout the United States.

Paper recycling is also a priority for McDonald's Corp. Napkins and other products used in thier fast food restaurants are made from recycled paper. And just last month, the company announced a plan to buy up to $100 million in recycled construction material for building its restaurants.

The Dutch chemical group DSM is also active in this area, and is planning to double the amount of plastic it recycles. Twenty companies, including Proctor&Gable, Lever Brothers, Coca Cola. Nestle, Heineken and Cadbury Sceweppes have recenly banded together to establish the European Recovery and Recycling Association.

Other conpanies have become involved in preserving endangered lands. The dow Chemical Co. for instnce, has tapped the volunteer efforts of its employees, who work to preserve the environment at the company's 500-acre nature santuary near its Joliet, Illinios, plant in the United States. Also supporting a nature preserve is the French chemical and pharmaceutical company, Rhone-Poulenc, S.A. In the south of France , Rhone-Poulenc's Beurru Island nature observation center is one of the first ever devoted to flora and fauna found specifically at the riverbank. The preserve, the company says, will also serve as a sort of nature museum. UNlike other areas along the river, it will remain unexploited, giving visitors a chance to observe entire poplar forest, along with European beavers and the Horereau falcon, a rear species of bird.

Kevin McKinney 

Source : Newsweek 21 May 1990

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