Ecotourism in action – a Durban success story
What exactly is community-based ecotourism – a term that is bandied about so often nowadays? What does it mean, how does it work, and what are the benefits?
In this week’s episode of The Green Scene podcast, the team chats with a Durban mover and shaker in the tourism world, Amimi Mlaba.
Amimi has put the concept of community-based ecotourism into practice through his very successful ecotourism venture, iSithumba Adventures, one of the Green Corridors supported sites, in the heart of rural Valley of 1000 Hills, just 20 minutes’ drive from Hillcrest.
He talks to The Green Scene’s Andiswa Susan Dlamini, Duncan Pritchard, and Sharlene Versfeld about how ecotourism helps people connect with natural areas and the people that live there, and supports cultural and environmental preservation.
Not all ecotourism is about seeing the Big 5. It is also about going into hidden, unexplored spaces to experience and learn about different cultures firsthand and connect on a much deeper level.
Listen at the top of the page, or directly below. We've also got another version of the interview in isiZulu - scroll further down this page for that.
isiZulu interview on The Green Scene
Prefer to listen in isiZulu? The Green Scene’s Andiswa Susan Dlamini chats to Amimi Mlaba in isiZulu. Listen to that conversation below.
The Green Scene is produced by East Coast Radio in partnership with Durban-based NPO Green Corridors.
Meanwhile, have you ever wondered how your old phone could help save the planet and support local jobs? Welcome to the world of the circular economy!
The circular economy is not just another trendy term, it’s a refreshing approach to closing the loop on waste and considering the environmental cost of our consumer-orientated lifestyles. It’s a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. It’s good for business, good for our planet and good for our economy.
In last week’s episode, the team highlighted how a mindset shift encourages us to change the way we consume things, recycle, repurpose, and close the loop on waste.
Listen below.
Follow the series or listen via the ECR website under Podcasts, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
Meet the Hosts of The Green Scene Podcast
Andiswa Susan Dlamini is the Tourism Operations Manager at Green Corridors having worked there since its inception. She cut her teeth at the various Green Corridors sites where she helped manage and co-ordinate activities and has an intimate knowledge of its various operations. She is passionate about her role and helping connect people to the various Green Corridors sites. Andiswa is mum to a fast-growing teenager.
Duncan Pritchard heads up tourism product development, project management, planning and marketing at Green Corridors and is an independent sustainability practitioner with a special interest in niche ecotourism markets, avitourism, rural community development and related projects. His work aims at social, environment and economic development using tourism as a tool. He founded ETC-Africa a consultancy specialising in sustainability, ecotourism, conservation and greenhouse gas reporting. He is a registered carbon auditor and founder of the Unearthed academy for social entrepreneurship. He works on sustainability-related projects locally and internationally with groups ranging from small non-profits to local government to multi-national companies around Africa.
Sharlene Versfeld is a well-known Durban communications consultant who is also a qualified nature guide, nature enthusiast, and keen conservationist who works with Green Corridors. She loves trail running, hiking and walking, adventures, and travel, having done some iconic overland Africa trips with her family. She is married to an “IT Geek” and has two young adult children.