| MEXICO CITY -- As part of
Planeta.com's celebration of World
Environment Day, Planeta.com
presents the fourth annual Colibri
Ecotourism Award to Mexican ecotourism pioneer Jorge Chávez
de la Peña, who developed Mexico's first university-level
ecotourism program.
A Planeta.com writer and frequent contributor to the Mexico
Ecotourism Network, Jorge receives the Colibri ('Hummingbird')
Award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize, underwritten by Canyon
Travel, a prominent North American ecotourism operator.
The United Nations celebrates World Environment Day each year
on June 5 as a way to stimulate worldwide awareness of the
environment and enhance political attention and action.
ABOUT THE COLIBRI AWARD
First presented in 2001, the Colibri Ecotourism Award is presented
to a leading authority and catalyst at the vanguard of ecotourism.
We recognize that ecotourism
depends on the leadership of individuals who are resourceful
and innovative. To honor the pioneers in this field, we pay
our respect via the Colibri Ecotourism Awards.
Ecotourism depends on the leadership of individuals who are
bold enough to bridge the traditional divisions between tourism
and the environment. The decision of who wins the Colibri is
made by Planeta.com Webhost Ron Mader with consultation from
members of the Mexico
Ecotourism Network.
Jorge Chàvez de la Peña developed
Mexico's first ecotourism curriculum and university diploma
program for the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, where
he worked for 22 years. He also worked for Mexico's tourism
secretariat (SECTUR) as General Director of Education and more
recently he has worked independently as a consultant on sustainable
development and tourism.
"By recognizing the vision and the achievements of ecotourism
pioneers, the Colibri Award pays an overdue homage to those
whose work celebrates the intersection of conservation ethics
and responsible tourism," said Mader.
Jorge's long-anticipated book Ecotourism TAP:
Methodology for Planned Environmental Tourism (Ecoturismo TAP:
Metodologìa para Turismo Ambientalmente Planificado)
was published by Editorial Trillas. And in 2008 a new book,
Diversidad cultural y ecoturismo, will be published.
Jorge has been working with communities developing rural tourism
and ecotourism in the state of Puebla.
In 2007 he spent time with an ecotourism project at Villa
de Tamazulápam in the Mixteca
Alta Oaxaqueña.
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