Global Warming Facts from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation
May 12, 2004 New York Times
Global Warming Ignites Tempers, Even in a Movie
By SHARON WAXMAN
LOS ANGELES, May 11 � Any studio that makes a $125 million movie about global warming is courting controversy. But 20th Century Fox does not seem to have fully anticipated the political firestorm being whipped up by its film "The Day After Tomorrow."
Environmental advocates are using the film's release, scheduled for May 28, as an opening to slam the Bush administration, whose global warming policies they oppose. Industry groups in Washington are lobbying on Capitol Hill to make sure the film does not help passage of a bill limiting carbon-dioxide emissions, which many scientists say contribute to global warming.
Meanwhile on Tuesday Fox sparred with celebrity advocates who complained that they had been disinvited to the movie's premiere, only to be reinvited later in the day.
All this is occurring as the entertainment industry is on the defensive, with television networks acknowledging they are censoring themselves to avoid being accused of promoting indecency and the Walt Disney Company distancing itself from a film critical of the administration's foreign policy.
In a telephone news conference on Tuesday former Vice President Al Gore compared the exaggeration of the film's premise to the approach of the Bush administration to global warming.
"There are two sets of fiction to deal with," Mr. Gore said. "One is the movie, the other is the Bush administration's presentation of global warming." He accused the White House of "trying to convince people there's no real problem, no degree of certainty from scientists about the issue." The news conference was organized by moveon.org, an Internet-based liberal advocacy group.
Dana Perino, the spokeswoman for the Council on Environmental Quality, which coordinates environmental policy for the White House, said the administration's policies would reduce global warming threats without destroying jobs.
"While they're working on movies," she said, "we are advancing our scientific knowledge, developing transformational energy technologies and reducing the greenhouse-gas intensity of the American economy."
Early this week Laurie David and Robert Kennedy Jr., vocal anti-Bush environmentalists, said that Fox had withdrawn their invitation to the film's premiere in Manhattan but later called to reconfirm the invitation.
In between, a Fox spokesman said the studio had arranged a special screening for them and Mr. Gore a day before the premiere, and another screening for scientists.
Ultimately Fox chalked the invitation issue up to miscommunication.
Invited or not, Ms. David, a prominent member of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Fox rejected an offer to have the premiere serve as a fund-raiser for any one of numerous environmental groups. (Studios often use premieres as charitable fund-raisers.)
Before learning from Jim Gianopulos, Fox Studio's chairman, that her invitation to the premiere had been reinstated, Ms. David said: "Fox is completely disinterested in raising any consciousness. In fact they're bending over backward to disassociate themselves from the environmental community."
She continued, "Any connections to anything political they're afraid will hurt the opening."
A Fox spokesman denied any attempt to play down the movie's environmental message or to distance the film from activists. "Clearly the movie is entertainment, but all of this activity creates additional interest, making it more topical," Jeffrey Godsick, the spokesman, said. "It's been wonderful."
Directed by Roland Emmerich, "The Day After Tomorrow" imagines a catastrophic climate change and the rapid arrival of a new ice age caused by global warming. Massive storms destroy Western Europe, Manhattan is covered in a sheet of ice, and tornadoes blast Los Angeles.
The film's trailer shows Dennis Quaid, who plays a paleoclimatologist, warning the vice president � played by an actor who closely resembles Vice President Dick Cheney � that "if we don't act now, it will be too late."
Fox, which financed the big-budget movie, is part of News Corporation, whose chairman and chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, is a strong supporter of Mr. Bush. Mr. Godsick said he did not know if Mr. Murdoch had seen the film.
Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, said on Tuesday that Fox's attitude toward environmentalists seemed comparable to other instances of self-censorship by media corporations in a politically charged climate.
"This is part of an unfortunate pattern that fits in with CBS canceling the Reagan mini-series and Disney refusing to distribute Michael Moore's film" "Fahrenheit 9/11," he said in an interview before his invitation to the premiere was reinstated. He was referring to recent controversies over political considerations affecting entertainment decisions.
"This is like back to the 1950's and 60's, where people in Hollywood were scared to death of Joe McCarthy, censoring artists, not distributing films, blackballing people," he said. "It's a classic thing that you're supposed to avoid in democracy, the merger of state and corporate power."
Mr. Godsick said that Fox, which plans to spend about $50 million to market the film, was not keeping any interested party at arm's length. The marketing strategy had no connection to the other recent episodes in Hollywood, he said.
"Look, different groups have different agendas," Mr. Godsick said. "Some are to politicize things, some are to go beyond that. The real power of the movie is to raise consciousness on the issue. That's a win-win for everybody."
The studio's Web site promoting the film, thedayaftertomorrow.com, does not include the words "global warming" in its synopsis of the story. But the site does include a section labeled "What can you do?" with a link to Future Forests, a nonprofit British group that promotes limiting carbon-dioxide emissions.
Mr. Emmerich ensured that the movie production participated in CarbonNeutral, a program that involves buying credits to offset carbon-dioxide emissions created during the movie's filming, Mr. Godsick said.
Fox marketing executives have expressed concern that the movie not be perceived as a scientific "treatise," as one executive put it, emphasizing that its appeal is as an action-adventure, roller-coaster-style experience.
Moveon.org said it planned to have thousands of volunteers handing out leaflets about global warming outside theaters when the movie opens. Meanwhile in Washington a coalition of industry groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, is working to make sure that the movie does not contribute to the passage of a bill limiting carbon-dioxide emissions.
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Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.
Global Warming and Climate Change is the biggest environmental threat humanity will face in the 21st century. Caused by an overabundance of the heat-trapping gas, carbon dioxide, in the earth's atmosphere, global warming has caused changes in climate worldwide as well as disruptions and dislocations in habitats and wildlife.
"To me the question of the environment is more ominous than that of peace and war. I'm more worried about global warming than I am of any major military conflict." - UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix, March 14, 2003
"Our house is burning down and we are blind to it.The earth and humankind are in danger and we are all responsible. It is time to open our eyes. Alarms are sounding across all continents. We cannot say we did not know! Climate warming is still reversible. Heavy would be the responsibility of those who refuse to fight it."
- French President Jacques Chirac, World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, August, 2002
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Pre-empt Global Warming
by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union, now heads Green Cross International. He sat down with NPQ editor Nathan Gardels on Oct. 7 in New York to discuss Russia's position on the Kyoto Protocol and US President George W. Bush's renewed push for nuclear non-proliferation.
NPQ | In his speech to the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly, United States President George Bush called for a renewed emphasis on stopping nuclear proliferation -- especially in North Korea and Iran -- to ensure the bomb doesn't fall into the hands of terrorists.
Yet, the US is planning a new generation of small, "more usable" nuclear weapons. And in its agreement with Russia to reduce warhead stockpiles, it has agreed only to "decommission" its weapons, not "demilitarize" them -- in other words, store them, not destroy them.
Doesn't this US posture undermine the credibility of the non-proliferation agenda?
Mikhail GORBACHEV | Much progress has been made between the US and Russia in reducing our nuclear arsenals. But, yes, this US posture is troubling. Since the US has refused to ratify the treaty to prohibit nuclear testing, it is clear it intends to go on perfecting its nuclear weapons. It is clear it is not thinking of abolishing nuclear weapons over the longer term. On the contrary, there is a new concept of American doctrine, as you mention, that foresees the "battlefield use" of nuclear weapons. This does away with the idea that the only purpose of nuclear weapons is as a deterrent.
It prompts other nations to ask, "Why must we abide by the non-proliferation treaty when the No. 1 member of the nuclear club continues to perfect and develop its own weapons?" That is a double standard.
If the US only thinks about its interests instead of the global good, other nations are asking why they, too, shouldn't be putting their own interests first as well?
These questions cannot be wished away. And they are not just being asked by authoritarian or terrorist states. Challenging this double standard is precisely what democratic India had in mind with its nuclear tests.
For now, the US doctrine has sown mistrust and suspicion among the world community.
NPQ | In the absence of a superpower competitor, what can be the aim of America trying to perfect a new generation of nuclear weapons?
GORBACHEV | That is a question, it seems to me, that the American democracy with its open debate about everything else ought to be discussing. It is, after all, a far more significant issue than Monica Lewinsky. Democracy doesn't seem to be working on this particular issue.
It is very important for America to understand how the only remaining superpower can act responsibly in the world. Why isn't it taking the lead, for example, on ratifying the Kyoto Protocol instead of withdrawing from it and trying to kill it?
NPQ | Well, the US doesn't seem to be the only power that doesn't like the Kyoto Protocol. When the US withdrew from the process, it was denounced as unilateralist. Now, Russia -- the critical industrial power whose ratification will make or break the treaty -- is balking. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin says he questions it. And his economic advisor said: "The Kyoto treaty will doom Russia to poverty, weakness and backwardness. If the US and Australia can't afford it, how can Russia?''
GORBACHEV | There is no doubt that reducing greenhouse gases will have costs -- it will take spending money, products may be more expensive, and it will affect competition. That can't be denied. But what is the alternative? Climate change is real, and its costs for the whole planet will be very real. These problems can be solved, especially as we modernize industry with environmental concerns in mind.
Leadership is about making hard choices, taking into account the long view. Let's hope that Russia does not stand on the sidelines on this issue of global warming. Let's hope it doesn't let the international community down. Whenever we have talked about this, President Putin said he will ratify the Kyoto Protocol in the end. I trust him on this, but as President (Ronald) Reagan used to say, "Trust, but verify."
NPQ | What do you think of the American doctrine of preemption?
GORBACHEV | Those who talk about leadership of the world all the time ought to exercise it. Rather than develop strategic doctrines of military preemption -- as we've seen in Iraq, where no weapons of mass destruction have yet been found -- let's act where the intelligence is clear: on climate change and other issues such as water, where today 2 billion people in the world don't have access to clean water. Let's talk instead about preempting global warming and the looming water crisis.
NPQ | In your time in power in the Soviet Union, we used to talk about the dictatorship of the proletariat. Now, more than a decade after the Cold War, we have something new -- a dictatorship of the consumer.
The mass market and political system give them what they want, when they want it, which is now. But the consumer calculus is self-interest; his horizon is short term. In the consumer societies, there is thus no constituency for the future -- for the long-term issues we've been discussing, from climate change to water.
How can a constituency for the future be built?
GORBACHEV | All of us, but particularly in America, consume too much for the planet's well being. Americans are less than 5 percent of the world population, but use 30 percent of all the energy. Gradually, we need to abandon the model of consumer society. If we continue with this model, we will surely undermine nature. And that, in turn, will undermine the stability of our societies.
Building a constituency for the future is, as I said, a task for political leadership. But it also requires an active civil society because, as we know and as you suggest, political leaders in today's more democratic world look most often to the next election, not the next generation.
To add to this problem, the great gap between rich and poor that has grown with globalization is already undoing the accomplishments of the democratic wave of the early 1990s. More and more, there is a trend toward authoritarianism as a way to cope with the dislocations of globalization.
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Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.
Seychelles - The Indian Ocean could lose most of its coral islands in the next 50 years if sea temperatures continue to rise and reefs badly damaged by global warming do not recover.
Global warming triggered the death of between 50 and 98 percent of coral reefs in a region stretching from northern Mozambique to Eritrea to Indonesia in 1998 and although there has been some recovery, scientists remain concerned. "We have reason to believe that if climate changes continue due to the carbon dioxide that is being pumped into the atmosphere, the temperatures at ground level and in the oceans will go up," Dr. Carl Lundin, head of the marine program of the Swiss-based World Conservation Union (IUCN), said.
"So virtually all the coralline islands have a decent chance of disappearing in 50 years," Lundin stated in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles.
Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive communities on earth. Found in warm, clear, shallow waters of tropical oceans worldwide, reefs have functions ranging from providing food and shelter to fish and invertebrates to protecting the shore from erosion.
Many coral reef organisms can only tolerate a narrow range of environmental conditions and are very sensitive to damage from environmental changes such as rising temperatures which can cause bleaching and eventual death.
Lundin said sustained warming up of ocean currents which followed the El Nino effect in 1998 resulted in bleaching and widespread damage to corals in the Indian Ocean.
"So a very large region has been affected and an awful lot of damage has been caused by the temperature increases which varied from one to two to generally up to five degrees Celsius."
The Seychelles' coralline islands of Amirantes, Aldabra, Bird island and Denis island which support unique ecosystems are seriously threatened.
"These islands are made of fossil reefs that have been raised out of the water but as erosion continues, they are likely to be gnawed away," said Lundin.
Lundin said there was some coral recovery with islands which lost up to 100 percent of their coral cover in 1998 having regained between two and 20 percent of their cover.
He attributed the gradual recovery of corals in Seychelles to time and the lack of negative development.
Take a virtual tour of the Seychelles newest luxury Eco Destination: North Island
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Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.
North Island: One hour by launch out of Victoria, the Seychelles islands' sleepy capital (I opted out of the chopper ride), I waded ashore at North Island, a just-opened private island hideaway cum eco-Noah's Ark in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. I found my way to the main lodge, designed by South African architect Silvio Rech to dramatize the Seychelles' ancient role as a crossroads of Asian, Indian and African cultures. Rech underlined the theme with a hand-crafted ensemble of rich woods, intricate details and contrasting textures: The lodge's floors gleam with teak and sand-blasted pine, and thick, gnarled trunks of takamaka and casuarina trees support thatch roofs woven by Balinese artisans from imported ylang-ylang fronds. And not a wall in sight: The "rooms" are open to every tropical breeze and sea sound. The result is beyond stylish. It is, as a visiting Londoner observed, "achingly hip and sexy--the perfect place for a fashion shoot." Robinson Crusoe, meet Giorgio Armani.
Not bad for an island that Jon Duncan, North Island's environmental manager, tells me "had been abandoned and ecologically degraded for decades." Enter Wilderness Safaris, which operates upscale, ecologically responsible safari lodges and bush camps in seven African countries. In 1998 Wilderness introduced what Duncan calls "the Noah's Ark concept"--a total ecological restoration to protect and restore North Island's native flora and fauna. Some of the species to be reintroduced, such as the giant Aldabra tortoises for which the islands are famous and the Seychelles magpie robin, are rare, and this may be one of the only places you'll see one in the wild.
Arriving at my villa, an imposing spread of nearly 5,000 square feet, I'm happy to see that nonendangered humans are also well-sheltered on North Island. Each of the island's 11 secluded thatch-roof villas has its own distinctive setting. In my villa, number 2, the master bedroom comes with a 180-degree view of the sea, floors of burnished teak and, under a cathedral ceiling, an immense bed carved from dark Indonesian wood. My compound also includes a plunge pool and a study with satellite TV and high-speed Internet connections. And of course Nisbert, my personal butler, has his own spiffy little kitchen to see to my drinks and snacks.
It's hard to break away from these posh digs. According to one staff member, "Some guests, especially honeymooners and big names, immediately vanish into their villas for their entire stay." Too bad. Outside, they could prowl the island's coral reefs or swim with the docile whale sharks that hang out just offshore.
Back at the ranch, Chef Geoffrey Murray, formerly of SoHo's Boom and Miami's Bang, prepares a flavorful and refined fusion of traditional Seychellois cuisines: Asian, Indian, African and French. Says Geoff, "When you blend local produce with Creole flavors, something wonderful happens." Geoff's happenings usually involve tuna, sea bass, snapper and other fish caught minutes before in North Island's waters, often by guests, and grilled over a banana-leaf fire. The lodge's outdoor dining area, like the rest of North Island, combines the rustic with the refined: simple tables crafted from weathered timber set with Milanese linens, French porcelain and glasses of Reidel crystal.
The dining area also attracts an unusual clientele: large hawksbill turtles that crawl ashore to nest on the beaches, sometimes at tableside. No charge for the floor show.
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Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.
It's the beginning of a new era for private jet travel. Within the next two years, the luxury air industry will welcome a new category of entry-level, ultra-light, business jets. These planes will be constructed of light weight materials and have advanced designs, lighter engines and sophisticated avionic systems.
This is important news for you, as a vacationtechnician.com customer. Ultimately, it will mean lower costs for your point-to-point travel. As some of these aircraft qualify to become part of vacationtechnician's network, their lighter weight will require less fuel for each leg of a one way trip, therefore lowering your cost.
Currently, there are seven contenders in the super-light business jet category. They include: Adam Aircraft Industries (A500 & A700), Avocet Aircraft LLC/ Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. (ProJet), Diamond Aircraft (Diamond Star DA-40 180), Eclipse Aviation Corp. (Eclipse 500) Japanese car maker Honda Motors in a joint manufacturing arrangement with General Electrics' Transportation Division (HF-118 engine and the HondaJet), Safire Aircraft (Safire Jet) and Textron Inc.'s Cessna (CitationMustang).
Most all of these planes will be ready for flight between the end of 2004 and 2009. They will cost between $1 million to $2.5 million. So, keep an eye out for opportunities to fly on these new birds. They'll offer lower costs per trip when chartering them!
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Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.
The atoll that time forgot: Aldabra Islands
Campaigners fear for future of giant tortoises and crabs.
For millennia the atoll known as Aldabra has bloomed in the absence of man. A speck in the Indian Ocean hundreds of miles from inhabited islands, it spawned tortoises big enough to knock over trees and crabs powerful enough to rip open coconuts.
White-throated rails, the last surviving flightless bird of the Indian Ocean, wandered the scrub, and in the lagoon darted sharks, ray, groupers and other exotic fish. Sailors occasionally landed but did not linger, for want of fresh water and timber.
But in the mid-1960s Britain appeared to deliver the unique ecosystem's death sentence by deciding to site a military base at Aldabra, effectively turning it into a giant aircraft carrier.
Campaigners rolled back that decision in what was feted as a landmark victory for the modern environmental movement, leaving the atoll's four main islands, Grande Terre, Malabar, Polymnie and Picard, largely untouched to this day.
Now that may change because a luxury safari camp is being planned for Aldabra. The age of ecotourism has caught up with the land that time forgot. The government of the Seychelles, the archipelago east of Africa which administers the atoll, has tendered for a resort to cater for the super-rich in anticipation of charging each visitor thousands of dollars a day.
The prospect has horrified conservationists. Tam Dalyell, the Labour MP who led opposition to the military base, vowed yesterday to launch a new campaign on behalf of Aldabra, which remains part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. "I am absolutely dismayed," he said. "It would alter the nature of the atoll. The idea was to keep it as pristine as possible."
Mr Dalyell, now the father of the House of Commons, said he would raise the issue in parliament when it resumes after the Easter break and lobby the Foreign Office.
But the South African company which has tendered to build the resort, Wilderness Safaris, said its environmental record was impeccable and it would manage the world heritage site better than scientists who, it said, treated the atoll as a private playground while stationed there for research.
"Why should it be scientists that have exclusive access? They can be the worst when it comes to looking after the environment," said a company director, Russel Friedman.
Aldabra is situated in the extreme south-west of the Seychelles archipelago, 375 miles east of Africa, 250 miles north-west of Madagascar and 685 miles south-west of the main Seychelles population centre, Mah�.
It is the world's largest raised coral atoll; its last submergence was about 125,000 years ago. It hosts endemic insects, plants and mammals, including 152,000 giant tortoises, the world's largest population of this reptile. Believed to live beyond 100 years, the tortoises weigh up to 250kg (39 stones) and are known to push over shrubs and small trees when foraging for food.
Robber crabs measuring up to a metre long - the world's largest terrestrial arthropods - rove the beaches and climb palm trees in search of coconuts, which they open with huge pincers. The world's second largest population of frigate birds use the atoll for their sanctuary.
Described by Sir David Attenborough as "one of the wonders of the world", the atoll was declared a world heritage site by the UN in 1982.
The government of the Seychelles, whose beaches attract celebrities such as the England rugby star Jonny Wilkinson, wants to attract rich tourists and for Aldabra to pay its own way.
"It costs us $500,000 a year to run Aldabra," Lindsey Chong Seng, executive director of the Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) which manages Aldabra, told Reuters. "In order to maintain the atoll, we have to put Aldabra on a sustainable footing by introducing an upmarket eco-lodge."
He said plans included building six blocks, accommodating a total of 12 people, on the western island of Picard. Visitors will be expected to pay up to $2,000 (�1,090) a night.
Wilderness Safaris, a vacationtechnician.com partner, is the only company to have tendered, according to Mr Friedman. The Johannesburg-based company runs 48 lodges across southern Africa, many of them in environmentally sensitive areas.
Non-governmental organisations promised funding but it never materialised, Mr Friedman said, prompting the authorities to seek alternative means.
He envisaged a maximum of 20 visitors spending a week at a time on the atoll, adding that it would be better off hosting monitored tourists than PhD students duplicating predecessors' research.
"It's an awesome place, really amazing. If you go there and don't enjoy yourself there must be something wrong with you," Mr Friedman said.
But he said the company had asked the authorities to suspend the tender process for 12 months while the tourism market improved.
A marine researcher who spent several months on the island but declined to be named said a luxury safari camp would compound rising sea temperatures and erosion which are already threatening the ecosystem.
Mr Dalyell echoed those concerns, claiming that no matter how well intentioned, a resort would damage the atoll.
Paradise being lost
The Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos archipelago, 600 miles off Ecuador, was discovered by Charles Darwin and is home to giant tortoises, lava lizards and penguins. The ecosystem is threatened by fishermen demanding laxer laws and by the 2001 oil spill which killed 60% of the unique marine iguanas. The tourist trade is also a concern.
Great Barrier Reef
Off Queensland, the 1,250-mile long series of reefs is home to sharks, turtles and more than 1,500 types of fish. Concern that overfishing is depleting marine life has led to a law that will leave tourism the only permitted industry in one-third of the world heritage site. The million visitors a year bring problems of pollution.
Maldives
A chain of islands off the Indian sub-continent, the Maldives are a sought-after destination for scuba divers. But the coral reefs are being damaged by effluent by the tourist cabins. Global warming makes their disappearance a real possibility.
Antartica
Mining and mineral exploitation has been banned from the last great wilderness, which occupies a 10th of the plane. It is home to penguins, albatrosses, elephant seals and whales. But there is a also a burgeoning cruise industry. Environmentalists point out that if you leave a footprint in moss on Antartica it will take at least 10 years to recover.
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Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.
"Imagine an island dedicated to preserving nature, in a climate of unabashed luxury. A private, reclusive villa would afford you a 270 degree view of clear blue equatorial waters and some of the world's most beautiful scenery. You would be pampered, yet completely secluded. You would be rejuventated as nature herself has been. Does such a place exist?"
Awards.
In our opening year, we were honoured to win two prestigious awards, the UK Sunday Times Travel Award and the Tatler Award.
The UK Sunday Times Travel Magazine declared North Island the Best Resort, Outstanding Style.
According to editor, Brian Schofield, "North Island has set a towering new standard in barefoot luxury and has leapt to the top of the world's honeymoon hot list. North Island is as luxurious and private as anyone can wish for. In addition, the judges were duly impressed by its dedication to the environment."
According to Tatler, "This is the ultimate in Crusoe living. Just 11 two-bedroom Villas set back from a sparkling-white sickle of beach, with wide decks - so fabulously eco that not a nail has been used - and the roofs of ylang-ylang wood. The pools are circles of deep blue sunk into the deck, gently swirling. Actually, not so gently: jets are strong enough to swim against, or float round and round on blissful silky water. These are pools that induce the goldfish attention span: a few seconds and you're happy to drift round all over again. The depth is irresistible for bomb-jumping. The resort is the Island, your castaway home - a new interpretation of barefoot luxury with laid-back lifestyle. Chef Geoffrey Murray, headhunted by Hillary Clinton for the White House, is here not so much as a chef as your private cook. No menus - you just tell Geoffrey what you like to eat. As lotus - eating goes, North Island sets a new standard."
Noah's Ark.
Our Island team are full steam ahead with the environmental rehabilitation programme, which consists of both land and marine based activities.
The initial focus of the project is:
1. To clear the Island of all alien vegetation, animals and birds. So far, the team has successfully cleared 1/4 of the Island of alien plant species (Lanatana, coco plums and coco nuts).
2. To develop an endemic plant nursery. About 90 000 plants have, at this point, been propagated from 75 species.
3. Finally, once a viable habitat has been created, to re-introduce endemic bird species onto North Island.
The aims for 2004 are:
1. To remove Indian Myna's and Barred Madagascan Ground Doves from the Island.
2. To undertake a basic biodiversity assessment of the Island in order to find out which birds should be introduced.
3. To introduce two endemic bird species on to North Island by the end of the year. This is dependent on the results of the biodiversity assessment.
Although not currently a primary focus, the conservation marine based activities, i.e. turtle, reef and beach profile monitoring, are ongoing processes.
Looking forward, the North Island Cook Book will be published sometime during the next couple of months. Written by our chef, Geoff, the book will be a collage of recipes, photographs and stories about life on North Island, through the eyes of the people who live there.
Seychelles
The 43 Inner Islands that cluster around the principal islands of Mah�, Praslin and La Digue are the world's only oceanic islands of granitic composition. They represent the mountain peaks of the ancient super-continent of Pangea that once encompassed the total landmass of a young, evolving planet and are thought to have erupted from the earth's core some 750 million years ago.Around 200 million years ago, the forces determining the continental drift split Pangea into Laurasia (modern Europe, Asia and North America) and Gondwanaland (South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australasia and India). 75 million years later Madagascar, Seychelles and India separated as one landmass, carrying with them certain species of fauna, such as the flying fox, that remain common to both locations, before Seychelles finally split from India about 65 million years ago.
North Island, and its close neighbour Silhouette Island, contain the only evidence of volcanic ash found above sea level in Seychelles. They are both granitic islands but are thought to be considerably younger than Mah�, Praslin and La Digue. Their syenite formation probably dates back to about 90 million years ago when Seychelles and India separated.Seychelles' Outer Islands are coralline and made up of coral or volcanic rocks from deep within the earth's crust. Produced by seismic events, these islands are mere juveniles in comparison to their aged granitic peers and date back only a few million, or perhaps even a thousand years.Seychelles' magnificent islands possess unrivalled beauty ranging from the verdant mist forests of virgin granite peaks to the powder-soft sands of secluded beaches and together represent the ultimate tropical destination for the discerning traveller, living up to the country's slogan - "Seychelles - as pure as it gets".
Tourism is the mainstay of the nation's economy and is considered one of the chief components in the sustainable development of the country, benefiting from policies, planning and marketing structures that take into account both the conservation of natural and cultural resources as well as the carrying capacity of the islands. Respect for other crucial factors such as the preservation of the social values of local communities, as well as the fragile and prolific bio-diverse eco-systems, such as coral reefs and mangroves, remain very much at the heart of planning initiatives.
Seychelles takes its role as custodian of a truly unique environment very seriously and, over many years, enlightened conservationist policies have set aside nearly 50% of a limited landmass as natural reserves. Seychelles boasts two UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Aldabra, the world's largest raised coral atoll (approximately 500 square kilometres) that is home to 150,000 giant tortoises and an abundance of flora and fauna, as well as the Vall�e-de-Mai on Praslin, the only place on earth where you will find the fabled Coco-de-Mer (the world's heaviest seed) and the rare Black Parrot.This impressive national heritage has remained virtually untouched for millions of years and today combines with other real advantages, such as the absence of venomous creatures, tropical disease (there is no malaria), cyclones, crime and poverty, to make Seychelles a most desirable tourist destination.
Racially harmonious and politically stable, Seychelles is one of the last true sanctuaries on the planet where man can still live healthily and in harmony with nature, benefiting from a carefree, island-style way of living and enjoying the space to breathe pure air and to roam free.
North Island is one of forty inner granitic islands of the Seychelles that are located around the two main islands of Mah� and Praslin. North Island provides a sanctuary for guests seeking an unspoiled tropical haven of peace and tranquility. The island offers four beaches that are located at each end of the compass and is able to ensure a wonderful year-round tropical beach and island experience. Facilities include 11 handcrafted air-conditioned guest villas. There are a central dining room, lounge and library; a beautifully located health spa and gym; a breathtakingly beautiful swimming pool hewn into a granitic outcrop and a sunset bar and restaurant tucked away on the western side of the island.
Each villa is completely self-contained and comprises a luxuriously proportioned bedroom; a writing and change-room area with a huge en-suite bathroom and outdoor shower; overhead fans; fully retracting sliding windows and mosquito nets. The master bedroom and change room is air-conditioned. An additional study or bedroom is equipped with a DVD/CD system, Internet access and can be rearranged to accommodate children. There is a kitchen, sun deck and covered lounge area and guests may elect to eat in their villas or in the main dining room. A private plunge pool and sala completes your private sanctuary within a sanctuary. A full butler service caters for your every need from in-villa meals to picnics on secluded beaches.
Activities include swimming and sunbathing on any of the 4 private beaches, excellent snorkeling right off the beaches, reef and wall scuba diving, massage and health therapy in the Spa or in your villa, gymnasium, nature walks, deep sea and fly fishing, windsurfing, guided and supported sea kayaking, hobie sailing, yacht charter, boating trips to the neighbouring island, mountain biking or golf at Lemuria Resort on Praslin (18 hole course but requires a private helicopter transfer).
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Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoiled gem in the purest sense.