Luxury experiential company &Beyond was today named among the top 10 winners in the 2013 Inspiring Stories fromDestinations competition at ITB Asia Singapore, the region's biggest travel show.
Inspiring Stories from Destinations is an annual competition that showcases organisations that seek to make a difference in the travel industry and to leave a legacy for the next generation. In order to be selected for the top 10, stories must be authentic, creative and innovative, as well as having the power to inspire others towards responsible tourism. In keeping with &Beyond's core ethos of Care of the Land, Care of the Wildlife, Care of the People, the company's entry for 2013 focused on the groundbreaking translocation of gaur in India. Carried out in partnership with conservation authorities in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the initiative was aimed at reversing the local extinction of gaur in Bandhavgarh National Park. The first successful translocation of its kind in India, an additional goal of the project was to carry out training and create the capability for Indian wildlife officials to complete subsequent relocations of other species on their own.
The gaur translocation has been a great success, with a total of 50 animals moved in 2011 and 2012. The new gaur herd in Bandhavgarh has grown steadily and is thriving in its new home.
"The first partnership between a wildlife tourism operator and the Forestry Department in India, our translocation project has cleared the way for the implementation of other conservation initiatives in Madhya Pradesh state and in all of India," says Mark Wheeler, &Beyond Regional Managing Director for East Africa and South Asia. "With our assistance, Indian conservation authorities now have the skills and experience to reverse the local extinctions of several other species."
To read the full story about &Beyond's gaur translocation project, please log on to www.tourism.wildasia.org.
www.andBeyond.com
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