What's New:

Strategic Airlines Sponsors Bali Project

FACET would like to thank Strategic Airlines for its generosity in providing the airlines tickets of the four member FACET team that visited Bali in March 2011 to assist a small traditional village in north Bali plan for sustainable tourism development.

Established in 2002 and headquartered in Brisbane, Strategic Airlines is Australia's newest international full-service carrier and is part of the diverse Strategic Aviation Group. Strategic Airlines has bases in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Darwin, Luxembourg and London and launched several new services in 2011, onboard its modern Airbus A320 and A330 aircraft. Currently Strategic Airlines fly Perth to Derby, Perth to Bali, Brisbane to Townsville, Brisbane to Port Hedland, Brisbane to Bali, Brisbane to Phuket, Townsville to Bali and Melbourne to Phuket.

Photo (from left to right) Peter Clay, Colin Ingram, Vanessa Weigall and Shannon Hassel, seen at Perth International Airport on their way to Bali.

Les Village Tourism Feasibility Assessment

There is a growing demand for more authentic tourism experiences in Bali. Small but viable numbers of Europeans (particularly German, Swiss and Dutch) and Australians are reaching into remoter parts of Bali to experience the real culture and nature of Bali, something that has been lost to mass tourism in the south. Resolve Global in association with FACET visited Les village in March 2011 to determine the viability of developing a community driven, sustainable tourism industry based on traditional culture and nature. The area has many great attractions including several important temples, a 40m waterfall, cultural events and festivals, traditional farming, marine activities and mountain trekking. A full report will be available in May 2011.

The Great Grand Canyon

Resolve Global's Managing Director, Col Ingram travelled to the Arizona State in September 2010 at the invitation of the US Park Service and the Grand Canyon Foundation to view current park management programs in Grand Canyon National Park and Canyon De Chelly National Park. Colin, along with fellow travellers Prof. Ross Dowling, Chair of FACET and Jim Sharp (Deputy Director General of DEC) will present a travelogue of their trip at the next meeting of FACET (Forum Advocating Cultural and Eco Tourism) on 23 February 2011. The highlight of the two week trip was a eight day river trip down the Colorado River. More...

Sukau Rainforest, Kinabantangan River

Col Ingram also travelled to Sabah, Malaysia in December 2010 to stay at the Award winning Sukau Rainforest Lodge. The Lodge is a genuine ecotourism operation run by Albert Teo of Borneo Ecotours. Set on the Kinabantangan River, Sukau Rainforest Lodge is a great place to see some of the Sabah's fast disappearing wildlife. There is ample opportunity to see brilliant bird life such as hornbills and kingfishers and rare species such as Proboscis monkey, Orang utans and elephants. The guides are excellent with outstanding knowledge of wildlife and an ability to spot birds and monkeys at great distance.

Sukau Rainforest Lodge

Sukau Rainforest Lodge (SRL) is a genuine ecotourism facility making a difference to livelihoods in Sabah. SRL helps provide alternative sustainable economic opportunities to the destructive palm oil industry. Much of Sabah has been cleared for palm oil plantations since the 1990s. Palm oil is a high yielding producer of vegetable oil. Malaysia accounts for 65% of world production. SRL sits within a private reserve but part of a well connected network of rainforest of conservation reserves along the Kinabantangan River. SRL is featured in a new book (Authentic EcoLodges) by renowned eco lodge architect Hitesh Mehta.

Bali Volunteer Project

A small team of FACET volunteers is preparing to assist a small village at the northern end of Bali develop its tourism potential. Educational facilities and services in this area of Bali are particularly poor. Resolve Global and Ethical & Green Trust are working together to use the expertise of FACET members to provide a blueprint for tourism development in the area, as a means of funding the development and operation of education services. For more information contact Col Ingram.

Browse LNG Strategic Assessment Report (SAR) released

The Department of State Development (DSD) has released the long awaited Strategic Assessment Report (SAR) for the Browse LNG Precinct. Of particular interest is several recommendations that require the preparation of a detailed management plan to address the potential impacts of the proposed development and its operation on recreation, tourism and cultural values adjacent to James Price Point and the Dampier Peninsula. In addition the report recommends that a process be determined to manage uncontrolled recreation on the Dampier Peninsula, consistent with the Dampier Peninsula Land Use and Infrastructure Plan.