Places « Enchanted Lands and Fables

Leh Ladakh India – Ice desert of the Himalayas

By enchanted lands, on December 10th, 2011%

Leh was once the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh. Situated high up in the Himalayas in northern India, it lies in an ice desert region. Amidst the cold barren landscape, the town of Leh is an enchanted oasis. Watch this wonderful film from Leh and share the wisdom of this ancient land.

People belonging to different religions, particularly Buddhism and Islam, have been living in harmony in Leh for centuries. They have coexisted since the 8th century and there has been no mention of any conflict between them. Leh also has people belonging to other religions such as Christianity, . . . → Read More: Leh Ladakh India – Ice desert of the Himalayas

Moon-Lake, Himalayas

By enchanted lands, on March 21st, 2010%

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Chandra Taal (Moon Lake) – A magical lake deep in the Himalayas that can transport you to the moon if you look into it.

There is a charming legend about the famous, beautiful lakes known as Chandratal and Surajtal in the folklore of Himachal Pradesh (a state in Northern India).

The story goes that the daughter of the moon and the son of the Sun were in love. They wanted to meet, but this was very difficult as the son and moon come into the sky at different . . . → Read More: Moon-Lake, Himalayas

Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

By enchanted lands, on March 20th, 2010%

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the most biologically diverse country in Africa with the largest portion of the continent’s tropical forests and top of the list for Africa in virtually every group of organisms except plants (second to South Africa). Flowing through this immense forest is the second largest river system on earth, the mighty Congo.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also has striking cultural diversity with some 250-300 different languages spoken. One of the most interesting people of this country, the Mbuti Pygmies live in the forests of northeast Congo and are among the few true forest people. They . . . → Read More: Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Rare Species Conservatory Foundation

By enchanted lands, on March 15th, 2010%

RSCF is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization dedicated to preserving biodiversity through hands-on conservation programs rooted in sound science.

Golden Lion Tamarin (copyright RSCF)

RSCF utilizes the “flagship species” concept, whereby the conservation of key species leverages protection of biologically diverse ecosystems. This concept evolved from the sobering observation that historical conservation approaches often targeted only individual, high profile, and charismatic animals. Effective flagship species not only characterize diverse ecosystems, but also connect cultural, political and social value systems to nature. The human component is crucial, since collectively we must shoulder the responsibility of preserving what remains of nature. Conservation strategies for pinnacle . . . → Read More: Rare Species Conservatory Foundation

Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Uganda

By enchanted lands, on March 11th, 2010%

Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) was established as a combined national and international initiative and a globally recognized collaborative conservation effort, geared towards developing and implementing a long-term strategy for conservation of chimpanzees and their habitat, with the immediate purpose of establishing a chimpanzee sanctuary on Ngamba Island in Lake Victoria, and such other places in Uganda as the trustees may acquire.CSWCT established Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in 1998 for the care and welfare of entrusted animals while conserving as far . . . → Read More: Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Uganda

PEPY, Cambodia

By enchanted lands, on November 21st, 2009%

PEPY, Cambodia

The idea for PEPY, started as a cycle trip across Cambodia. Six friends rode from the Thai border to Vietnam through the red dusty back roads of Cambodia to raise funds for educational projects. The team spent five weeks visiting schools and orphanages, teaching the first PEPY environmental lessons. Since then, the PEPY team has learned to not focus trips on “giving” and “teaching” but instead on “learning” as, without learning first, we cannot expect to understand how to help to begin with.

Today PEPY is supporting education for over 1,700 families in 12 villages and 6 schools in . . . → Read More: PEPY, Cambodia

Douglas McMeekin, Ecuador – South America

By enchanted lands, on October 26th, 2009%

In the Ecuadorian Amazon, primary school attrition rates are as high as 30 percent and employment opportunities are scarce even for students who continue on to secondary school. Education also has huge opportunity costs because families lose money and labor when they send their children to school. Pursuing an education becomes a tradeoff that separates students from their communities. Plus, because of the poor quality of schooling, many high school graduates have difficulty finding jobs after graduation. Virtually no training exists to teach Amazonian residents how to conserve the environment or to hold multinational oil companies accountable for their environmental . . . → Read More: Douglas McMeekin, Ecuador – South America

Querétaro, Mexico

By enchanted lands, on August 21st, 2009%

One of Mexico’s most diverse yet threatened natural areas is coming back to life as an innovative educator, Martha Ruiz Corzo, makes conservation profitable for the thousands of poor families who live in the Sierra Gorda Mountains.

In the year 1987, with help from her husband and some friends, Ruiz Corzo formed the Sierra Gorda Ecological Group to reverse environmental degradation and encourage sustainable use of the region’s rich resources.

Today, around 97 per cent of the Biosphere Reserve is in private hands. Ruiz Corzo believes that orchids, butterflies, wild turkeys and macaws are thriving today because residents have assumed responsibility for . . . → Read More: Querétaro, Mexico

Rajasthan, India

By enchanted lands, on August 9th, 2009%

Maharajas once rode their high-stepping dromedaries in battles for primacy over Rajasthan’s sprawling deserts. Today, like the state itself, Rajasthan’s camels face a troubled future.

For centuries, the Raika nomads have hitched their collective fortunes to the loping tread of Camelus dromedarius, the one-humped camel that thrives in the desert. Now used mainly as fuel-efficient carriers in the vast, barely mechanised hinterlands of India, camels are also the glue that holds the semi-nomadic Raika together, allowing them to maintain a precarious identity and tenuous independence in a quickly modernising society. But loss of habitat, diseases and sales of camels in times of . . . → Read More: Rajasthan, India

Quebrangulo, Brazil

By enchanted lands, on July 21st, 2009%

Anita Studer, an ornithologist from Switzerland made it her goal to plant several hundreds of trees in the Pedra Talhada forest near Quebrangulo in the north-eastern state of Alagoas in Brazil.

For Studer, planting hundreds of hectares of forest – 800 hectares to date – is a major achievement, but it is just one step on the way to a greater goal. Mass planting of saplings around Quebrangulo will continue, with about 10,000 schoolchildren now involved in the wider region. And on 1 June, as Quebrangulo was planting its millionth tree, thanks to Studer’s efforts, children in 18 other villages in 16 of . . . → Read More: Quebrangulo, Brazil