Background to the Ecovision concept

Written by Anthony Mills, April 1999

The Ecovision concept started in 1991 when, during my university holidays I designed and led birdwatching tours in the wetlands and forests of the Garden Route in South Africa. The emphasis on the tours was not only on logging up a high species tally, but also on revealing the fascinating ecology of the various birds that we encountered. The reasons for the mimicing ability of the Choristor Robin, the predatory habits of the Burchells Coucal and how the Little Stint numbers in the Bitou Estuary in South Africa are related to the lemming population levels in Siberia were, for example, discussed whilst watching the birds in question. The tours were fully booked most mornings and it was at this point that I realised how nature enthusiasts had an insatiable appetite for learning interesting ecological anecdotes.

My university studies then took me to Canada and England, and apart from running the same birdwatching tours on the Garden Route in the summer of 1993, it was not until 1995 that I explored the Ecovision concept further. I moved to Cape Town in 1995 and spent two years immersed in the ecology of the fynbos vegetation.

Fynbos is one of the most diverse floras on the planet, rivalling even the tropical rain forests and is filled with ecological wonder. During this time, I designed and led numerous guided walks on Table Mountain, in Cape Point Nature Reserve and in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The themes of the walks ranged from general ecology and history to more specialised themes including: forest ecology; birding; geology; bird calls and song; fynbos gardening; and the secrets of the succulents on display in the vast conservatory in Kirstenbosch Gardens.

During 1997 and 1998, work commitments took me into the field of environmental consulting which involved the generation of environmental impact reports for industries as diverse as construction, manufacturing, tourism and mining. This experience led me to believe that a consultancy service for the ecotourism industry could be applied on a global scale, if it utilised the Ecovision concept successfully.

It is this belief that has led me back to my old university town of Cambridge where there is a library on a scale that surpasses most others, to use for the preliminary ecological research into guided walks anywhere in the world. The close proximity of Cambridge to London and Heathrow Airport was also a key factor for choosing where to base myself for applying the Ecovision concept on a global scale.

The end result is that now in 1999, the Ecovision concept is on offer to the global eco-tourism industry. I will personally, in my capacity as Ecovision Consulting, research, design and implement guided ecological walks for any resort or hotel that is striving to provide greater ecological entertainment for their guests.

If you would like the Ecovision concept applied at your resort or hotel, please email Anthony at [email protected] for a quotation and discussion on the types of ecological walks you envisage for your guests.

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