The quest for eco friendly beaches can be a tricky one. Basically in order to get to one you need to go onto a protected area, or way off the beaten track. When you get there however, it will be worth it.
Some of the most eco friendly beaches in the world, according to MMN are the following:
Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia. This beach stretches for over miles and is a white sparkling wonder that has even won awards. It can be found amongst the Whitsunday Islands, Australia’s most famous chain of islands. In order to visit it, you must register and have a tour guide. In this way, they keep track of how many people tramp along this beach and help to keep it eco friendly. Shampoos and soaps are not allowed on it for one, and other measures are taken to ensure it stays pristine.
Playa Matapalo, Costa Rica. This beach has in its vicinity a dense forest and hundreds of thousands of species of flora and fauna. This is part of a national park and it even has a marine turtle protection project going on nearby.
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Hawaii. This recently joined the ranks of eco friendly beaches after a crackdown by local government. Visitor numbers are restricted and it’s essential to watch an educational video about preserving the fragile ecosystem before you even get onto it.
Koh Libong, Thailand. There are not many many beaches in Thailand that have not experienced tourism, but with this one is better, after some Swedish environmentalists got on board. Crabs, birds and turtles get along nicely there since numbers have been restricted.
In each case, it’s interested to see how the pressure from tourism has been put aside to facilitate a re-surgence of nature. If more places chose to do this, we would see the emergence of a whole range of eco friendly beaches. Next time you are planning some sea and sand, there’s some food for thought.
