The Leader-Post from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada • 53

Friday, May 31. 2002 Travel Leader-Post F3 COSTA RICA GROWING INDUSTRY Ecotourism in need of guidelines By THERESA SCHADECK-STORM For Southam Newspapers CALGARY All is not roses in the Garden of Ecotourism, While few would argue that the intent of ecotourism is commendable, whether its ambitious goals are actually being met is the subject of much debate. By virtue of what it is, keeping numbers low is key. Several non-governmental organizations have stated fears that the International Year of Ecotourism could lead to promotion of unregulated ecotourism and to misconceived and inflationary mass tourism in ecologically sensitive areas. Like all travel, ecotourism has benefits, but also has impacts.

Its not everything it purports to be, explained Fergus Tyler Maclaren, director of the IYE for The'Inter-national Ecotourism Society (TIES). For example, while ecotourism is supposed to support sustainable livelihoods, some see it as a way for big corporations to exploit developing areas. Economic leakage is another problem. Too often, not enough money remains in the country to support the people who live there. And with tourism the leading provider of foreign currency in the worlds 12 poorest countries, theres also the issue of what happens when the economy weakens and travel drops, as it did this past winter.

Tourism is what communities depend on for education, health and other social services they may not otherwise receive, said Maclaren. Others question whether development is sensitive to local peoples or whether they, in fact, benefit Development of tourism policies and government monitoring is another thorny issue. The tourism development sector is one of the least regulated, yet fastest growing industrial sectors in the world, Megan Epler Wood, TIES president, said this year. Developing countries have become increasingly dependent on tourism as a source of foreign exchange, but they are not developing appropriate policies or investing in sustainable infrastructure. Undoubtedly, these issues and more will provoke prickly discussions at the summit.

Only Australia and Costa Rica currently certify ecolodges and tours. Everywhere else the ecotourism industry is largely regulated by the operators themselves. No universal principles, guidelines or standards are in place. Nor is there an international certification and accreditation process, which would greatly assist consumers in choosing genuine eco-operators. But with many stakeholders agreeing this is needed, the push to move in this direction is strong a highly unusual move in the tourism field.

TIES and other organizations have developed fact sheets for travellers and guidelines for ecolodges and tours. Here is some information to get you started. WHERE TO GO While ecotourism focuses more on the experience than the destination, it is still important to choose your travel destinations mindfully, advises the TIES Web site (www. ecotourism.org). THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN AN ECO-DESTINATION INCLUDE Destinations that are not overcrowded or overdeveloped; Plenty of protected landscapes and recreational areas, such as bike paths or beach areas, shared by locals and visitors alike; Thriving, locally owned lodges, hotels, restaurants and businesses that provide genuine hospitality and motivated, friendly staff; Evidence of local control over tourism development that is not harmful to the environment or local well-being; Local festivals and events attended by locals and visitors that demonstrate an ongoing sense of pride in envi- ronmental and cultural heritage.

It also worth remembering that you dont have to go somewhere far away or exotic to be an ecotourist. In Canadas wide open natural spaces, you can experience ecotours and activities practically in your own backyard. You may even find eco in some urban places. Torontos Green Tourism Association has published the first urban green tourism guide to a major city. CALGARY HERALD Barry Biesanz concentrates as he works to shape a bowl on his Canadian-made lathe.

One of his finished products (below) gleams in the light. Artisans work prized by many in the wood as it ages, the workers apply a coat of ultraviolet block wax. Biesanz, who spent time in the Detroit area as well as California before moving to Costa Rica in 1971, is vague about his American origins. He took up woodworking because he felt a need for a balanced development in his life. All my family members were academics who couldnt change a tire or do anything with their hands to save their lives.

I figured Id better learn to do something with my hands before heading to college to find the meaning of life. It was either woodwork-in? or masonry. So I apprenticed with a woodworker, and my son is working with stones, he says. Biesanz says he learned more from books than the craftsman where he apprenticed. It didnt take long to realize I could do as well, if not better, than the guy who was teaching me.

Once on my own it was a lot of trial and error. It took me five years to master a simple curve, now it takes me minutes. Hes the master craftsman now, and apprentices are eager to learn from him. Biesanz welcomes apprentices, but hes not likely to keep them long if they rely on him or his craftsmen to provide direction. Ill give an apprentice the basics, then its up to him or her to take the initiative, he says.

Everything is informal here and you learn through humility and hard work. You absorb all you can and try all you can. Aspiring artists, Biesanz says, begin with repetitive tasks and they do them until they no longer ask questions. Then they move on. Any fool can do what I do.

And a number of people are trying to copy my style, but they dont get it, because to do it right you have to care. The secret is to like a finished piece, but dont like it too much. Pat yourself on the back and tell yourself I can do better, and look for how you can do better. Like being a critic and a fan at the same time so you have enough reason to go on and feel happy, but not too much that you are not improving. EDMONTON JOURNAL kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk presents Biesanzs objects dart to visiting dignitaries.

Biesanz is in his mid-50s with an air of an easy-going flower-powered hippy. Piles of logs of almost every exotic tree grown in Costa Rica are everywhere outside the workshop. Yet Biesanz has not cut a single tree. Some of this is scavenged wood and local fanners bring me their fallen or dead trees, especially the gnarly ones. I could never bring myself to cut a tree, even though I have lots planted on my properties, he says.

A shed beside the shop is crammed with stacks of bowls in various stages of completion. A bowl, depending on its size, will take up to two years to finish. You cant hurry the drying process or the wood will crack. My time spent on any piece may take two or three hours, but its done over a period of a year or two, says Biesanz. Its much like the painter who says his work took him two days ai 30 years.

Eveiy work in progress is dated the day the bowl is cut from the block and shaped on the Canadian-made lathe. Any wood requiring a slower drying process to prevent cracking is individually wrapped in a plastic bag and tagged. I want my bowls to not only look good but feel good when you pick them up, says Biesanz. Never do I impose a shape, Id rather use the defects in the wood. Even a charred piece of wood can lend an element of beauty to the finished piece.

He leaves the wood exposed to the tropical rain and heat because he wants the fungus to penetrate the sapwood and make it interesting looking, he says. The shop is manned by 14 craftsmen, including several apprentices, who are busy making jewelry boxes, humidors a prototype of one which sells for $950 US is in the White House and cremation urns. If these boxes can hold cigars they can hold ashes, says Biesanz. The natural is emphasized in everything Biesanz and his craftsmen make in the converted leather factory. We dont use nails or screws, and every box is finished with a natural shellac.

We use only non-toxic materials," says Biesanz. And to slow down the natural colour change By SILVIO DOBRI Southam Newspapers BELLO HORIZONTE, Costa Rica No traveller can resist a souvenir shop. The tourist dollars have spawned a glut of such moderately priced shops in San Jose, the artisans avenue in Moravia, the colourful ox cart town of Sarchi, and every resort hotel along Costa Ricas Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Shopkeepers and hawkers everywhere mouthing the same mantra in a dozen languages: "Just for you! Something special! Something nice, good and cheap! The items they proffer are leather goods, ceramics, paintings of rural landscapes in watercolours and oils shell necklaces, earrings and bracelets, T-shirts and hats. Not to mention the assortment of wood products salad bowls, placemats, walking sticks, masks, boxes, gaudily painted toucans, puzzles, and varying sizes of the brightly decorated Costa Rican oxcarts.

Kitsch wrapped in a pilgrims sentimentality for the most part, yet any of these colourful objects dart are sure to please friends and family back home. Costa Ricas artisans and artists alike are skilfully reviving the traditional and exploring the contemporary in their workshops. However, when it comes to wood products most seem content with producing items that sell more for their easy portability than artistic merit. And then there are master craftsmen like Barry Biesanz. Biesanzs bowls have a Shaker simplicity to them, yet theyre stunning.

Smooth sensual curves, with the knots and grain reflecting the woods natural harmony have a Japanese quality to their appearance. And the pre-Columbian-styled bowls are awash with intricate patterns made by fungi and beetles which worked their way into the wood. These abstract swirls give the larger bowls an appearance of medieval nautical charts. Some of the more delicate bowls are as light and thin as paper, accenting the colours and grain, while others are thick, emphasizing the rough and smooth elements of hardwoods such as rosewood (cocobolo). Biesanz prefers cocobolo more than any other tree because its attractive, giving him lots of variations in shape, figure and colour.

He calls cocobolo a flexible wood that stands up to the gouge. Only lignum vitae (the tree of life) is hardier, but the latter grows slowly and its on the endangered species list Pieces displaying the Biesanz signature are prized and pricey, and found only in select galleries, including about 50 in the United States. Four American presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter have Biesanz bowls and jewelry boxes in their collections. European royals also value his creations, as does the Costa Rican gov-Sfrnment, which! CLEAR GETAWAY $49 la All You Pay For A At Tha Elkhom Certain condmona a subiect to mtormation vacations Subject to MOOSE MOUNTAIN I0URS MINOT HOSTFEST, OCTOBER 8-12, Staying in Minot $789 from Regina Yorkton, $829 from Saskatoon, Single add $75. The largest Scandinavian Festival in North America Entertainers include Bill Cosby, Wayne Newton, Mel Tillis, Lee Greenwood Tim Conway.

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