Ellen Lopez

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In the BBC's inaugural guide to the best places to travel this year, we wanted to highlight the destinations experiencin...
28/01/2025

In the BBC's inaugural guide to the best places to travel this year, we wanted to highlight the destinations experiencing the opposite phenomenon. Each of these 25 spots is not only welcoming visitors and offering incredible travel experiences, but also using tourism to support local communities, protect the environment or preserve their unique cultural heritage. We compiled the list with input from BBC Travel journalists and some of the world's leading sustainable travel authorities, such as the United Nations World Travel Organization, Sustainable Travel International, the Black Travel Alliance and the World Travel & Tourism Council.
As tourism in many regions soars past pre-pandemic levels, and extreme weather and climate change reveal the fragile impermanence of many bucket-list destinations, travelling thoughtfully means considering where your trip can serve a larger good.
From trekking through a moonlike landscape in Bolivia to Arctic glamping in Greenland on the world's largest island, your next great adventure is just ahead.

Ever wanted to swim alongside s***m whales? Dominica now offers the chance to do it in an ethical, sustainable way as pa...
17/01/2025

Ever wanted to swim alongside s***m whales? Dominica now offers the chance to do it in an ethical, sustainable way as part of the Caribbean island's groundbreaking commitment to marine conservation and regenerative tourism. The island nation recently established the world's first s***m whale reserve, a protected marine area designed to safeguard its resident giants. Limited permits for whale swims ensure intimate, respectful encounters, offering visitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience to share the water with these incredible cetaceans while facilitating research and creating sustainable tourism opportunities for local residents.
New for 2025, expanded infrastructure and systems are set to welcome visitors, including digital immigration forms to ease arrival and the development of a cable-car system taking riders from Roseau Valley up to Boiling Lake, one of the world's largest thermal springs. Access to the island has never been easier: on top of existing American Airlines flights from Miami, United Airlines is launching direct flights from Newark starting 15 February. Several new hotels are opening in 2025 (adding nearly 500 rooms with a 25% increase in inventory), including the six-star Hilton Tranquility Beach Resort and Spa in Salisbury. Or choose a tried-and-true classic such as Secret Bay, a luxury eco-property that frequently tops sustainability lists.

Last week, a female killer whale was spotted off the coast of Washington State pushing the body of her dead newborn calf...
14/01/2025

Last week, a female killer whale was spotted off the coast of Washington State pushing the body of her dead newborn calf. The orca, known as Tahlequah, was observed doing the same thing in 2018 after another of her calves died in infancy. On that occasion, Tahlequah pushed the body of her offspring for 17 days, continually retrieving it and preventing it from sinking – an incredible feat given the fact that killer whales can travel an average of 120km (75 miles) a day.
Whales are not the only species known to carry the bodies of their deceased young. In 2021, Edinburgh Zoo reported that one of their chimpanzees, Lianne, had given birth to a stillborn baby and was refusing to let go, carrying the infant around with her within the zoo enclosure. Other highly intelligent mammals, such as dolphins and monkeys, have also been observed behaving this way.
"It's hard to see this behaviour without thinking of it through the lens of grief, partly because, as humans, if we lose someone we want to cling on to that person in some sense," says Becky Millar, a researcher specialising in the philosophy of cognitive sciences at Cardiff University.

Next, I consider the environmental quality of the decorations. I am re-using plastic beads from an old necklace, and I a...
09/01/2025

Next, I consider the environmental quality of the decorations. I am re-using plastic beads from an old necklace, and I always save scrap fabrics I like the look of from torn clothes, old tablecloths and sheets. The fabric for this project, though, is some old, shop-bought felt. To see what it is made of, I perform a burn test, setting fire to a corner of the fabric to see how it burns, and scrunch and cut the material a bit. The answer is unequivocal – it's synthetic. My heart sinks before I remember that I already own it and should use it then buy better next time. With the buttons, I can also remove the decorations before washing the jumper, to try to avoid potential polymers leaking from the material during a wash.
It may actually be best to spot clean synthetic jumpers rather than wash them, Hobson-Lloyd says, using things like alcohol-based sprays to get rid of smells. This is also good for jumpers with embedded electronics which risk being destroyed by water and which are otherwise effectively single-use, I think.

According to research by the environmental impact consultancy Edge, roughly one million trees are cut down worldwide eac...
25/12/2024

According to research by the environmental impact consultancy Edge, roughly one million trees are cut down worldwide each year to make toilet paper.
The pulp and paper industry is the world's largest consumer of virgin wood, using roughly 35% of harvested trees for paper production. This is driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, soil erosion, species extinction and widespread ecosystem disruption according to the latest Ethical Consumer report on ethical toilet paper.
Martin Odhiambo, a herbalist at the National Museum of Kenya who specialises in traditional plants, thinks the solution to the environmental impact of cutting trees for toilet paper may already be here.

"Plectranthus barbatus is the African toilet paper. Many young people nowadays are unaware of this plant, but it has the potential to be an environmentally friendly alternative to toilet paper," he says.

"The frequency and severity of the kind of flood events that we've been experiencing are likely to become more and more ...
18/12/2024

"The frequency and severity of the kind of flood events that we've been experiencing are likely to become more and more challenging," Julie Foley, director of flood risk strategy at the Environment Agency, said.
The EA considers flooding from three main sources: rivers, the sea and surface water - where heavy rainfall overwhelms drainage systems.
It defines properties as being "at risk" when the yearly chance of flooding is greater than one-in-1,000.
Currently, the EA says that 4.6 million homes and businesses are at risk of surface flooding, with London the most affected region.
This is a 43% rise on its previous estimate, but this is almost entirely due to improved datasets and computer modelling techniques, rather than a real-world increase in flood risk.

With the rise of AI, self-driving cars and wi-fi connected appliances, it can feel like innovation is everywhere these d...
11/12/2024

With the rise of AI, self-driving cars and wi-fi connected appliances, it can feel like innovation is everywhere these days. But certain countries are known for developing cutting-edge technologies that benefit residents and visitors alike.
To dive into those countries making the most impact in these areas, the World Intellectual Property Organisation recently released its 2024 Global Innovation Index, ranking 130 economies based on measures like their education system, technology infrastructure and knowledge creation (like patents filed or mobile apps created).
To find out how innovation benefits day-to-day life in some of the top ranked countries, we spoke to residents and frequent travellers, who shared their tips on how to best experience the heart of the tech ecosystem and the ways that technology has improved their quality of life.

Home to more than 1,100 species, including the critically endangered European eel, otters and the rarely sighted Egyptia...
05/12/2024

Home to more than 1,100 species, including the critically endangered European eel, otters and the rarely sighted Egyptian vulture, the Vjosa is more than just a river; it's a lifeline for riverside communities and a symbol of Albanian heritage and renewal. Its turquoise waters and diverse habitats support wildlife, fishing, agriculture and increasingly, eco-tourism.
In a historic move, in March 2023, the Vjosa was established as Europe's first Wild River National Park – a status aimed at preserving its unique ecosystem and biodiversity.
"Rivers are among Europe's most endangered habitats, with less than 10% free-flowing," said Beth Thoren, director of environmental action at Patagonia, which collaborated with the Albanian government on the establishment of the national park. Thoren stressed the importance of protecting rivers like the Vjosa. "Standing on the Vjosa's banks, you realise you've never seen a truly 'wild' river – no dams, reservoirs or concrete banks restricting its flow."

Examples of this Balkan multiculturalism are everywhere on the Trans Dinarica, such as in Theth, a remote village in nor...
29/11/2024

Examples of this Balkan multiculturalism are everywhere on the Trans Dinarica, such as in Theth, a remote village in northern Albania. Following centuries of Ottoman rule, Albania is now a predominantly Muslim nation, yet this far-flung settlement has preserved its Catholic identity. As I pedalled towards Theth's soaring church spire surrounded by majestic peaks of the Accursed Mountains, I couldn't help but feel like I was arriving in a typical Alpine village in Switzerland.
Elsewhere, ancient Hellenistic ruins, Orthodox monasteries and Ottoman cities bear witness to the Balkans' tangled history, while natural wonders – such as Montenegro's Tara River Canyon (the deepest canyon in Europe) and Lake Ohrid (Europe's oldest lake) – are found along the route.

"We were surprised – we had to double check it was real," says Anna Wåhlin, professor of physical oceanography at the Un...
26/11/2024

"We were surprised – we had to double check it was real," says Anna Wåhlin, professor of physical oceanography at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. "But we realised, it really does look like this – there are these shapes. There is a landscape of ice down there we had no idea about before," she says.
In 2022, an international team of scientists led by Wåhlin lowered an unmanned submersible underneath 350m (1,150ft) thick Antarctic ice. For 27 days, it travelled over 1,000km (621miles) back and forth under the Dotson Ice Shelf in West Antarctica, scanning the ice above it with an advanced sonar. The result was the very first map of the underside of an ice shelf – and the discovery of an otherworldly ice-scape – which Wåhlin likens to seeing the dark side of the moon for the first time.
The never before seen "swirls and scoops" map the meltwater's journey as it flows beneath the ice, giving us a new understanding of how the ocean melts Antarctica's ice – and how its fate could affect us all.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacteria which can cause the breakdown of skin and soft tissue, sometimes leading to amputations....
08/11/2024

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacteria which can cause the breakdown of skin and soft tissue, sometimes leading to amputations. According to the latest data, 77 cases and 15 deaths have been reported so far in 2024, the most recorded cases in the past decade, though it is not known how many of cases were reported since Helene and Milton. In 2022, Florida reported an unusual increase in Vibrio vulnificus infections in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
"Vibrio prefers warmer waters, and hurricanes typically occur during times when the water is warmest," says John Drake, director of the centre for the ecology of infectious diseases at the University of Georgia. "Flooding associated with hurricanes could very well lead to a redistribution of Vibrio further inland, and it goes without saying that there is increased human exposure to contaminated water when a hurricane hits."

Five years ago, Haldre Rogers attended a get-together on the island of Guam – an emerald-green smudge in the western Pac...
05/11/2024

Five years ago, Haldre Rogers attended a get-together on the island of Guam – an emerald-green smudge in the western Pacific Ocean, around 2,492km (1,548 miles) from the Philippines. But soon the party was interrupted by an uninvited guest.
It was late evening, and outside there was a hog roasting – the remains of dinner. The fire was going down, though still warm. Everyone briefly walked off to chat. When they came back, there was a brown form curled around the pig – something shiny and scaly, with vertical slit-eyes and a wide, smiling mouth. The creature was ripping off chunks of the pig's flesh and swallowing them whole – slowly gulping them into its pale, distended body.
"It wasn't [exactly] a 400-pound (181kg) pig, but it was a pig for a big party," says Rogers, an associate professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech in the US, who has been studying Guam's ecology for the last 22 years.

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