Tribies Code of Conduct

From Tribewanted

The page has been created by Mark Donaldson as part of the Sustainability Plan for the Tribewanted Vorovoro Community. The ideas is to develop a code of conduct for all Tribe members visiting and living on the island which embraces the Tribes ecotourism principles.

This is all draft work. The members are under no obligation to following anything which is written here. After it is more developed the Tribe may want to adopt it as information and guidance for the memebers.

All contributions are welcome. The aim is for this page to be developed with as much member input as possible.

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Before you arrive

• Read this Code before you depart for the island and start planning early how to minimise your impact.
• Learn about Fiji’s culture, customs and manners. Learning about the customs and a few words in the local language can go a long way and is appreciated by the local people. It also makes your interactions more meaningful and memorable. (is there a place on the web site we can provide some basics?)
• Learning about the island and it’s environment.
• Learn about and support conservation oriented programs and organisations working to preserve the environment.
• When packing your kit try to ensure that you carry with you as few packaged items as possible and try to bring environmentally sensitive products.

wildlife and vegetation

Viewing animals from a safe distance is fine; touching, feeding, or cornering them is not. (may need guidance on what a safe distance is)

• Do not feed the wildlife or leave food or food scraps lying around.
• Do not disturb plants or animals to get better pictures.
• Breeding may fail if animals are disturbed. Changes in wildlife behaviour

(e.g. changes in posture or vocalisation) indicate disturbance - back off immediately.

• Approaching wildlife too closely may cause parents to abandon eggs or young, exposing them to predators.
• Be quiet when around wildlife, move slowly, stay low to the ground and adopt the recommended minimum approach distances (see table following) - the wildlife can interact with you if it chooses to.
• Remain together as a group when viewing wildlife. Do not surround individual animals or groups.
• Always give animals the right of way and do not block their access routes.

PERSONAL CONDUCT We are all tribe members with all the same rights, privilidges and obligations to respect everyone present on Vorovoro during our stay, tribemembers and island inhabitants alike. We should all try to conduct ourselves in a way that does not encroach the enjoyment of the island and tribe by anyone present on Vorovoro. Any critisism should be directed to appropriate memebers of the team. Critisism can always be constructive if proposed in the right way. Lets all make an effort to make everyone's stay great. The is a unique opportunity to make a very special project a world example.