Ecovitality is a non-profit organization that works to conserve and protect the environments of developing countries and rural regions, where most of the world's biodiversity is located. In Papua New Guinea, Ecovitality has a private touring group that offers tours through mountainous terrain, steep valleys, and isolated dense forest that is home to many clans of Papua New Guinea. The tour company will be conducting the first ever ecotourism visits to the Managalas Plateau ever allowed by the clans living on their plateau in the summer of 2001. Ecovitality and the villagers of the plateau have an agreement in which the villagers will welcome the tourists into their homes while Ecovitality implements conservation and development projects in cooperation with the local communities.
Ecovitality's mission is to provide a unique experience for travelers, while contributing all profits to the conservation of the Managalas Plateau. Some projects that the funds will be used for are to help one clan establish a fruit-drying business, help another clan market their harvest of Okari nuts, help a third group set up a limited, sustainable timber cutting venture, and help a numerous amount of clans market their coffee crop.
The ten primary clans on the plateau have agreed to equally share the profits Ecovitality generated among them. The villages have also formed Community-based organizations that have agreed to prohibit any commercial loggers using their forest and biodiversity resources sustainably in consultation with the Ecovitality staff and other environmental experts.
Ecovitality has begun these tours by offering 16-day excursions for the travelers. The revenues generated by these tours are mean to economic help to aid conservation and development efforts on the plateau.
Information in this section can be attributed to the following;
Ecovitality Website