HCM CITY — Young people aged 18 to 28 experienced green tourism with experts from the Gaia Nature Conservation Centre and Bidoup Núi Bà National Park at a five-day eco camp at the park in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng.

The 35 campers from HCM City, Hải Phòng, Huế, Cần Thơ, and An Giang Province also experienced life in a tropical forest and learnt about endangered trees and plants.

They practised environment- and nature-friendly behaviours throughout the trip such as picking up garbage and using organic products while camping in the forest.

By visiting Dakbla village and talking about forest protection with its residents, the campers learnt about the culture of the K’Ho ethnic minority.

Gaia experts also helped the campers learn about green tourism, skills to communicate about green tourism to the public in general and some useful social skills.

At the end of the camp on September 30, the participants planted some 100 trees belonging to nine forest species, including endangered ones such as Krempf’s pine, maple and dacrycarpus imbricatus.

After leaving the camp, each participant will draw up a communications plan to encourage people to travel green.

It is part of a campaign titled “Green Moving & Experiencing” for raising public awareness of green tourism.

Đỗ Ngọc Hà, 21, one of the camp participants, said: “I have three words to describe this eco-camp: new, interesting and useful. The camp was totally interesting as it made me feel super cool discovering a unique tropical forest. On seeing ancient trees that are 400, 600 and 1,300 years old, I almost cried for being so touchy.

“I hope Gaia conducts similar camps in future so that more and more youths like me could practise green tourism and thus save nature.”

The eco-camp was an initiative of Gaia Nature Conservation and was strongly supported by Biti’s Hunter and Bidoup Núi Bà National Park.— VNS