Listen to Costas on Nature Magic

Costas Christ is an award-winning editor and columnist for National Geographic Traveler and an inspirational keynote speaker. He is one of the world’s top sustainable tourism experts and was recognized, along with Sir Richard Branson and Dr. Jane Goodall, as one of 50 Global Visionaries working to save the planet.

Burren Nature Sanctuary is a member of the Burren Ecotourism Network and Costas is one of the pioneers of ecotourism, helping to officially define the term for the first time and serving as a founding member and former Chairman of The International Ecotourism Society.

On his mantlepiece of awards is the International Peace Through Tourism Award for his work promoting sustainable tourism development to support economic opportunity in former conflict zones in Colombia and Sri Lanka, along with a North American Travel Journalist Gold Prize for best travel writing for his column in National Geographic Traveler. When not exploring the world, he farms organic blueberries on the beautiful Atlantic coast of Maine.

Contact Costas here.

How are you doing with the Covid 19 situation?

I am healthy and doing well, considering so much global suffering right now. I am also following the guidance for social distancing. When it comes to fighting the pandemic, we are all in this together and I think the more we can realize that we share a common planet, that viruses don't recognize borders, that we have everything to gain by international cooperation, then the better off we'll all be.

We can't help but muse if this could be nature's way of pushing back against our relentless fossil fuel consumption, the illegal trade in wildlife species, climate change which is decimating coral reefs and so on. In an anthropomorphic way, one thinks nature is saying ‘we've had enough, you're pushing us too hard and we're going to push back’. I hope that there's going to be an opportunity for learning and wisdom to emerge from this pandemic crisis, in terms of how we approach nature and reconnect with the most fundamental and important understanding, which is that people seem to have forgotten that we are nature. We have created this kind of false sense of reality that somehow, we human beings are over here, and nature is over there. Even the notion of saving nature which, of course, I believe in, is objectified - as if we have to save something separate from us without understanding that we are part of nature, that we're saving ourselves. There is no separation. I hope as we come out of the Covid 19 pandemic, we will understand that we cannot have personal health and well-being when we don't have planetary health and well-being.

We don't realize, when we hear all this talk about economies - and yes, our livelihoods and jobs are critically important - that the very word economy and the word eco as in ecology have shared roots. The original concepts around economy were directly related to our ecological world. We hear more frequently in modern times of the need for the economy and for businesses in particular to understand the reliance on what conservationists refer to as ‘ecosystem services’. We've created these illusions that somehow make us think that business is separate from nature, humans are separate from nature and of course, we're not. We're intricately intertwined. Let’s not forget the eco in economy.

How did you become an advocate for nature?

I grew up – as we used to say in my neighborhood - a hard scrabble kid. I was raised by a single mother who was a waitress for forty-six years. That is how we survived as a family of four. My childhood was an unpredictable world. As a kid I felt that people were unpredictable and often, untrustworthy. I'm not referring to my late mother, bless her heart, because she was the star of my life and instilled in me the virtues of honesty and integrity that I believe in today. But during those early and sometimes turbulent years, I always found nature to be a refuge for me. As a boy I used to go into the woods and pretend that I could have conversations with animals who were my friends. I was just one of those kids who was born a nature lover. And while the outside world sometimes seemed crazy, I found stability in nature. As I grew older, I felt that I also had a responsibility to give back to nature that had brought me comfort as a child (and it still does). So, whereas nature helped me as a youth, as I grew older, I wanted to work to help nature.

Is there a particular plant or animal that you absolutely love or is very special you?

I remember reading a children’s book called Urashima Taro. It's the story of a Japanese fisherman who comes down to the beach and sees a group of boys throwing rocks and beating a sea turtle with sticks. The sea turtle is hurt, and the fisherman chases the boys away. The sea turtle says to the fishermen, ‘as a reward for you helping me, I want to take you on a journey.’ He then takes him on a journey under the sea to a hidden palace. It's a beautiful story. So, I always had a passion for sea turtles. I grew up on a barrier island off the coast of New Jersey. And when I was young, a very large sea turtle once washed up on the beach, dead. It was huge - in my eyes it seemed to be the size of a Volkswagen Beetle car! I stared at it for a couple of hours, fascinated. Growing up, I learned more about sea turtles as well as giant tortoises - just think of it, an animal that can easily live more than a hundred years. You look at the face of these unique creatures – as I have done while working to protect sea turtle nesting sites - and there is a sense of wisdom. So, yes, one of my favourite animals would certainly be a sea turtle. And since you asked about my favourite plants, well, you're speaking to a blueberry farmer and I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you that blueberries are my absolute favourite!

In your life have you had any spiritual experiences with nature?

I find nature in so many respects to be a spiritual experience. Trees…I mean, it is a euphemism, but there is the sense when walking into a forest of entering nature’s cathedral. I live in Maine, a state that is part of what they call the Great North Woods. I'm surrounded by vast spruce forests and entering is truly like walking into a majestic cathedral.

Growing up on a barrier island, the ocean has also been a source of deeper connection for me. I learned to surf when I was twelve years old and surfing became my passion. Sitting in the water you cannot help but think about the energy that moves through waves. Capturing that energy and riding that wave can be a very spiritual experience, something that surfers often talk about.

Both those images are very powerful, and trees are also very special to me, especially the Maple tree.

What gifts maple trees bring us every year. During the month of March in Maine, the maple sugar season starts - tapping the sweet sap, boiling it to make maple syrup, and bottling it. Maple trees are the gift that keeps on giving.

What positive actions could you recommend for people to help the planet?

One of them would be to simply reflect our connection with nature. When we protect nature, we protect ourselves. When we heal nature, we heal ourselves.

On a more pragmatic level, a lot of the work I do is connected to the travel industry. I was involved with helping to develop the early concepts of eco-tourism, which was defined by a small group of about 12 of us more than 30 years ago as “responsible travel to natural areas that protects nature and sustains the well-being of local communities.” We knew from experience that when local communities see their own livelihoods directly connected to protecting nature, such as through ecotourism-related jobs, then they become active partners and allies in supporting conservation.

In terms of a positive action when we travel – perhaps most important is to understand that our travel choices can make a huge difference. We need to support those travel companies that are committed to the principles of eco-tourism; for example - the local companies that are part of the Burren Ecotourism Network in Ireland. As a traveler, wherever you go, seek out and give your business to those hotels, tour operators and destinations that are also working to protect the environment, embrace cultural heritage and benefit local communities.

If you had a magic wand and could do one thing for the planet what would that be?

I would put half of our planet under complete protection. There is a very famous ecologist - they call him the grandfather of biodiversity - E.O. Wilson. Some people say he first came up with the term biodiversity - meaning life on earth, all the living species. I have met him twice. He is an amazing man now in his nineties who has been such an important voice for the protection of nature. E.O Wilson said that for our planet to survive, we have to protect at least 50 percent of our oceans, our lakes, our streams, our forests, our savannahs, etc.  He calls this the Half Earth Initiative. So, I if had my magic wand I would wave it right now and put that half Earth under protection.

Do you have any nature books you'd like to recommend?

As an adult, the works of Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, the poetry of Robert Frost and Walt Whitman, the classics, are filled with inspirations for nature. When it comes to living in harmony with the land, and being self – sufficient, a book that had a big impact on me (and how I ended up on an organic farm in Maine) is Living The Good Life: How to Live Simply and Sanely in a Troubled World. It was first published in the 1950’s by Helen and Scott Nearing.

As a teen, I read a book called My Side of the Mountain, which had a big impact on me. It's about a young boy in New York City who decides he's going to run away to live in nature. He spends a year living on a mountain in the Catskills range in upstate New York. It's almost like a coming of age story of his life there, the hardship, his connection with nature, the people he meets. I recently had a birthday and a good friend surprised me with a gift – it was the newest edition of My Side of the Mountain and it brought back great memories.

Would you like to say a few words about organic farming?

Gardening and farming are my meditation. From a small seed comes a bounty of fruits and vegetables. It's the miracle of nature, it's the miracle of creation and it's the miracle of life.

In farming, I get to witness that each day of the growing season and it gives me great satisfaction and inspiration. In terms of organic farming, it’s all about the soil, understanding what soil is and keeping it healthy. The result is not only better and more nutritious food, it also keeps the environment healthy. There's no waste, no herbicides and no pesticides.  I farm twelve hectares of organic heirloom blueberries and it's been fascinating for me to see how the natural ecosystem also revolves around the blueberries fields. Wild animals love blueberries as much as I do. Each year I lose probably 15 percent of the crop to wildlife – bears, foxes, coyotes, even sea gulls. I consider it nature's tax, as if nature is saying ‘we'll give you all of this bounty, but you need to leave a little for us.’  So, in terms of organic farming, when you put that all together, I can't think of anything better.

Thank you for a great conversation and we hope you see you back in the Burren soon.

The Burren is a place that I certainly look forward to visiting again. It is such a spectacular area. I hope others get to visit, too, because I think the people who call the Burren their home are doing some wonderful and creative things, like your work at the Burren Nature Sanctuary and those involved in the Burren Ecotourism Network. That's exactly the kind of destination that travellers should support.