Golden Rule number 6: Respect land and ocean.

Respecting land and ocean requires thoughtful planning of activities and possibly a change in habits. Consider the following tips while traveling to French Polynesia:

1. Pick activities that do not create sound pollution.

Snorkeling, paddle, and kayak are excellent options. Indeed, engaging in quiet, non-motorized water activities helps reduce noise pollution, which can be harmful to marine life (Zhiyong, Tao & Ximei, 2021). 

2. Do not touch coral or marine animals.

Avoiding contact with marine ecosystems helps to preserve their biodiversity (Hares, Dickinson, & Wilkes, 2010). 

3. Turn off all lights at night to reduce light pollution.

Minimizing light pollution can benefit nocturnal wildlife and reduce energy consumption. (Woodcock et al., 2009). 

4. Clean your shoes before and after each outing.

Cleaning shoes can prevent the spread of invasive species and protect local ecosystems (Kapeller, Füllsack, & Jäger, 2019). 

5. Use biodegradable sunscreen to protect coral reefs.

If you must wear sunscreen, choose biodegradable sunscreen which is less harmful to marine life, especially coral reefs (Jean & Wymant, 2019). 

6. Avoid touching plants or removing plants from their natural habitat.

Touching plants can spread unwanted species. It is also forbidden to bring plants from island to island. Admire the natural flora, but do not touch or take them home.


Are you committed to traveling sustainably to French Polynesia? Take Tahiti’s Golden Rules Pledge and join a community of like-minded global travelers. Stay tuned for more quick tips on traveling sustainably.

Sources

Andrew Hares et al. "Climate change and the air travel decisions of UK tourists." Journal of Transport Geography, 18 (2010): 466-473. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S096669230900101X

K. Jean et al. "Airborne in the era of climate change." Science, 363 (2019): 240 - 240. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaw1145 

M. Kapeller et al. "Holiday Travel Behaviour and Correlated CO2 Emissions—Modelling Trend and Future Scenarios for Austrian Tourists." Sustainability, 11 (2019): 6418. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/22/6418 

J. Woodcock et al. "Public health benefits of strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions: urban land transport." The Lancet, 374 (2009): 1930-1943. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673609617141 

Han Zhiyong et al. "Temporal and Spatial Characteristics and Evolution of China's Inbound Tourism Carbon Footprint." Journal of Resources and Ecology, 12 (2021): 56 - 67. https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-resources-and-ecology/volume-12/issue-1/j.issn.1674-764x.2021.01.006/Temporal-and-Spatial-Characteristics-and-Evolution-of-Chinas-Inbound-Tourism/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2021.01.006.short

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Golden Rule number 5: Reduce carbon emissions.

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Golden Rule number 7: Donate.