Tasi Shih-Jen, Morocco ecological education facilitator
Tasi Shih-Jen, a Taiwan girl who studied anthropology and ethnology in France and worked as an oriental dance teacher in Taiwan, went to Morocco for voluntary work at 2011. She has been fascinated by the unique environment and mysterious power of Sahara desert, so decided to stay at desert and wondered what she can do for this place.
It is never easy to live in desert. Those residents are facing many problems that we never think of it. For example, the land is getting dryer under global warming issue that no longer suitable for plants to glow. Consequently, Nomads can less food supply, even the sheep and horse are getting thinner. To deal with this phenomenon, many Nomads change their life style to run tourism-related business and give up to farm. However, the original ecology is being destroyed without an organized regulatory. Cooperating with local Nomads, Tasi Shih-Jen starts an eco experimental tour project in Sahara called “Paradise Island”. Tasi believes that develop ecotourism in Sahara could balance the environment protection and economic tourism development at the same time, which can also enhance the public awareness on desert issue. She rebuilds an old house to become Bed and Breakfast (B&B) style and welcome for all tourists to stay. Meanwhile, she provides local tour which is eco-friendly-oriented, to who interest in understanding the real desert environment and what is the daily life of Nomads. The income she gets from this business would be used in planting more trees in Sahara desert. Tsai also invites those tourists to plant trees together, in order to express the message that everybody can protect the desert, every single power can help.
Tsai believes “to live with the nature” is the best way for human. To arouse the public’s awareness on desert issue, Tsai put everything on Facebook page and published a book for those who cannot come to Sahara in person to know more about the situation of Sahara nowadays.
Written by Chiu Wai Lam