Mashpi Lodge is a 3 hour trek from civilisation and certainly not something you would expect to see at the end of a dirt track lined with ferns and trees so lush and high that they block out the sun. However, Mashpi is no high-rise resort, the design is contemporary and minimal with earthy tones and huge glass windows, creating a continuous harmony between building and forest.
The lodge might attract luxury travellers but it is firmly rooted in the local community, with at least 80% of the Mashpi staff coming from the surrounding region. Tourism means these communities can survive. The alternative livelihood is logging or gold mining, which are environmentally destructive and have already taken their toll on the Chocó Cloud Forest, where just 2% of its original vegetation remains.
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SOURCE: http://bbc.news
