Six of the best Ecoresorts

Just 13 kilometres from Zanzibar is the first privately managed marine park in the world. There are seven palm-thatched bungalows overlooking the sea and a 24-hectare coral reef. The fishermen who used to drain the natural resources of the island and damage the reef now find safer, more sustainable work as park rangers. Visitors can snorkel or explore the forest reserve. The island is home to the rare Aders duiker and coconut crab, the largest crab on Earth, whose last remaining range is on nearby Unguja Island. In 1997, a sanctuary was established in Chumbe forest to help boost the population. For the park's human guests, rainwater is filtered and solar heated, and locally produced organic soaps are provided. The restaurant offers a mixture of African, Middle Eastern and Indian dishes. From HK$1,420 a night; www.chumbeisland.com; tel: 255 24 223 1040.

Authentic green resorts in Southeast Asia are thin on the ground. However, this guesthouse on the banks of the Namtha River in remotest Laos is worth sniffing out. The Boat Landing is located in the northern province of Luang Namtha and is home to a Unesco-funded ecotourism project that was awarded the 2001 United Nations development award for 'the outstanding contribution the project team has made towards poverty alleviation'. Local Akha, Hmong, Khmu and Lantaen ethnic minorities work as guides on treks and rafting trips along the river. The lodge runs mountain-bike tours of varying degrees of difficulty and funnels 10 per cent of profits into a village-development fund. $114-$213 a night; www.theboatlanding.com; tel: 856 86 312 398.

Most visitors to Alaska arrive with corporate cruise tours, which are squeezing the local operators out. 'Much tour group travel is captured by large, multi-national tourism companies,' says Bill Royce, of Birch Pond Lodge. 'Cruise and land passengers are presented with a menu of options but they don't know the cruise operator owns or controls most of them. The principal economic benefit flows out with the cruise liners.' The family-owned Birch Pond Lodge is different. Located in the Susitna Valley, sheltered by birch and spruce trees bordering the 8,800-hectare Alaska State Park, the lodge has views over the nearby Talkeetna Mountains and Mount McKinley. The two eco-lodges are environmentally friendly and the surrounding forests and lakes abound with moose, otter, lynx, beaver and bears. From $1,988 a night; www.birchpondlodge.com; tel: 1 907 495 3000.