ABOUT US
The Eco Lodges Indonesia Vision
Supporting conservation and communities through profitable ecotourism ventures.
Eco Lodges Indonesia is a small company committed to ecotourism making a serious and professional contribution to biodiversity conservation and improving the livelihoods of the communities in the locations where we operate our Eco Lodges.
This includes the broader agenda of what sustainable tourism can do to contribute to the achievement of Indonesia’s commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. www.un.org/millenniumgoals - environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, gender equity as well as health and education issues where our form of ecotourism can make a positive contribution.
We have a particular focus on assisting endangered wildlife species by undertaking conservation and rehabilitation programs through the Eco Lodges Indonesia Conservation Fund.
Shareholders
The development of new Eco Lodges is supported by investment from shareholders. To date we have over 20 shareholders from Indonesia, Australia, the United States of America, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Many of our staff are also shareholders. Our shareholders bring a range of expertise and skills to the operation of the Eco Lodges and include environmentalists, veterinarians, academics, hospitality and tourism industry business people, landscape architects, lawyers, philanthropists, business people eco tourism experts and guides.
Founding Shareholders
Dr. Alan Wilson Alan is the Chairman of Eco Lodges Indonesia. Alan grew up in Uganda and moved to Indonesia after the Idi Amin period. He is a Veterinarian and now concentrates on working for INI RADEF (the Indonesia International Rural & Agricultural Development Foundation) and Eco Lodges Indonesia. He lives in Bali with his wife Meryl.
Meryl Wilson Meryl grew up in Kenya. She is a Physiotherapist and designer and has a particular expertise in local butterfly species. Meryl is the design creator and project manager of lodge developments. She has recently published a book on Indonesian butterflies.
Prof. Birute Galdikas Internationally recognized scientist, conservationist, anthropologist and educator working with orangutans in Kalimantan for more than three decades. Born in Lithuania. Now an Indonesian citizen dividing her time between the US, Canada and Indonesia. President of the Orangutan International Foundation, Professor Extraordinaire at the Universitas Nasional, Jakarta; and Professor at the Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada.
Dr. Claire Vaux Oelrichs Veterinarian, conservationist and Coordinator of the Eco Lodges Indonesia Conservation Fund. Lives in Australia. Developing non-dependent conservation is her main interest.
Sheryl Osborne (The Osborne Foundation) Scientist, philantropist and conservationist. Sheryl has been committed to the conservation efforts in Indonesia for the past 25 years. She has also served on the Boards of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society and Health in Harmony Sheryl has been instrumental in a number of projects focused on conservation of endangered species, and projects encompassing the interconnectedness of environmental health and human health.
If you are interested in conservation and the role that eco tourism can play in protecting unique and threatened ecosystems by becoming a shareholder please contact Marie Gale (marie@ecolodgesindonesia.com) for further information and a copy of our shareholder information pack.
Our Board
The Board of Directors is elected at the AGM and currently consists of 5 people.
Dr. Alan Wilson, co-founder with his wife, Meryl Wilson. Alan also manages INIRADEF, a not for profit Foundation established to oversee international development projects throughout Indonesia.
Mr. Nyoman Pahardi Dedi Mulia is the Business Manager of the INIRADEF Foundation and Eco Lodges Indonesia. Dedi, a qualified lawyer, is also the Head of Legal Services and Coordinator of the Small Business Development Unit of INIRADEF.
Mr. Marcellus Adi CTR is a Veterinarian from Bogor Agriculture University who has been a pioneer researcher of Indonesian endangered wildlife conservation programs, studying the behavior of Sumatran Rhinos.
Ms. Marie Gale is actively involved in a range of conservation and sustainable agriculture activities. She has extensive business management experience at a senior executive and CEO level in Australia and Japan.
Mr. Steve Noakes is a 30 year veteran in the travel and tourism industry and a leading Asia Pacific advocate for sustainable tourism approaches by industry, government and communities.
Our International Advisory Group
International Advisory Group Overview as PDF here >>
The IAG provides a Think-Tank to consider strategic challenging issues and opportunities confronting the Commissionaries (Board of Directors) of Eco Lodges Indonesia. These individuals come from within Indonesia and abroad and bring unique knowledge and skills which complement the formal Board members decision making to achieve the Vision of Eco Lodges Indonesia. They provide guidance, not governance and volunteer their time, expertise, professional profiles and reputations
An Indonesian and an International Co-Chair have been appointed:
Prof Prof Ir. I Made Mastika, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, University of Udayana, Bali, Indonesia
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of INI RADEF
Steve Noakes, Director, Pacific Asia Tourism Pty. Ltd. and Director, Eco Lodges Indonesia. Adjunct Professor, Griffith University, Australia,