Carmen Soto is a research scientist, with a master’s degree in ecology and natural resources from the National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco, Peru. In 1999, while writing her thesis on the “biological control for the potato moth and virus translocation in potatoes,” she met José Koechlin, the founder and chief executive of Inkaterra Hotels in Peru. He wanted to figure out how to control the wood weevil and moth, both of which had been attacking the eucalyptus beams and other wood used in building Inkaterra’s Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. He offered Soto a full-time job to help him.

卡門．索托是研究科學家，擁有秘魯庫斯科聖安東尼艾博特國立大學的生態學與自然資源碩士學位。1999年，她在撰寫題為《馬鈴薯蛾的生物防治與馬鈴薯病毒轉移》論文時，遇見秘魯茵卡特拉飯店創辦人兼執行長何塞·科切林。科切林想弄清楚如何防治木頭象鼻蟲跟蛾，這兩種蟲一直在攻擊用來建造茵卡特拉馬丘比丘村飯店的桉樹樑與其他木材，於是他提供索托一份全職工作來幫忙。

Within a year, Soto was the resident biologist and orchid specialist at that hotel and at Inkaterra Asociación, the company’s nonprofit organization. Since then, she and her team of nearly a dozen workers have helped identify 372 orchid species, 22 of which are new. While continuing to identify new species of birds, butterflies and flora in the cloud forest, she also organizes specialized excursions for guests and educational workshops for area schoolchildren.

不出一年，索托成了該飯店及所屬公司非營利組織茵卡特拉協會的常駐生物學家和蘭花專家。到目前為止，她跟近十幾個員工的團隊幫助鑑定了372種蘭花，其中22種是新品種。在雲霧森林內持續鑑定鳥類、蝴蝶與植物新物種的同時，她還幫房客舉辦專門性的短程旅行，並為當地學童辦了教育講習班。

Eco-tourism has been a buzzword in the travel industry for some time now, with more and more hotels giving guests the option to reuse their sheets or to forgo housekeeping entirely in an effort to “protect the environment”. But some hotels, lodges and resorts have taken similar steps as Inkaterra, hiring scientists to conduct serious academic inquiry while also offering nature tours, workshops and classes for guests.

生態旅遊成為旅行業的流行語已有相當時日，愈來愈多飯店讓房客選擇重複使用床單或放棄房務整理，以「保護環境」，但一些飯店、小型旅館和度假村已採取跟茵卡特拉類似的措施，聘用科學家進行嚴肅的學術調查，同時為房客提供自然旅遊、工作坊和課程。

Hotel owners and managers say their ecological efforts trump any financial hits they may take.

飯店老闆和經理說，他們的生態努力勝過了任何他們可能遭受的經濟損失。

“Inkaterra has always had a very important global commitment to sustainability,” said Claire Andre, the research and development manager at Inkaterra Hotels. “If taken separately it may not be economically profitable”

茵卡特拉飯店研發經理克萊兒．安德里說：「茵卡特拉一直對永續性有著非常重要的全球承諾。若是分開來做的話，可能不會帶來經濟利益。」

Two years ago, Mashpi Lodge, perched at 3,117 feet and about a 3 1/2-hour drive from Quito, Ecuador, opened a research lab on its premises. The laboratory is accessible to guests as well as international students working on their dissertations.

兩年前，海拔3117英尺、距厄瓜多首都基多約三個半小時車程的馬緒比旅館，在自家用地上開設一個研究實驗室，而房客以及正在撰寫學位論文的外國學生均可使用該實驗室。

The lab is the creation of Carlos Morochz, who was hired two years before the lodge opened specifically “to conduct a thorough scientific study to fully understand the ecosystems within the reserve and gather as much information as possible about the plant and wildlife of the cloud and rainforests,” said Mashpi’s founder, Roque Sevilla. Today, Mashpi has 12 biologists on staff, and seven studies have been published about the frogs, flowers, butterflies and birds found there.

馬緒比旅館創始人羅克·賽維亞表示，實驗室是旅館開業的兩年之前即雇用的卡洛斯·莫洛茲所創立，而實驗室專門用以進行全面科學研究，以充分了解保護區內的生態系統，並盡可能地收集有關雲霧森林和雨林內植物與野生動物的資訊。目前，馬緒比旅館聘有12名生物學家，且已發表7篇有關當地蛙、花卉、蝴蝶和鳥類的研究報告。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/347420/web/