Home/The local environment
Looking after the place
Tourism here has to be worth more than logging. That's the whole idea.
The Island Retreat is a base for tourism throughout Santa Isabel, and encourages all villages to look at village stays as a future sustainable income instead of logging and commercial fishing.
We recycle all possible products and ship waste back to Honiara for proper disposal. We use enviro loos that break waste down into compost, which we then distribute through the rainforest.
What we actually do
Four things worth knowing
Marine conservation
300+ turtles released
Since September 2016, guests have released over 300 turtles sourced from local villages. We tag them and collect data, which is shared with The Nature Conservancy.
Catch and release
90% of river fish go back
After a quick photo, we release over 90% of the river fish caught in the three local rivers, using a fish-friendly release net.
Community recycling
Can crushers in the villages
Pete started a can-crushing initiative after seeing unsightly aluminium stockpiles in the villages. With support from freight company IBC and SolBrew, Papatura distributed crushers to schools, generating real revenue for those communities. Baolo Primary School received its first cheque for $1,280. Any school interested in taking part can contact us directly.
October 2020
Baolo clinic upgrade
Papatura coordinated supplies and freight support for improvements to the local clinic — ceramic tiles, louvre frames, hinges and PVC fittings for the sanitary facilities.
Your stay pays for this
Every guest who visits contributes directly to the villages, and to keeping this coast off the logging map.