Jasmine Fellows
Jasmine is the Editor of Cosmos Magazine. Here she explores content you might have missed.
If you’re looking for a holiday destination that blends adventure, discovery and education, look no further than science-themed destinations. Science tourism is a well-established way to ignite curiosity in travellers of all ages.
There are of course some well-known problems with science tourism, including the impact of travel on carbon emissions, but there are economic benefits to local communities, and the traveller gets to expand their mind.
A couple of years ago Cosmos Magazine writer Glenn Morrison had a look at palaeo tourism in Australia. Then he participated in a small geology rock walk near his home in Alice Springs.
So it was natural for us at Cosmos Magazine to try to get him to expand his thoughts – thousands of kilometres of expansion – and explore the possibility that the geology of the MacDonnell Ranges and Red Centre would attract tourists in its own right.
Layla Moseby-Read was an intern at Cosmos last year, and brought a wealth of travel talent, including remembering her childhood days exploring the Solomon Islands.
Layla added to our travel literature when she met real-life (Komodo) dragons, but other writers took us to their favourite destinations – deserts in Africa, the Flinders Ranges, and cruising a subantarctic island: there are many options to choose from.
Here are just a few possible destinations, as featured in the pages of Cosmos magazine in 2024.
Time to pack your sense of wonder…
Adventure as an ecotourist
Ecotourism is on the rise for sustainable travellers. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as, “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”.
Recently, Layla Moseby Read, visited Komodo National Park (KNP) as an ecotourist and wrote about the experience for Cosmos.
Komodo dragons are giant lizards that are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List, threatened by habitat loss through human encroachment.
The largest Komodo dragon captured in the May 2024 monitoring on KNP’s Rinca Island weighed a whopping 74.90kg, with a body length of 296cm.
The protection of these giant dragons helps conserve the rest of the Komodo ecosystem, including the thriving reefs and oceans, through maintaining ecological processes and bringing in vital tourism funding.
“There’s definitely more attention on understanding Komodo dragons to increase tourism,” says herpetologist Dr Ru Somaweera, who works in Komodo National Park guiding tourists.
“But also with tourism increasing, the government has put more funding into making sure that Komodo dragons are surviving because that’s their trump card,” explains Ru.
Read the full article, ‘Guardians of the dragon: ecotourism in Komodo National Park’ by Layla Moseby Read, with your subscription to Cosmos magazine.
What is geotourism?
Geotourism focuses on an area’s geology and landscape. For example, geoparks are places where geology and nature are spectacular; think Grand Canyon or Yellowstone in the US, Shetland in Scotland or the Basque Coast of Spain; all UNESCO registered geoparks.
Western Australia’s Murchison Georegion was launched in 2020 with the marketing tagline: “Ancient Lands, Brilliant Skies”. The region hopes to eventually become an accredited UNESCO Global Geopark.
And there are others, if some not exactly official. Some areas are nominated on aspirational site lists, such as that created by the Australian Geoparks Network.
“The Blue Mountains near Sydney, national parks in South Australia where you get cave geology; they have maps, and local and regional geotourism projects,” says geologist Dr Anett Weisheit.
“Geotourism adds considerable value to traditional nature-based tourism because it brings together landscape and geology, flora and fauna, Aboriginal cultural and post-European settlement considerations,” says Angus Robinson, experienced geologist and coordinator of Geotourism Australia.
“Tourism is more than geology. It is ABC: A for abiotic, the geology; B is the biology; and C the culture,” explains Anett. “[In geotourism] all of that comes together, history, local knowledge, and how it connects to what you’re seeing in the landscape.”
Read the full article, ‘Can geology help revive Red Centre tourism?’ by Glenn Morrison – a holiday special release from Cosmos magazine.
Ocean voyages with scientists
There are many opportunities to explore the oceans with scientists, adventuring to some of the most remote locations on Earth.
Lots of expedition vessels have scientists or education programs on board, with various international destinations, from the Galápagos Islands to Antarctica.
In 2024, scientific illustrator Bonnie Koopmans, shared her experiences of the remote, windswept islands of the subantarctic with Cosmos magazine.
“As a keen naturalist and natural history illustrator, I jumped at the chance to experience an area so remote, expensive and difficult to access,” says Bonnie.
“Additionally, as a keen birder, the subantarctic represented an opportunity to see some stunning birds in the most beautiful, harsh and unique environment.”
“Field studies and drawing from life, especially, allow an artist to deeply observe and capture behaviour and colours in a way that is otherwise very difficult to achieve.”
Read the full article, ‘Birds of the subantarctic’ by Bonnie Koopmans, with your subscription to Cosmos magazine.
