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Environmental Policy:
Equus Silvania has the premise to act in a responsible way in all its activities with regards to environmental impact. We are always open to new ideas of how we can maintain the integrity of the natural environment around us.
Education and Information
Our visitors get a first-hand experience and extensive information about flora, fauna, and sustainable land-use systems. Our experience of many years of field research about wolves, bears, and lynx is an excellent basis for discussions about wildlife and habitat conservation.
Energy and construction
During the construction of all our facilities, we have put great emphasis to use environmentally friendly materials. A large part of the thermo-insulation, for instance, consists of sheep wool. Wood has been our main construction material as it is a renewable resource, and we have abstained from wood preservers as much as possible. Our sewage is being cleaned by biological treatment of a reed-bed. Though as a tourism enterprise we are not able to fully avoid the consumption of fossil energy, we still choose sustainable alternatives wherever this is feasible from an ecological and an economic point of view. In addition, the avoidance of waste is our highest priority.
Food
We use mainly locally produced food in our kitchen. People in Sinca Noua generally don't use pesticides or artificial fertilisers, and the livestock is still kept the old way, that is, outside on the pastures. Our own vegetable garden delivers fresh onions, salad, zucchini etc. Other food such as milk, potatoes, lamb, and veal is bought from the farmers in the neighbourhood. We support the village on their way certifying their whole agriculture as being organic.
Route selection
When we select the routes for our excursions, we take great care about conservation concerns. We avoid sensitive areas such as wildlife day resting areas or seasonally important areas such as those created by red deer rut. We also take care to not cause soil erosion and stay outside of wetlands, where the hooves of the horses may cause damage. In summer, we of course respect the farmers' needs and stay on the cart tracks when we ride through hay meadows.
Conservation contribution
We ask all our visitors for a donation of 40 Euro per week for our regional conservation and development fund, which supports sustainable projects in and around Sinca Noua. Furthermore, we are personally involved in a number of conservation projects.
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