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José Koechlin von Stein –A portrait

Darmstadt, April 21, 2017 *** GreenPearls® On a regular basis Green Pearls® introduces from now personalities whohave written history regardingsustainability. We start with a portrait ofJosé Koechlin von Stein who is involvedpassionately in 'green' tourism in Peru for40 years.

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The Peruvian Eco PioneerIn 1975, José Koechlin von Stein boughtland in Puerto Maldonado and set outwith an axe to clear the space for his firstInkaterra Hotel, the Reserva AmazónicaLodge. After founding Inkaterra, it took awhile for the eco-tourism idea to catch on,but now that it has, Inkaterra isexpanding fast with currently seven lodgeslocated at Peru’s most popular spots: theAmazon rainforest, the Machu Picchucloud forest, the Sacred Valley of the Incasand the city of Cusco. Today, Inkaterra’snon-profit organisation, InkaterraAsociación, aims at conserving Peru’snatural environment as well as culturaland archaeological resources. The manwho started it all belongs to the Koechlin

family, who arrived in Peru in 1852 fromnative Alsace. The von Stein grandfatherarrived in 1913 as General Consul ofAustria, José Koechlin von Stein has beendedicated to developing eco-friendlytourism in Peru for over 40 years now. Hehas served on and chaired numerousconservation boards and tourismcommittees, such as the PeruvianAssociation of Adventure Travel andEcotourism, Peru’s National Chamber ofTourism. José was also the foundingchairman of the Sustainable DevelopmentCommittee at the National Confederationof Private Enterprise (CONFIEP). Hisfocus was always to grow the value of Peruas a tourist destination and conserving itsnatural beauty. His vision is thatenvironmental responsible travel is theonly way to sustain the industry in Peruand generating a positive impact on theenvironment.

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The name Koechlin is alsowell known within the filmindustryYou might recognize the name JoséKoechlin von Stein from a different sidecareer: He co-produced Werner Herzog’sclassic films Aguirre, The Wrath of God(1972), Fitzcarraldo (1982) and LesBlank’s documentary Burden of Dreams(1982). Both had formed a friendshipduring the filming of Aguirre, The Wrathof God, a film narrating themisadventures of Lope de Aguirre, atraitor to the Spanish crown who sets outto find El Dorado on his own. Thus, whenKoechlin visited Herzog in Munich to tellhim the story about the Peruvian CarlosFermín Fitzcarrald, Herzog was on boardalmost instantly and Fitzcarraldo wasborn. It took four years, from 1978 to1982, to film and produce the movie thatlater would win Herzog the award for bestdirector at the Cannes Film Festival. Thefilm explores the story of a rubber baronwho has to build a ship in the Amazonrainforest before it has to be carried fromone river to another over a hill. Accordingto Koechlin, the most effective medium topublicize a destination is film, thusmaking it the perfect way to help his causeto educate the world about Peru.

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The Modern NoahPeru is a large, uncompromising territorydivided into areas of jungle, mountain anddesert with few rolling plains in between.It is rich with ancient indigenous cultureand nature, wildlife and scenery, and,arguably, the best food in Latin America.To find such an unspoiled but stillbeautiful and civilized country is a rarity.This is the country José Koechlin vonStein dedicated his life to preserving. Heis almost a modern-day Noah, savingspecies from going extinct. He hassponsored major explorations of flora andfauna in the Amazon basin resulting in aninventory of more ant species at InkaterraReserva Amazónica than anywhere else inthe world. He also helped to create the

world’s largest Orchidarium of 372 nativespecies in their natural habitat atInkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel asconfirmed by the American OrchidSociety. And his sponsorship of multipleecological publications has led to thediscovery of fourteen new species toscience on the Inkaterra properties.

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Biodiversity Capital of PeruOnly a short flight from Cusco lies therainforest lodge, Inkaterra ReservaAmazónica, at the border to theTambopata National Reserve. This area,where Koechlin built his first hotel, isknown as the “Biodiversity Capital ofPeru” where you can find two-thirds of allknown plant and animal species. Guests

can explore the rainforest on a number ofexisting land and river tours while livingin simple lodges with limited electricity.The accommodations are thirty-fivethatched roof cabañas, in the style ofindigenous Ese Ejja people, connected tothe rest of the property by winding tree-trunk boardwalks. The award-wining eco-lodge has been the ecotourism pioneer formore than forty years, promoting thesustainable use of the Southern PeruvianRainforest.

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The Orchid Wonderland &the Secret Valley of the Incas

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel islocated on a private five-hectaremountainside reserve at the foot of MachuPicchu Mountain. The land Koechlinbought was used partly for the lodge, aswell as to reclaim the cloud forest aroundthe hotel, and he also donated elevenacres to build a school, train station,market, stadium and houses. It was called“The Garden of Eden” with its ecologicaltrails and numerous observation spots forbirds and butterflies. The incrediblevariety of flora, especially the 372 vibrantnative orchid species in their naturalhabitat, can be seen on special orchidwalks.The most recent addition to theInkaterra Hotels, the Inkaterra HaciendaUrubamba, located between historicalCusco and Ollantaytambo in the SacredValley of the Incas. This makes it the idealstop for travelers to acclimatize beforejourneying to Machu Picchu. The Valleyoffers the opportunity to explore thesecrets of the Incas and the vibranttraditions of their descendants.Surrounded by incredible mountain viewsas well as cacti, flower species and theindigenous pepper trees, the modern,luxury hacienda has been designed toemphasize Inkaterra’s core philosophy ofrespecting the environment.

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The German Green Pearls GmbH with place of businessin Darmstadt, Germany unifies international tourismcompanies that support environmental protection anddemonstrate social commitment. Thereby, Green Pearlsis the first holding company worldwide that consolidatessustainable hotels, destinations and restaurants in aglobal data source.

Among the criteria of admission to Green Pearls®Unique Places, are a sustainability plan on managementlevel, sustainable architecture, comprehensive water,energy saving and waste recovery measures, the use ofseasonal and regional ingredients in the kitchen, as wellas a large commitment for the social balance in each ofthe vacation regions.

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