Responsible Tourism - Our policies in action
We've been running wildlife tours for nearly a quarter of a century, and during all that time, Responsible Tourism has been at the core of what we do - although we haven't always called it that! Taking small groups, led by expert naturalists, to look at and learn about wildlife can, if properly handled, be a model for Responsible Tourism in other fields. All our leaders, and we would guess most of our clients, are committed conservationists, and in many ways we see ourselves as ambassadors for conservation wherever we travel, even where there are opposing views locally.
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Various examples of this spring to mind. We've given local television interviews on numerous occasions, recently to protest about the low water levels at Bharatpur, India, but also to explain why we had travelled 12,000 miles to look at Blue Ducks in New Zealand (in the pouring rain!). And on many occasions within Europe, our presence with binoculars attracts interest from locals - and we've even had some lively discussions with the local bird-shooting fraternity!
So just by travelling, we believe that we add strength to the arguments of conservationists locally. And this is multiplied considerably by our injection of tourist cash into the local economy, particularly involving the types of locally-owned small-scale operators that we tend to favour. And when we return, we ourselves, and, with our encouragement, our clients, often put pen to paper to make our feelings known to the national governments involved - on issues as diverse as whaling in Iceland or cruelty to horses in North Africa. Of course, as conservationists, we seek to minimise any environmental damage that we do. Clients on our tours must obey a Code of Conduct and are forbidden to collect flowers or other wildlife specimens, and our leaders will instruct clients in the safe and least-disturbing way to approach animals. We also seek out local operators with the same attitude, and prefer small lodges and other accommodation with a sound environmental approach. Over the years, we have contributed financially to a variety of local projects, not necessarily always wildlife-related. Our tsunami appeal, for example, in partnership with our local Rotary Club, resulted in over £100,000 being raised to restore an orphanage and nearby village on the south coast of Sri Lanka. However we more usually favour projects that buy and secure threatened habitats, whether they be Polish wetlands or Costa Rican rainforests. It must be said, though, that, with a world to choose from, we are not always in the best position to assess which projects are most deserving. That is why we channel most of our direct financial contributions through conservation organisations like BirdLife International, RSPB, Butterfly Conservation and local wildlife trusts, of which we have been corporate sponsors for many years. We have also taken a deliberate decision to channel by far the bulk of our publicity budget towards conservation organizations and their publications, and events such as the British Birdwatching Fair, which raises impressive sums towards conservation. Although it is difficult to give a precise figure for all this, we reckon that we have channelled at least £200,000 in this way towards conservation organisations over the years. |
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Rainforest in San Juan, Costa Rica: our carbon-offset scheme will contribute towards its protection |
Our Carbon Offset Scheme One of the concerns that we have always had is about one of the biggest side-effects of what we do. Simply by taking a flight to our destination, we are contributing towards greenhouse gases and global climate change. One thing we can do about this is to try to go some way to mitigating the effects, by using one of the 'carbon offset' schemes. Although we are a bit wary of some of these schemes, others do fit in very well to our approach, particularly those that protect existing primary habitats. We will therefore contribute to one of the newer of these, 'TICOS', recommended by AITO, and channel funds towards a rainforest protection project in Costa Rica - see below. From 1 July we will therefore be offsetting all client flights, making a contribution of £5 per client on short-haul destinations, £15 per client for medium-haul (e.g Americas, Africa), and £35 per client for long-haul (mainly Australasia). All our leaders' flights will also be carbon-offset in this way, and we will also try to offset the carbon produced by our electricity consumption in the office. It is sometimes said that more carbon is produced by passengers travelling to and from the airport than by the flight itself! We hope that clients will recognise this by matching our contribution, and will be offering you the chance to do so, with your final balance for the tour. We also strive to operate our administration in an environmentally responsible way: All staff and leaders are thoroughly trained in our RT policy. |
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Costa Rica Biosphere Reserve Project Costa Rica has been one of the main destinations for ecotourism in the world for the last decade. Nevertheless, the northern part of Costa Rica has not profited from tourism development and is just starting to have international visitors. During the last three years the University for International Cooperation (UCI) has been working with local communities, local governments and other institutions and organisations to declare the area comprising Costa Rica's San Juan river basin as a Biosphere Reserve. This biosphere reserve will link two existing reserves, the Cordillera Volcánica Central Biosphere Reserve in the central part of Costa Rica and the Rio San Juan Biosphere Reserve in the South of Nicaragua. Community based ecotourism has been identified as one of the priorities for the development of the north of Costa Rica, which comprises many of the poorest districts in the country. There are very diverse ecosystems ranging from Ramsar wetlands to dense tropical forests, most of them under national park or wildlife refuge status. Reforestation with native species and ecological restoration of the areas that currently link the biological islands, formed by the existing protected areas, is of utmost importance. This project will support local communities within the proposed biosphere reserve to establish sustainable community based ecotourism. Project activities are focused on the:
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