Travel Goals
JOIN A CONSERVATION PROJECT
BECOME A CITIZEN SCIENTIST Biosphere Expeditions runs global projects from Malawi to Sweden, where volunteers assist scientists with data gathering in wild places. A reasonable level of fitness is required, but there is no selection process. You don’t need prior scientific knowledge either, and with experts on hand to guide you, you’ll soon feel like a budding David Attenborough. HOW Do some physical prep for your trip: the fitter you are, the more help you’ll be. www.biosphere-expeditions.org.
Worried about climate change and the
fate of our natural world? Be part of the
(2m) wing span, distinctive forked tails and habit of catching a lazy lift on air currents, red kites are among Reduced to just a few pairs in
PLANT TREES
a conservation project, and do your bit to
One Tree Planted aims to make it easy for you to contribute to the forests of North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Reforestation partners in these regions manage individual projects, such as the one-million-tree scheme, which was put into operation in California following the wildfires of 2017. HOW Individuals can get guidance from the charity on funding and organising local tree-planting initiatives. See www. onetreeplanted.org.
protect and nourish our fragile planet.
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With their sweeping, near 6.5ft
the UK’s most beautiful birds.
solution, not the problem. Find or create
Wales back in the mid-1980s due to egg-hunting, the birds were reintroduced to the west of England and central Scotland in the 1990s. Different populations, brought from Sweden, Spain and Germany, began to interbreed and were encouraged to thrive with feeding centres. Now, some 20 years later, the UK has an abundant population of these russet red beauties.
TRAIN IN COASTAL CONSERVATION
The scheme is counted as one
of the most successful avian Blue Ventures has developed a unique reintroductions in Britain. and successful model: it aims to transform coastal environments by incorporating social enterprise into conservation projects, encouraging fishing communities to improve their practices and thus increase their yields. The result is cleaner waters and recovered fish populations. HOW Volunteers head to Madagascar, Belize or TimorLeste to learn the skills that Slow down and focus support the organisation’s on a new skill: aims; www.blueventures. org. Learn a craft, p94
Take it further
© ONE TREE PLANTED
lobetrotting travel can often feel like a hedonistic, and headlong, pursuit. Helping out on a local conservation project means you can give something back to the place you’re travelling through, and it also gives you the benefit of slow travel: of seeing a small corner of the world in vivid detail. Whether you’re getting your hands into some soil, counting animals in the wild or helping protect a coral reef, the rewards can be immense. As well as immersing you in a particular environment and ecosystem, many conservation initiatives have community engagement and teamwork at their heart. Global friendships often result, and getting to know a place and its people close up can enhance your awareness of wider environmental issues and the problems facing our planet. Projects in remote environments with physically tough or repetitive tasks can really test your body and your emotions. However, despite the challenges, this type of volunteering is rarely a one-off in a volunteer’s life. Most likely you will return home with improved skills and fitness and a hands-on approach to your own environment. You may find yourself inspired to grow bee-friendly plants on your balcony, or even to make a whole career in conservation. And all of us can benefit from living a simpler life for a few days or weeks. Don’t be surprised if your whole attitude to the supposed essentials of modern life shifts, and your small step to help the planet turns into a stride.
Red kites: back from the brink in the United Kingdom
Enjoy sustainable community living: Go off grid, p192 Left: Plant a sapling with One Tree Planted