Conservation holidays involve volunteer work to help animals, the environment, or local communities, and can take place worldwide. They are funded by government grants or charitable donations and have become part of the travel industry. Regulations are lacking, but some organizations have developed codes of practice. Animal welfare and environmentally friendly holidays are popular activities.
Conservation holidays are holidays that involve volunteer work designed to help animals, the environment or local communities. These holidays can be fully or partially devoted to conservation work. They can take place both within the traveler’s nation and in countries around the world in places as diverse as Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Because conservation vacations are voluntary, workers don’t get paid for their efforts. In fact, they pay for the privilege.
Around the world, there are a number of ongoing and temporary conservation projects. They are designed to protect specific places, environments or species from destruction. These projects tend to be funded by government grants or charitable donations, or a combination of both. The idea of conservation holidays came out of volunteering and as a solution to the funding/workforce problem. Instead of paying employees to do work, organizations could tap into a well of interest in volunteering and get volunteers to pay to work.
This leap from pure volunteering to commerce has made talking vacations a part of the travel and tourism industry. It is a diverse industry with a wide variety of companies and standards. In 2006, in the UK alone, the conservation holiday industry was worth $5 billion US dollars (USD). Much of the added value has come from combining luxury holidays with a few days of voluntary work at the end.
Due to its diversity, there are few general regulations surrounding the industry. This means that there have been cases of volunteers not getting the training or support they expected. There have also been cases of volunteers not being welcomed at their final destination. Irish conservation group Comhlámh, however, has developed a code of practice for sending organisations. The 11-point code asks companies to make sure projects are worthwhile, meet expectations, and protect volunteers.
Animal welfare vacations are an important part of conservation vacations. There are numerous companies that offer trips to areas with endangered species. These, however, are different from safaris. In addition to offering sightseeing trips, the holidays give volunteers the chance to take part in animal conservation. Activities include feeding animals, helping animal environments, and tracking animals in the wild.
Environmentally friendly holidays are also popular. Destinations range from the Galapagos Islands to sub-Saharan Africa to muddy fields in Europe. Activities range from replacing invasive plants with native species in the Galapagos to planting trees in an English woodland. Other activities include drilling wells in Africa, trail making and wetland management.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
