{"id":21284,"date":"2022-10-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=21284"},"modified":"2022-10-21T12:06:38","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T10:06:38","slug":"10-ethical-wildlife-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2022\/10\/20\/10-ethical-wildlife-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"10 ethical wildlife holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
BBC wildlife travel 2023<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n\n

Planning your adventures for next year? Our round-up of destinations and experiences will help you make choices that count for wildlife. <\/p>\n\n

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Experience marine wildlife off Cornwall; Head to the USA for a birding extravaganza; Support wildlife and communities in Kenya; Explore the jungles of Costa Rica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
Make it count <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

W<\/span>hen Covid-19 struck and international travel collapsed, serious conservation problems emerged. Reserves no longer received entrance fees to fund protection and illegal poaching reportedly increased. Conservation organisations reliant on tourism revenue were suddenly in trouble. <\/p>\n\n

At its best, wildlife tourism is able to benefit conservation through direct and indirect financial contributions, and awareness-raising. At its worst, it can be carbon-intensive, negatively impact wildlife and generate socio-economic problems. So what choices can we make to ensure our holidays count as much as possible? <\/p>\n\n

Obviously, travelling locally and on public transport helps enormously when it comes to carbon counting. But if we do choose to fly, there are measures we can take. We can offset our emissions; we can plump for \u2018slow travel\u2019 rather than rushing around; and we can spend in local communities and protected areas, eagerly paying reserve entry fees, booking local guides and buying local products. The more we spend locally, the more value we provide to the wildlife we\u2019ve come to see. <\/p>\n\n

When it comes to accommodation, we can prioritise lodges that directly fund conservation or benefit local communities, including those run by conservation bodies or community groups. We can favour \u2018ecolodges\u2019 that minimise resource use, source locally and are built using recycled materials. We can then contract local tour companies who aim to \u2018travel for good\u2019, drawing on research by organisations such as Responsible Travel and Terra Incognita. If travelling with UK-based companies, we can choose those that \u2018give back\u2019 to conservation. We can also give back as individuals through \u2018voluntourism\u2019, and pay to take part in conservation projects. <\/p>\n\n

Bringing all these threads together, here are 10 ideas for beneficial wildlifewatching experiences across the globe, from blue sharks off the Cornish coast to hummingbirds in the rainforests of deepest Peru. <\/p>\n\n

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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James Lowen is a naturalist and travel writer whose books include 52 European Wildlife Weekends. <\/em>See more of his work at jameslowen.com<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

GREAT FOR CUTTING CARBON <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Wildlife staycation in Cornwall <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
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Blue sharks visit UK waters in the summer months <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

You don\u2019t always have to travel long-haul for incredible wildlife. A trip to the southwest of the UK will likely reward you with some wonderful marine species \u2013 and you can get there using public transport. In west Cornwall, Penzance is literally the end of the line: the town where the Great Western Railway terminates \u2013 and, from a wildlifewatching perspective, definitely culminates. <\/p>\n\n

The station is adjacent to Mount\u2019s Bay, a superlative destination for marine wildlife. Hop onto a sailing catamaran operated by local company Marine Discovery for a windpowered excursion so silent that you\u2019ll be able to hear common dolphins whistle as they bowride. You may see ocean sunfish, a pelagic wanderer that, bizarrely, swims on its side, as well as grey seals, harbour porpoises and basking sharks.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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Discover the marine marvels off Mount\u2019s Bay, Cornwall <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Talking of sharks, Blue Shark Snorkel offers a WiSe-accredited (wildlife-safe) underwater experience with the blue sharks now frequenting the coastal waters of south-west England (including Mount\u2019s Bay). Operations for snorkellers follow a strict code of conduct.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Back on dry land, the Land\u2019s End peninsula offers ample wildlife interest \u2013 much of which can be reached through an impressive local bus network. Hike along the dramatic South West Coast Path to look for choughs, a red-billed crow that has recolonised Cornwall after 50 years\u2019 absence. In late summer, take your telescope to Porthgwarra or Pendeen to see passing seabirds such as the European storm petrel and great shearwater. Finally, jump on the local train to Hayle, checking the estuary for Mediterranean gulls and passage waders. <\/p>\n\n

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FIND OUT MORE <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

penzance.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

marinediscovery.co.uk<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

bluesharksnorkel.co.uk<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

southwestcoastpath.org.uk<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

GREAT FOR RAIL TRAVEL <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Mountains and meadows in France <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
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France\u2019s C\u00e9vennes and Grands Causses is a UNESCO World Heritage site <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

An overseas holiday need not mean flying \u2013 UK tour companies including Wildlife Travel (whose profits fund county Wildlife Trusts) offer European tours based on rail travel. So, minimise carbon emissions by taking the Eurostar and TGV through France to N\u00eemes. Then venture west into the C\u00e9vennes and Grands Causses \u2013 spectacular protected areas blessed with dramatic gorges, limestone plateaus and river valleys, where the montane greets the Mediterranean. <\/p>\n\n

Though the region offers year-round nature interest, spring and early summer provide the most intense experiences. Meadows brimming with pheasant\u2019s-eye daffodils and yellow gentians complement rocky heathlands with several local rarities. The floral highlight, though, is the sheer diversity of orchids: seeing 30-plus types is eminently possible. Alongside familiar temperate species, such as the military and monkey orchids, grow southern plants including the violet limodore and smallleaved helleborine. There are even two orchids found nowhere else in the world \u2013 Aymonin\u2019s fly orchid and Aveyron orchid. <\/p>\n\n

With an abundance of nectar, butterflies abound. Sought-after species include the Piedmont ringlet, two-tailed pasha and nettle-tree butterfly. Rock-loving birds are plentiful too. Look at ground level for the citril finch and rufous-tailed rock thrush, then up into the sky for all four European vultures: Egyptian, cinereous, griffon and bearded. Vultures have benefitted from succesful local reintroduction schemes, and you can learn all about the conservation of these charismatic birds at the Maison des Vautours (House of Vultures).<\/span><\/p>\n\n