There are nature-based solutions, such as the extensive tree planting I learned about during my time at Bateleur Camp. The regeneration of wilderness and wildlife is itself one reason why we need to pick the right trips and be part of climate solutions, not just adding to environmental-strain problems. Luxury safaris that invest in the meaningful protection of species large and small are supporting biodiversity, which is—as the United Nation puts it—our strongest natural defense against the climate crisis.
As nonsensical as it seems to propel ourselves to far-flung lands through the combustion of fossil fuels at a time of climate crisis, many communities would be in even more danger if visitors stopped coming. If it weren’t for the conservation efforts of nature-based tourism businesses across the continent—from Volcanoes Safaris saving chimpanzees and gorillas in Uganda to Tswalu Kalahari showing love for vultures in South Africa—we’d lose more precious species even faster.
Did you know that Indigenous peoples make up less than five percent of the world’s population, yet, as the World Wide Fund for Nature reminds us, they’re custodians of 80 percent of the earth’s biodiversity in the forests, grasslands, marine environments and deserts where they’ve lived for centuries? Thanks to charities like Africa Foundation working with lodges like andBeyond Bateleur Camp, money from responsible tourism operators helps thousands of Indigenous people—such as the Maasai—safeguard acres of nature reserves by providing paid jobs, like rangers. This all became real during our tour of the Nyakweri Forest Conservation Project, where we saw countless seedlings being planted and met the poachers-turned-rangers helping regenerate this native woodland.
We’re passionate travelers, and the last thing we need is more torrential rain on our parades—but the reality is, we can’t keep ignoring the wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts happening globally. Perhaps the answer lies in encouraging and talking about more marginal gains in travel—much like the 1% Factor in sports, a concept popularized when teams championed the strength of making small changes to add up to bigger results. Yes, fly less. Book more biodiversity-restoring hotels. Continue to skip plastic-bottled water. And leave whatever local currency you can in places kinder to nature and on-the-ground communities.
This isn’t me “hope-washing”—it’s a tonic for those of us with a severe case of solastalgia. Clover Hogan, an activist and founder of Force of Nature, says that 70 percent of young people today are eco-anxious (according to the campaign group’s 2020 survey with YouGov and Friends of the Earth). We owe it to those genuinely riddled with worry to keep pushing our hosts—tour operators, hotel groups, travel agents—to strive for targeted, climate-conscious trips that are net positive. If we are to indulge our fernweh, let’s do it more responsibly.
Hacks, apps, and switches to make your escapades more enriching, enlightening, and economical.
Conservation-focused tourism brands in Africa
Wilderness Destinations has clocked up an impressive four decades of conservation tourism in Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, and Kenya. Their lodges help protect about six million acres of wilderness funded by their safari-loving clientele, and they are on track to double the amount of land they’re saving by 2030.
Great Plains Conservation sets impressive benchmarks through their camps and impact-led travel experiences in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Beverly and Dereck Joubert have been celebrated as wildlife protectors for more than 40 years, and their low-volume, high-spend, lighter-physical-touch tourism model allows them to protect a vast spread of threatened environments.
Singita, the Shangaan word for ‘Place of Miracles,’ is helping boost the biodiversity of almost a million acres of land wherever they have lodges in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Rwanda. This means they are constantly reducing their emissions, saving water, strengthening their waste management, and supporting local economies.
