Arnhem Land community projects in Australia
This type of trip is ideal for people who are unable to take very long periods off work but who are interested in volunteering to work with communities in need, or in wildlife conservation. These shorter trips combine volunteering with an opportunity to see the main sights in destinations.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
The Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation works to manage and conserve the lands of East Arnhemland for the Yolngu Aboriginal traditional owners. Part of this work involves dealing with the marine debris that washes up on the shores. This community project involves working alongside the Dhimurru Aboriginal rangers to clear the coast of dangerous marine debris and rescue turtles and other wildlife from entanglement.
The rubbish collected will be catalogued before disposal to provide a greater understanding of the source of the debris and how it can be better managed and prevented. Subject to weather conditions we may also be able to conduct a helicopter reconnaissance of the coast looking for turtles and other wildlife that have become snared in the nets. Where safe to do so we will land the helicopter to free the trapped animals.
The natural landscapes we explore are some of the richest, often most challenging, yet at the same time some of the most fragile environments on earth. With education, experienced leadership and appropriate equipment and techniques, it is possible to travel responsibly through these regions. For us, it is critically important that such wilderness travel experiences do not diminish the natural values of the environment.
Our environmental sustainable principles: True sustainability is a guiding aspect in all aspects of our business planning and operations. Specifically our tour operations should be managed in a way where the natural and cultural values of the host region are undiminished in the long-term.
Where possible, we engage in partnerships with local environmental groups and/or land managers to actively campaign for conservation or promote environmental protection and/or rehabilitation.
Our Responsible Travel Guidebook: Our philosophy since 1975 has been to leave only footprints and take only photographs. To reiterate this, every customer who travels with us receives a copy of our award-winning Responsible Travel guidebook. This detailed book outlines our environmentally sustainable principles, and outlines how each customer can minimize their impact while traveling.
Global Warming and Carbon Balancing: The root cause of Global Warming is society's dependence on emission creating fossil fuel. Planting trees is not going to reverse this trend or cancel our carbon emissions very quickly or effectively. We believe the way to reduce these dependencies is to create clean energy production. Therefore, we support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power, and we are aligned with Climate Friendly, the gold standard setter in effective, meaningful action addressing climate change. So, while we believe that tree planting can play a small role in greenhouse gas abatement, we have gone the extra mile in promoting a longer term solution. Is this cheap? No. Is it responsible? Absolutely!
The Dhimurru and Laynhapuy Land Management Aboriginal Corporation works to manage and conserve the lands of East Arnhemland for the Yolngu Aboriginal traditional owners. The North East Arnhem Land Coast is one of Australia’s most beautiful coastlines, virtually free from development and enjoying the custodianship of the Yolngu Aboriginal Traditional owners.
Discarded fishing nets, rubber footwear, empty bottles and plastic bags are all carried by currents from throughout the South East Asian region and deposited on the Arnhem Land Coast. All of this waste is a major threat to the wildlife, as animals get caught up in the nets and choke on the plastic rubbish. This community project involves working alongside the Dhimurru Aboriginal rangers to clear the coast of dangerous marine debris and rescue turtles and other wildlife from entanglement. To date we have assisted in the collection of more than 10 tonnes of debris.
The rubbish collected will be catalogued before disposal to provide a greater understanding of the source of the debris and how it can be better managed and prevented. Subject to weather conditions we may also be able to conduct a helicopter reconnaissance of the coast looking for turtles and other wildlife that have become snared in the nets. Where safe to do so we will land the helicopter to free the trapped animals.
The natural landscapes we will explore are some of the richest, often most challenging, yet at the same time some of the most fragile environments on earth. With education, experienced leadership and appropriate equipment and techniques, it is possible to travel responsibly through these regions. For us, it is critically important that such wilderness travel experiences do not diminish the natural values of the environment.
Community
Not only will we be using high-tech techniques for dealing with this modern problem, but also relying on and learning from traditional Yolngu Aboriginal knowledge and understanding of the land, sea and animals. To ensure cultural sensitivity we may break in to men’s and women’s groups to share in the gender-specific aspects of culture and lifestyle. Men can learn traditional hunting and fishing and women can be involved in traditional bush medicine, bush food and handicrafts.
Permission was granted to us from the traditional owners to assist with this project and we are proud that the indigenous Australians of the region have recognised our sensitivity and commitment to a sustainable travel approach by allowing us to work with them.
Our responsible travel principles: Our company aims to maximise the positive benefits of tourism for host communities. This includes training and employment of local staff, using local suppliers and assisting in the development of sustainable local businesses.
We actively minimise the negative effects that tourism can have by ensuring that tourism does not divert resources away from local communities or drive up prices on local resources. We provide opportunities for real cultural exchange, where locals and visitors alike can share and learn from each other in an environment of mutual respect. We contribute to the welfare of the host community. This is epitomised in our Community Project Travel program where we organise for our travelers to spend time in disadvantaged villages upgrading basic facilities such as health, education and water access. We strive to educate our travelers about the destination and its local cultures as well as providing guidelines on appropriate behaviour to minimise impact.
No local payments policy: Local cash payments are becoming increasingly popular with many operators in the adventure travel industry. This policy seems to benefit the tour operators more than the local economies or the travelers, as it avoids local taxes and transfers the costs and risks of cash handling onto the travelers. In accordance with our Responsible Travel practices, we have chosen a policy of not asking for such payments.
1of5
Listen to the podcast below:
