Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
1of6
This project has amazing conservation value - the findings of the research team are so desperately needed they are on the verge of being directly translated into new legislation to protect the dolphin populations and prevent their numbers from declining any further, and you can be a part of it.
Volunteers speak with tourists and tour operators to gain an understanding of the economic value of this industry so that the legislation developed results in a sustainable future for all. Volunteers have the opportunity to teach in local schools interacting with the local community and generating awareness about marine conservation. Community work includes education programmes and craft sessions with preschool children teaching the basics of conservation and assisting with beach clean-ups. Volunteers are also are encouraged to partake in local activities, buy local produce, shop in local markets and eat in local restaurants thus supporting local trade.
Volunteers are educated on how to interact with marine mammals in their environment in a respectful way. You will receive training in cetacean and turtle research techniques. As a keen conservationist, we are sure you are aware that air travel releases gases that contribute to global warming, such as carbon dioxide. In fact, your flight will be the largest environmental impact of your placement.
In line with our Responsible Travel Policy, we've teamed up with an organisation called Climate Care, to offset any damage your placement causes the environment. Climate Care funds sustainable energy and forest restoration projects that reduce carbon dioxide on your behalf, by the same amount as your share of the plane emits. We contribute over £22 per volunteer to Climate Care, which balances the carbon emissions from the flight, through Climate Care's energy saving projects, with no extra cost to you!
Our passion for the wildlife and communities of southern Africa drives us to support conservation and community intiatives that cannot be supported in terms of volunteering. A portion of the funds raised by your placement goes directly towards sponsoring communities and local conservation organisations in southern Africa.
Here are some of the groups we support:
Harmony Flats Nature Reserve:
We sponsor the Harmony Flats Working Group who volunteer in Harmony Flats Nature Reserve, managed by the Biodiversity Branch within the City of Cape Town. We recently provided uniforms for the working group, who care for the reserve and protect and conserve its heritage.
Callies Football Team, Botswana:
Sponsoring Callies football team in Mathathane, Botswana. Hoping to install a sense of pride in the local community near Tuli Conservation Project we sponsored the team strip after several years of them having made a name for their team. Volunteers have at times enjoyed having a match against them!
Lumikisa School, South Africa:
We provided the funds for a local school in the Acorn-Hoek community of South Africa to install a jungle gym playground and ensure it met safety requirements. Lumikisa School was struggling with suitable outdoor space for the children, the school now has a vegetable garden and fun playground. Schools are often a refuge for many children with difficult home lives and we are proud to have been involved with Lumikisa.
Supported Conservation Projects, South Africa:
Supporting our projects when the numbers of volunteers they receive cannot fund them, is paramount to us to ensure the projects we support and the families and individuals that rely on them can continue.
Office procedures:
- Our UK office recycles paper, ink cartridges, cardboard and glass. We carry out energy-saving practices such as turning off electrical equipment when not in use
- All our staff are committed to protecting our environment and carry these practices through to their home life
- Where possible we use suppliers and printers who also have a strong environmental policy
- Projects recycle, save energy and minimize water usage wherever possible
- All our promotional material and other documentation and stationery is printed on recycled paper, or on paper from a certified sustainable source
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
