Andalucian Guides
Birding from Tarifa to the Coto Doñana on the Costa de la Luz in southern Andalucia, Spain. Come with us off the beaten track catering for small groups with considerate guiding and minimal impact on the environment. We participate in local conservation, from the preservation of natural habitat such as the Laguna de la Janda, to local and national bird migration census, which includes a horizontal census of seabird migration through the Strait of Gibraltar. Our aim, through careful planning and logistics is to show our guest’s fantastic Andalucian bird and other wildlife, scenery, culture and wonderful traditional food and wine.
Member since: 19 Feb 2004
How the minimum criteria of the responsible travel standard was met...
Economic responsibility
- All possible steps are taken to ensure that we operate our tours in an
environmentally responsible manner by example and ensuring that we
employ
local guides in the field.
- We always use local services and
accommodation as
well as visiting rural restaurants and local "ventas".
- We are aware that travel in any country has some effect on the area and
with
this in mind we strive to lessen the impact, promote local employment
through use and at all times showing a positive attitude towards our
environment and encouraging others to appreciate it's importance.
Environmental responsibility
- We are members of national and international organisations such a the
British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Sociedad Española de
Ornitologia
(SEO).
- We also assist biologist and naturalist with! hands-on!
emergency
work in Andalucia, from the rescue and evacuation of Flamingo chicks
through
drought, to the monitoring of pollution in the Coto Doñana.
Andalucian Guides is committed to conservation and environmental
Protection.
- Our guides are active members of Los Amigos de la laguna de La Janda, a
Huge agricultural area in southern Cadiz province, that was once one of the
biggest lakes and wetlands in Europe and has been drained since the
middle of the last century. We hope to recover a substantial piece of this
land and
return it to it's natural state to encourage wildlife to return to this
rich
area.
- We campaign through fun-raising, publicity, and through promotion
of
public awareness as to the importance of such an area on the bird
migration
route to and from Africa, and through actively campaigning to the
various
governments to have the area known as La Janda given some sort of
protective
status.
- We are currently engaged in a new programme of ornithological study
with the
Depto. de Biologia Universidad de Cadiz, collating data on the
horizontal
migration of sea-birds and their movements from the Atlantic ocean to
the
Mediterranean sea.
- Other projects include the collation of data on Black Stork (Ciconia
nigra)
working with the Collectivo Ornitológico Cigüeña Negra, Estación
Ornitlógica
de Tarifa, Cadiz and assistance to the Asociación Circé, Consenatión,
Informatión y estudio de Cetáceos (Whale and Dolphin studies)
Algeciras,
Spain.
Social responsibility
- Apart from responsible recycling of all office waste and where possible
the
recycling of domestic household waste, we actively encourage our
clients to
be environmentally aware of all their actions and act accordingly in a
proper, responsible manner at all times.
- Client information is sent to all tour participants and tips and recommendations on life and customs are given.
- Tours conclude with client suggestions and comments as to how we can
further
help keep our low-impact tours truly "green" and caring.
