Finland and Spain rare carnivore photography tour

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION In Spain and Finland (as with everywhere we go) we carefully choose accommodation, supplies and transportation that either minimises its effect on the environment or helps to contribute to its sustainable development. By choosing small, privately owned accommodation where possible we also look to only stay in truly eco-lodges that abide by basic and also pioneering methods of ecological sustainability. Where possible, we make sure that the lodges, camps and ranches that we use support local projects for the protection of the wildlife and local communities which rely on tourism as the principal source of income. We make sure that all the food consumed on the tour is locally sourced. In particular on this trip if we have to stay in a city in Finland (at the start or end of the trip (such as in Joensuu or Kuipou) we stay at the Hotel Green Star which is one of the few 100% eco-friendly hotels in Europe and run totally sustainably. The lodges and hides we use in Finland do not have any mains electricity and the generator is only used when absolutely necessary, instead solar power is the principle source of energy and water is recycled and mostly sourced from rainwater. Where possible, we make sure that the lodges, camps and ranches that we use support local projects for the protection of the wildlife and local communities which rely on tourism as the principal source of income. We make sure that all the food consumed on the tour is locally sourced. All the toilets are natural dry toilets which helps to lessen the impact of chemical waste as we are in the wilderness and control of impact on the environment very strictly. All of the lodge owners and guides we use in Finland are independent one man businesses; as a result they have a passion for their activity and with local passion for sustainability they look to pass on lots of historical and cultural information to guests.

In this particular tour we look to us hybrid vehicles (electric vehicles where possible - this is not always possible when going off road on safari) as well as staying and recommending eco hotels. We also encourage our clients to arrive into Andujar and Kuopio with the local trains and not driving or flying to connect the entry points of Malaga / Madrid or Helsinki (respectively).

Any hiking and visits to protected areas that are maintained by the Forest and Park Service of Finland, we donate a fee to them for their continued up keep of the areas and the camp grounds, open huts and other services in the area which local people are using also. We also encourage the purchasing of local handicrafts which are all created in a sustainable way and provide great unique souvenirs. ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE This trip is working to protect the Iberian lynx in the Sierra de Andujar Natural Park. IUCN Red List status is Endangered

The biggest threats to the lynx are habitat destruction and hunting.

What action is being taken to address these threats?

We keep a record of all the lynx activity we see on each tour and record the environmental factors, this data is used by ourselves but also given to the researchers who work for SOS Lynx. All the information collected in invaluable as the knowledge of this lynx population very little understood. We also donate our pictures to the researchers to aid in their photo identification studies.

Where possible, we make sure that the lodges, camps and ranches that we use support local projects for the protection of the wildlife and local communities which rely on tourism as the principal source of income.

What successes have there been?

The current Iberian lynx population in Sierra de Andujar Natural Park is making a large recovery in their numbers. We are not sure if this can be called a success of the trip or the work is done in this location because the population is strengthening.

How can tourists expect to see the conservation work, or make a contribution?

Wildlife Promise: By bringing people here with a professional local guides we aim to not just showcase the lynx and the wolverine and its natural environment in full but also to allow you to learn about the problems facing Europe's carnivores and other endangered European species in the area and how cutting edge research is countering the problems as well as showing you examples of success stories (such as the Iberian wolf). Wildlife Promise: By bringing people here with a professional local guide we aim to not just showcase the wolverine and its natural environment in full but also to allow you to learn about the problems facing the wolverine and other top predators living in the forests here and how cutting edge research is countering the problems as well as showing you examples of success stories (such as the wolverine itself). We also keep a record of all the wolverine activity we see on each tour and record the environmental factors, this data is used by ourselves but also given to the researchers who work for various universities that conduct periodic studies on the wolverines here. All the information collected in invaluable as the knowledge of this wolverine population very little understood. We also donate our pictures to the researchers to aid in their photo identification studies.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY In all of our tours of Spain and Finland we stick to our policies that strive for continued environmental conservation ethics to be upheld by ourselves and all the local suppliers that we use. We look to employ as many local staff in our tours and in Spain and Finland we employ the services of local biologists when on our lynx tours, also our local Spanish guides are members of the Los Amigos de la laguna de La Janda. In Finland our local guides are native to the forests we go looking for wildlife.

A lot of the area nearby where we visit for the Iberian lynx is a huge agricultural area in southern Cadiz province. It used to be one of the biggest lakes and wetlands in Europe but has since been drained in the last century. This environmental project hopes to recover a substantial piece of this land and return it to its natural state, which would inevitably lead to even more wildlife returning to this rich area. We also support projects which are looking into alternatives to the needless slaughter of birds by farmers.

We spend time on private land when looking for the lynx and pay the local land owners for the privilege, this then increases their revenue and as a result the locals are now very keen to have lynx on their land instead of persecuting them. We also encourage the purchasing of local handicrafts which are all created in a sustainable way and provide great unique souvenirs.

The vast majority of the food on this trip comes from local producers and we look to reduce the amount of meat consumed on the trip by providing vegetarian meals where possible and more fish than meat, particularly in Finland where locally sourced freshwater fish is the major protein source. EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY & DIVERSITY Our local guides are just that, local on this tour, so their travelling distances to and from the tour are small, the hides and lodges we use on this tour have very small energy requirements, instead of using heating by using accommodation with modern and effective insulation, which helps in lowering the energy requirements on the trip.

In all of our tours of Finland we stick to our policies that strive for continued environmental conservation ethics to be upheld by ourselves and all the local suppliers that we use. We look to employ as many local staff in our tours and in Finland we employ the services of local guides, drivers and wildlife photographers. This trip, like all of our trips, is LGBTQ+ friendly. Nearly all of this trip is conducted from a hides, however some walking may be needed, to get closer to wildlife and this walking will be done on uneven ground and at altitude. So people with severe mobility issues will struggle, the trip is not wheelchair safe.