Mountain biking holiday in Sweden holiday

Planet

Through our Impact Fund, we enable you to donate directly to local conservation projects in the area you visit, making a real and positive impact on and benefit to the communities you visit and the natural environment. We believe that spending time in nature has a 'cost' to nature and that we should give back and protect it. This is not an easy thing to do so when you book your adventure, we will ask you to choose which local project to support. It's an easy transparent way to donate when you adventure and really does ensure that the money raised goes to genuine, well managed and useful conservation projects that are helping to restore nature and biodiversity. Impact projects are chosen based on their track record and vision to protect, sustain and regenerate under the themes of landscape, fauna, flora and community. In addition we will support some other activities if they help sustain fragile communities that are under threat from external pressures in particular education projects for younger people.

There are three Impact Projects selected by your Destination Expert that are environment focused. The Fjällrävens VännerOne organisation helps to support the Arctic fox which is an endangered species in Scandinavia by monitoring the size and distribution of the artic fox population annually through a collaboration between Sweden and Norway to establish how the population is doing in relation to the base line evidence.

A second environmental project that you can support is the Friends of Storlien Storvallenfjäll. This is a non-profit association that works to increase accessibility in the mountain areas of Storlien, Storvallen and Teveldalen in a sustainable and ecologically conscious way. Storlienfjällens Vänner is planning for the refurbishment of existing cycle paths and expand the trail system further to reduce the effects of footfall on pristine ground.

The third project focuses on the Muskox which are on the verge of extinction in Sweden because they are not protected.There are only around 11 wild muskox in Sweden. In 2013, the Härjefonden organisation oversaw the succesfull breding of female musk ox that was moved from the protection centre to the wild herd, here in Härjedalen to try and protect the gene pool of the diminishing population.

People

4 conservation projects each year are nominated in each local area by our local community we work with. We work with small scale micro businesses in remote areas that want and need more visitor but in a way the community can manage and with minimal impact on nature and the communities.

One of the more community based projects that can be supported helps protect the Funäsfjällenarea , in the west of Härjedalen. A large number of visitors enjoy this area all year round and this needs careful management to protect the biodiversity and the people visiting. The Västra Härjedalens Bygdesamrådsgrupp run a volunteer maintenance programme that relies on contributions to pay for path upkeep.

Our model creates high quality local employment and means the money earns says in the communities. Our Destination Experts and suppliers are en=mbedded in thier communities and are part of our Slow Adventure movement. All commission earned is clear and transparent for both us and our Destination Experts - a fair arrangement.

We train suppliers in pricing their adventures fairly and sufficiently for them to make a good living. We only work with suppliers who adhere to slow travel principles (eg leave no trace) and none of our adventures require fossil fuel (apart from one or two exceptional occasions for a transfer). The carbon foot print of the adventures are minimal. We are working towards BCorp status.

We also promoting ‘shoulder’ months and drawing travellers away for the ‘hot spots’ we create more opportunities for suppliers and increase the viability of small scale operators who seek more business but do not have the capacity to find it. By supporting local food, accommodation and experiences we are helping to maintain and promote micro businesses that want more visitors