Sustainability

It goes without saying that WildWings, our office staff and tour leaders all care deeply about the world, its wild places and its wildlife. We do our best to operate all of our tours in an environmentally responsible manner – not just by our behaviour and actions in the field, but by working with conservation-minded local agents as well as local services such as guides, eco-lodges and local produce in the places we visit.

Nevertheless, it is an inescapable fact that travel (by air, ship and overland) is a major cause of climate change. We take these issues seriously and encourage all our travellers to negate their share of the damaging CO2 emissions created, for example, by their flights by making a donation in proportion to the length of their journey. Unlike some companies however this is not mandatory as we prefer to give you the freedom to make a personal decision how much to give, and whom to give it to. We will be more than happy to suggest appropriate organisations.

Some of our tours take place in countries where the whole idea of conservation is in its infancy and we must take care to be seen to act responsibly, especially by local people. We do our utmost to minimise disturbance to the birds and wildlife that we take groups to see.

We believe not enough emphasis is placed upon the positive aspects of eco-tourism, which can far outweigh the negatives as long as care is taken to minimise our impact. Tourism has a vital role to play in supporting local peoples as well as fostering an enlightened attitude towards wildlife and the environment in general. Indeed, tourism can be a major factor in saving an area from harm or destruction caused by damaging industrial or agricultural practices, poaching and forest clearance.

OUR COMMITMENT TO CONSERVATION

• We actively support conservation through sponsorship and donation as well as through our actions, our advertising in wildlife magazines and our support for important fundraising events such as the Global Birdfair, right down to recycling our household and office waste.
• Some of our leaders have a background of working for conservation bodies such as RSPB, BirdLife International and English Nature, as well as county wildlife trusts. By employing skilled local guides and utilising eco-friendly lodges wherever possible, we help to support local economies and demonstrate the importance and value of the natural world, as well as to educate and encourage conservation in developing countries where it matters most.
• Many of our local suppliers and business partners are also active in conservation in their home countries.
• Simply by taking a flight to our destination, we are contributing towards greenhouse gases and climate change. Many of our customers contribute towards ‘carbon offset’ schemes designed to mitigate the effects of global warming and we are doing our bit in respect of our leader’s flights by making regular contributions to important conservation work.
• The Global Birdfair (the replacement for the British Birdwatching Fair) – the world’s largest annual gathering of birdwatching enthusiasts is a major fundraiser for conservation, having contributed in excess of one million pounds to selected areas of worldwide ornithological importance identified by BirdLife International. We are proud to now be the official Main Conservation Sponsor for this important event.
• Over many years, our financial support for the Birdfair has included help for projects in Morocco, Ecuador, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Sumatra, Cuba, Argentina, Peru, Thailand and Cambodia, as well as for globally threatened seabirds, BirdLife’s Preventing Extinctions Programme, Ethiopia’s endemic birds, Important Bird Areas in Africa, BirdLife’s Flyways Programme and Saving Paradise in the Pacific and we are proud to now be the Birdfair’s Main Conservation Sponor.
• Other donations and support WildWings has given over the years includes RSPB, Save the Albatross, Oriental Bird Club, Neotropical Bird Club to name but a few.