Conservation in East Africa and our Responsible Travel Commitments
East Africa’s environment is one of the most diverse on earth and its landscape the oldest. In some isolated areas its flora and fauna have evolved in isolation for over 50 million years, untouched by the upheavals of the world’s major continental plates. The result is a unique, highly specialized and very fragile environment. Over 80% of East Africa’s mammals, reptiles and flowering plants are therefore highly endemic.
Nearly two hundred years of tribal settlement have had a profound influence on East Africa’s environment, with land clearance for settlements and agriculture, the introduction of feral animals, livestock and invasive weeds substantially impacting on the country’s biodiversity. Various East African organisms have therefore become extinct in the last 200 years and like anywhere else in Africa with ever growing human population nearly over 20% of our remaining mammals and birds species are also threatened with severe extinction. Global Climatic Changes, which is not phenomenon to East Africa’s making, but its consequences, affects our forests, our harvests and the way of life. East Africa feels the effects of these problems and will ultimately continue to only aggravate conservation challenges.
The current massive destruction of habitat and extinction of species is taking place on a catastrophically short timescale, and their effects will fundamentally reset the future evolution of the planet’s biota. The fossils record suggests that the recovery of global ecosystems require millions or even tens of millions of years in order to come back to its glorious state. Thus the intervention by the humans the very agents of the current environmental crisis is required for any possibility of short-term recovery or the maintenance of the biota. In this context, many ecologically important areas are not yet protected. Insufficient knowledge and awareness of stakeholders and decision-makers on the importance and ecosystem services provided by these key areas is partly the cause of this lack of action, and it is threatening the future existence of these fragile ecosystems.
While hosting guests in this ecologically unique environment, we make a firm commitment to the principles of sustainability and conservation. This is through each aspect of our travel: from energy usage to waste disposal; our choice of accommodations; our recycling of bottles (like using filtered water to minimize the use of plastic mineral water bottles) or support the use of eco-certified cleaning materials that have been carefully planned to minimize our impact on the land. We are also constantly reviewing and improving our strategies. We actively support and stay in many investments that embrace the use of solar power and various accommodations aimed at minimizing our carbon emissions.
Above all our prime motivation for what we do is to open the minds of the guests who travel and stay with us through the activities our local guides conduct in the environment. This comes through the interpretation of the environment, the birdlife, wildlife and reptile-life. It also comes through the active debate on various topical issues in the environment and through the day to day operation of our tours.
Our strongly held belief is that tourism should help foster conservation of our natural and cultural heritage and our rates include a contribution to various respective East African Conservation Organizations, whose work on various areas around where we travel is at the forefront of protecting endangered species and fragile ecosystems within East Africa.
Biodiversity, which is the variety of plants, animals and the ecosystems in the world, is a measure of our planet’s health. Overexploitation of the ecosystems, habitat destruction and often introduction of the invasive species are threatening the Earth’s biodiversity. Once an organism is Extinct it is gone Forever and it is about time to turn the tide. So, the challenge ahead is SERIOUS and the TASK difficult, but essential!
Travelling with Ben’s Ecological Safaris will ultimately help accomplish this task with distinction. So, we request you to join us and together we can make this significant impact.
Ultimately, after taking any of our trips, it will be difficult not to reflect upon the importance’s of conserving this treasured gift-East Africa’s pristine areas within where our tours are organized.
Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a songbird will come.-Chinese Proverb ...