Empowering Whale Conservation and Marine Communities

A new grant to the World Cetacean Alliance will help protect whales and empower global marine conservation community

1 in 4 cetacean species are now threatened with extinction. Overfishing, entanglement, vessel collisions, plastic pollution, unsustainable tourism, and whaling are just some of the threats faced. The loss of these species significantly impacts biodiversity, deprives us of crucial allies in combating climate change, and threatens coastal communities' livelihoods and cultural heritage.

Many of the world’s cetaceans live close to shore and the threats they face are often co-located with tourism, fishing, shipping, resource exploitation activities and so on. But protecting cetaceans is a complex task. The multitude of threats, their migratory nature, and the global scale mean that effective solutions require effective, cross- boundary collaboration to drive impact. A lack of cohesion and collaboration among those making a positive difference remains, hindering effective solutions. 

World Cetacean Alliance received a grant through ATCF’s “Adopt a Project” programme, an initiative that empowers the ATCF members and partners to directly support specific conservation projects around the world, providing meaningful contributions toward environmental and cultural preservation. 

This impactful funding was made possible by the generosity of ATCF member Toad&Co, and will help to expand World Cetacean Alliance’s Whale Heritage Areas network, as well as launch a new online community platform to connect and empower their Partners and Whale Heritage Areas globally.

“We are truly grateful to the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF) and Toad&Co for their support of the World Cetacean Alliance’s Whale Heritage Programme and our global marine conservation community. It is even more rewarding knowing that this comes from organizations that so deeply share our values and commitment to community conservation and responsible tourism. This generous contribution will enable us to empower local communities to celebrate, respect, and protect whales, dolphins and porpoises and their critical habitats. It also allows us to strengthen global collaboration by building an online platform that connects grassroots partners, amplifying our shared conservation efforts. By recognising the importance of both local and global collaboration in safeguarding cetaceans, ATCF is helping us amplify individual impact and create lasting change in marine conservation worldwide.”

— Sophie Lewis Interim CEO, World Cetacean Alliance

To learn more about this grant, check out this post.

Empowering Communities and Conservation Through Sustainable Beekeeping at Mugie Conservancy

A new grant provided by the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund will help create a robust beekeeping enterprise that will empower local women while protecting wildlife

Photo credit Silverless Photography

The Mugie Conservancy spans 49,457 acres (200.1 km²) on Kenya’s Laikipia plateau at the edge of the Great Rift Valley, and serves as a vital wildlife corridor linking West Laikipia and the Rift Valley with the Mt. Kenya highlands. Home to 60 mammal species, 350 bird species, and over 500 known plant species—including several endangered ones—Mugie is a biodiverse sanctuary critical to conservation efforts in the region.

As our community and wildlife share the same landscapes, human-wildlife conflicts often arise. These conflicts threaten local wildlife populations and endanger community safety and livelihoods. Incidents such as crop raiding and livestock predation create tension and economic losses for our residents. Simultaneously, the expansion of roads, fences, and other infrastructure fragments natural habitats, disrupts wildlife movement, and exacerbates the conservation challenges we face. These disruptions hinder the ability of species to migrate, find food, and reproduce, further stressing our local biodiversity.

To help alleviate these conflicts and improve the livelihoods of people and wildlife, The Mugie conservancy has started to engage in innovative, sustainable initiatives, such as beekeeping, recognizing the importance of bees to ecosystem health. 

Through the collaborative efforts of the Moyo Foundation and Ekorian, Mugie is piloting a sustainable honey production project, featuring 20 beehives that also serve as natural barriers to deter elephants from crop areas, reducing human-wildlife conflict. This project aims to produce honey sustainably while supporting local livelihoods and promoting biodiversity.

“Mugie Conservancy’s beekeeping project seeks to empower local women and promote biodiversity while reducing human-wildlife conflict. By supporting this initiative, WildLandscapes International aims to demonstrate how conservation can drive sustainable development, fostering resilience in both the community and the landscape”

— Élodie A. Sampéré, Deputy Director, WildLandscapes International

The ATCF granted $15,000 to Wildlife Landscapes on behalf of the Mugie Conservatory to purchase beehives and construct a honey extraction facility to empower local Pokot women by producing high-quality hone. This grant will increase community income, enhance biodiversity through improved pollination, and reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Additionally, the facility will serve as a tourism attraction, offering visitors the chance to learn about local honey production and the culture of the Pokot community, further supporting sustainable economic development and conservation of local flora and fauna. This project is intended as a model that can be adapted and replicated in other regions, contributing to the long-term resilience and prosperity of communities similar to Mugie.

To learn more about this grant, check out this post.

Watering Hope: Conservation and Community Resilience in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

A new grant will protect thousands of wild elephants within the Hwange National Park while also helping local communities thrive

Hwange National Park, located in western Zimbabwe near the border with Botswana, is the country's largest national park and one of Africa’s premier wildlife destinations. Known for its diverse ecosystems and abundant wildlife, the park spans around 14,600 square kilometers and offers habitats ranging from dense woodlands to open grasslands and seasonal wetlands.

Hwange is particularly famous for its large elephant population—one of the largest in Africa, estimated to include tens of thousands of elephants. It's also home to a rich variety of other wildlife, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, African wild dogs, and various antelope species. 

Given the park's abundance in wildlife and close proximity to people, there is immense competition for food and water which results in intense human-wildlife conflict. People living along Hwange National Park’s southern boundary are predominantly subsistence farmers who inhabit a geographically and socially isolated area of poor soil fertility and erratic rainfall. In hard times, desperate people have turned to bushmeat poaching in the park to feed their families.

The recent drought has made matters worse. With very limited natural surface water, Hwange National Park relies on NGOs to pump groundwater to the surface for animals to drink. There are over 25 pumps both inside and around the Park that sustain thousands of animals. These units need constant maintenance and require services and repairs.

The Adventure Travel Conservation Fund granted $15,000 to help provide water for wild animals in the southern part of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park while also supporting the communities in establishing irrigated and fenced communal food gardens.  The grant will help cover the salaries and food packs for pump attendants at remote watering holes, ensure repairs for solar hybrid units that pump water for wildlife, and provide a solar pump and irrigation system for a communal food garden. These efforts will empower local communities to become self-sufficient despite drought conditions, reduce human-wildlife conflicts, and sustain the area's iconic wildlife, including large herds of elephants, enhancing both conservation and cultural harmony in the region.

“This project focuses on two parallel elements: First, keeping wild animals, including thousands of elephants, inside Hwange National Park and providing them with plentiful water by pumping at several watering holes along the southern stretch of the park and second, empowering local communities to grow their own food by improving access to water and facilitating irrigation schemes. During a drought year like the one we are currently enduring, these sorts of activities have never been more important and more impactful and we are incredibly grateful for support for these projects.”

— Hannah Tranter, Water4Wildlife Trust

To learn more about this grant, check out this post.

Saving Sea Turtles while reducing plastic waste in the oceans

An innovative program will help save sea turtles while reducing plastic waste found in the ocean

Did you know that there is an estimated 75 million tons of plastic waste found in the ocean? This is a conservative number and unfortunately, the level of plastic found in our oceans is growing every day. Without being properly removed, plastic can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, wreaking havoc on humans and our planet alike.  

In coastal communities in developing countries, plastic waste is often burned which is bad for human health and the planet, and is rarely recycled. These coastal communities also face conservation challenges including plastic pollution, climate change, and illegal hunting and collection of wildlife including sea turtles. 

“From leatherbacks to loggerheads, six of the seven species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered at the hand of humans. Sadly, the fact is that they face many dangers as they travel the seas — including accidental capture and entanglement in fishing gear, the loss of nesting and feeding sites to coastal development, poaching, and ocean pollution including plastic.”

— Sea Turtle Facts, SEE Turtles

An innovative program led by SEE Turtles and their partners is working to provide coastal communities in the Philippines, Ghana, and Colombia the resources they need to clean their beaches, reduce plastic pollution, and turn that waste into useful products that support local economies and conservation efforts.

In 2024, the ATCF granted $15,000 to three coastal communities in the Philippines, Ghana, and Columbia. This grant will fund recycling infrastructure, educational workshops, and cleanup activities that will protect sea turtles and benefit local communities economically.  

“Plastic pollution is a growing problem for ocean wildlife and coastal communities. This funding from the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund will support our partner’s efforts to clean up this waste and turn it into useful products that will support local economies and sea turtles, among other animals. This grant will be a huge help to reversing the tide of plastic waste in communities in Colombia, Ghana, and the Philippines.” -

Brad Nahill, President, SEE Turtles

To learn more about this grant, check out this post.

Saving Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Rare Tree-Climbing Lions

In Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, conservation efforts are underway to monitor and protect the remaining 39 tree-climbing lions

One of 39 remaining tree-climbing lions in The Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. Scientists aren’t exactly sure why these lions started to climb trees but believe it could be to escape the heat or to get away from bothersome insects. If these lions disappear, the culture of tree-climbing cannot be reintroduced into the wild and will be lost. 

The Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (QECA), located in western Uganda, is a large and complex protected area encompassing Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), Kyambura and Kigezi Wildlife Reserves.

The park spans approximately 1,978 square kilometers and is renowned for its diverse ecosystems, including savannas, forests, lakes, and wetlands. It is blessed with some of the highest biodiversity in the region with around 100 mammal species and 612 bird species. QENP is most known for its rare tree-climbing lions, which are one of only three remaining populations of these unique lions remaining in the world.

There are only 39 tree-climbing lions remaining in the park today. If they disappear, they will not come back. 

Over the last 40 years, Queen Elizabeth National Park’s (QENP) lion population has plummeted by over 90%, dropping from more than 400 in the 1980s to just 39 lions in 2022 and faces extinction. As the human population around QECA grows, human-wildlife conflict is expected to increase, further endangering the already vulnerable lion population, which also faces challenges from habitat loss, invasive species, and prey decline. The surrounding area, one of Africa's most densely populated, faces economic hardship and limited educational opportunities, hindering local youth's ability to participate in conservation and ecotourism. Poaching fueled by both bushmeat hunting and retaliatory killings poses a severe threat to the already vulnerable lion populations. 

The grant will train rangers to monitor the lions and protect them. 

In 2024, the ATCF awarded a $15,000 grant to Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust to support the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Project (KLMP). KLMP conducts an annual large carnivore census and collects data for African lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas using a network of vehicles and remote camera traps. The project aims to establish a science-based conservation program that supports the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in the scientific monitoring and protection of large carnivores, respond to injured animals and human/wildlife conflict incidents, helps to assess the impact of conservation work currently being done, and trains young Ugandans from the Kyambura community in scientific conservation techniques.

To learn more about this grant, check out this post.

Empowering women in ocean science and coral reef conservation in Raja Ampat

In the remote islands of Raja Ampat, Indonesia Women in Ocean Science is empowering a group of local women to conserve their unique marine habitat for generations to come

A local woman from Raja Ampat gets ready to dive into the water. Photo credit: Women in Ocean Science

Raja Ampat, situated in West Papua, Indonesia, is renowned for its breathtaking biodiversity and immaculate coral reefs, making it a top destination for travelers seeking unparalleled diving and snorkeling experiences. The archipelago, comprising 612 islands, boasts an astonishing array of marine life, including over 540 coral species—representing more than 75% of all known coral types—and over 1,000 fish species. This exceptional concentration makes Raja Ampat the richest coral reef ecosystem on the planet, fostering some of the most diverse fish communities in the world and solidifying its status as a vital marine habitat. 

However, a surge in tourism has created significant conservation challenges, threatening this unique ecosystem. Environmental degradation increased plastic pollution, and the proliferation of cyanobacteria are impacting marine life, including iconic species like manta rays. Although the local community is deeply committed to environmental protection, gender inequality has limited women's participation in conservation efforts. Cultural norms and restricted access to education and resources have kept women underrepresented in ocean-based industries, hindering their involvement in crucial conservation work.

In 2024, the ATCF awarded a $15,000 grant to Women in Ocean Science, a registered charity and global network dedicated to addressing gender inequality in marine science and conservation. This grant aims to empower women to excel in ocean-focused careers. The grant will be used to train local women in Raja Ampat in marine conservation, diving, and ecosystem monitoring, while actively restoring degraded coral reefs in vital manta ray habitats.

This initiative is set to cultivate female conservation leaders, rejuvenate coral reef ecosystems, enhance sustainable marine resource management, and bolster community resilience in the face of environmental challenges. Additionally, the project will promote sustainable eco-tourism, foster long-term community ownership of conservation programs, and inspire worldwide action through compelling storytelling.

Iconic Manta Rays like these glide gracefully within the crystal clear waters of Raja Ampat

“We are so honoured to be selected as one of the recipients of this year’s Adventure Travel Conservation Fund grant. The support and recognition of our the programme means a great deal and we have just informed our local partners too who are over the moon!”

-Madeline St Clair - Founder & Managing Director |Women in Ocean Science Charity

To learn more about this grant, check out this post.

Conservation Conversations with Mountain Travel Sobek

Massimo Prioreschi is the president and CEO of Mountain Travel Sobek, based in Emeryville, California. It is North America’s oldest adventure travel company specializing in group and custom adventure travel across the globe, including hiking, trekking, rafting, wildlife, and cultural journeys. With a focus on sustainable and responsible tourism, MT Sobek aims to provide travelers with immersive experiences while minimizing their impact on the environment and local communities. Mountain Travel Sobek is a member of ATCF at the Adventure Steward level. “Sustainable and responsible travel is more important now than ever before,” says Prioreschi. “As we continue to grapple with the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, it is imperative that we all take responsibility for our impact on the natural world.”

How does MT Sobek approach the issues of climate change, over-tourism, and other problems facing places?

We believe in the power of responsible, small-group tourism to support local communities and mitigate these problems. We offer off-the-beaten-path destinations such as Algeria, Turkmenistan, and Iraq, and we explore lesser-known trails in popular locations like Yosemite and the Alps. We promote traveling during shoulder seasons to spread out tourism throughout the year and reduce over-tourism during peak months. We mostly use local guides to reduce the carbon footprint of moving guides around the globe. We also use public transportation where possible. In our commitment to fighting climate change, we support conservation efforts, minimize waste, and encourage eco-friendly transportation and carbon offset programs for our travelers.

You’ve come in as an Adventure Steward of the ATCF, a $5,000-level annual commitment. Why?

I’m personally committed to supporting conservation efforts and, as an Adventure Steward of the ATCF, Mountain Travel Sobek can amplify its impact by banding together with like-minded companies. By supporting organizations like the ATCF, we can help to protect the places we love by supporting projects that solve sustainability issues in the places where we travel and help ensure that future generations can enjoy them as well.

The history of MTS is fascinating and goes back to the early days of modern adventure travel. What has that given you as you look to the future?

The company has always had a deep passion for sustainable and responsible travel. It has always been at the forefront of the small-group adventure travel industry, and since the beginning recognized the importance of respecting and protecting the local communities and environment that we visit.

One of our core values is to use local guides. Travelers not only get a more authentic and immersive experience, but it also supports the local economy by ensuring the benefits remain there. Local guides possess an intimate knowledge of the culture, history, and environment of their home regions, and they can offer insights and perspectives that would be impossible to gain otherwise.

In the future, we will continue to prioritize the protection of the natural environment and local cultures. This means reducing carbon footprints, minimizing waste and pollution both in the office and in the field, respecting local customs and traditions, and supporting local economies. By prioritizing these values, travel can become a force for positive change, promoting sustainable development and environmental conservation.

Tell us about a trip or place that changed you or your thinking.

A family trip to the Galapagos in 1997 had a profound impact on me. The wonder in my children's eyes as they interacted with the wildlife made me realize the importance of preserving these natural wonders for future generations. It was inspiring to see how wildlife can flourish while coexisting with travelers, but it requires a fiercely protective mindset from both visitors and locals.

The Galapagos Islands are an excellent example of the virtuous circle of conservation and tourism, balancing economic development with the protection of natural areas. The revenue generated from tourism provides the necessary funding for conservation efforts, which, in turn, helps to preserve the unique ecosystem that attracts visitors in the first place.

Learn more about Massimo Prioreschi and Mountain Travel Sobek on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube!

Conservation Conversation With Experience Plus! Bicycle Tours

Monica and Maria Elena Price are second-generation owners of two cycling travel companies, one based in the US and the other in Italy. The sisters (often mistaken for twins) own and operate BikesPlus (which supports tour operators and independent travelers on cycling tours and bike rentals in Europe) and Experience Plus! Bicycle Tours (the Colorado-based parent company that operates tours in over 10 different countries). This year the company celebrates 50 years since its first trip in 1972 when “our parents took 20 intrepid travelers from Pisa to Forli, across the Italian Apennines on bikes.” Experience Plus! has been an ATCF member since 2016. 

How does Experience Plus! tackle the issue of climate change?

While it can sometimes feel like a small company can’t do much, when we are out there helping people see the world from the bike saddle, it’s an opportunity to give them a different perspective from their usual perch. 

Climate change has become a part of our conversation at many stages of our trip management, sales, and development process. Interestingly, it is also now part of our communications with customers, especially when we talk about what to expect on tour. We now may have heat waves earlier in the season (think northern Europe in June or July). Many of the smaller, even four-star, hotels we like to use don’t have air conditioning, which in the past wasn’t an issue, but now it is getting warmer. So setting those expectations is key. 

The drought this year (2022) caused at least one of our “Bike and Boat” tours to divert from some of our normal canal routes, which required itinerary adjustments and communications just weeks before departures. As storms become more unpredictable and heat waves more intense, we have to train our tour leaders to make decisions on the ground for the comfort and safety of our travelers. It’s all very real to us, and to our travelers. The benefit is that it is an opportunity for conversation and ideas.

And what about overtourism?

Our travelers vividly see the contrast between riding on quiet roads in the countryside and then entering larger more popular towns. Our most iconic and best-selling trip is “Bike Across Italy,” which cycles from Venice to Pisa. This tour also passes through Florence. All three of these iconic Italian cities are currently trying to manage overtourism in different ways and our guests are directly affected. 

We stopped spending the night in Pisa almost 20 years ago when we realized that the hotel we used to use (right across from the Leaning Tower) wasn’t a comfortable place to stay because of noise, traffic restrictions, and crowds. We have conversations with our travelers about these issues and the possible solutions and we’re pleased that many come away realizing “off-the-beaten-track” towns such as Ravenna and Ferrara are equally rich in culture and history. So it’s not just about setting expectations but educating our guests, who will hopefully share what they have learned and take actions that make a positive difference. 

Many of our travelers become wonderful ambassadors for exploring the world by bike and cycling in general, so they are already making a difference.

Experience Plus! has been a supporter of the ATCF since the beginning. Why?

Few of our trips are in locations that ATCF typically ends up supporting the most, yet we truly believe in the industry coming together to sustain local people and fragile places wherever the funding is most needed. We are all part of the same community. 

It is important that all the stakeholders in the industry understand each has a part to play in protecting the planet. Sometimes we get so siloed in our own niches we forget the benefits of different groups coming together. Incredible ideas and solutions can come out of that. We think this is fundamentally important in how we address problems in the future. It’s the essence of community and we’re honored to be part of this one.

Why travel by bike? 

There’s something about exploring the world on two wheels. You can cover a lot of ground and feel it under your wheels so it’s a great way to immerse in the place. And there’s a general sense that people on bikes are approachable, so making connections between people is easy. We even design our trips and train our guides to facilitate planned and serendipitous connections. I [Maria Elena] recently was able to introduce some of my own friends to the world of bike travel. These were people who wouldn’t have chosen a bike trip otherwise—and the best part of the trip was hearing their exclamations of wonder and fun. They loved the freedom to explore and stop whenever they wanted and really valued the insider knowledge of our local guides. It was eye-opening for them and a good reminder for me about why we do what we do!

Learn more about Experience Plus! on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Conservation Conversation With Journalist Stephanie Pearson

Stephanie Pearson, contributing editor to Outside Magazine, author of the recent National Geographic book 100 Great American Parks, and ATCF member.

For Stephanie Pearson, the outdoors has always been a primary force, the reason she pursued a job as a wilderness canoe guide during her college years and at Outside magazine out of graduate school in 1995. During her junior year of college, she studied in Ecuador and Colombia, which cemented her love for and intrigue with Latin America. She started working at Outside and it further opened the world. The first ATTA event I attended was in Chiapas, Mexico, in 2011. “It was the first time I’d ever met so many like-minded travelers and it was an absolute blast.” She joined the ATCF when it launched in 2016.

Tell us about a story you’ve written that has meant a lot to you.

Stephanie in Colombia in 2012. Photo by Joao Canziani.

I was an exchange student in the early ‘90s in Colombia when the semester was cut short because of drug violence. Many years after, around 2011, the FARC announced a moratorium on kidnapping foreigners in order to start the peace process with the government. Through my ATTA friend Gregg Bleakney, who had recently moved to Bogota, I met tour operator and pilot Hernan Acevedo. He arranged to take the photographer Joao Canziani and me to formerly FARC-controlled regions. It was a logistically challenging, risky trip and we flew all over the place in a borrowed Cessna plane. But to see those stunning places—Pacific coastlines, llanos, mountain regions—in their near-natural states left an enormous impression on me and I am forever grateful to Gregg and Hernan. The resulting story, “Love in the Time of Coca," ran in Outside magazine.

Given everything, how does travel need to change and what are you doing personally and professionally?

Stephanie in Colombia in 2012. Photo by Joao Canziani.

I try to live by the general philosophy that I need to take personal responsibility for my choices. Translating that to travel, I am constantly weighing the risk versus reward ratio for my travel. Is it necessary that I go? Are there more sustainable options for getting there? When I do get there, what will I be doing and where will I be staying, and how does that affect the community? If it’s a work trip, will the resulting story have the opportunity to inform or change opinion? I’ve always been a writer who likes to stay put for a few weeks in a place to try to better understand it, so the no-brainer solution for me is to travel less (which I have generally been doing for the past five years), stay in places longer, and appreciate the experience more when I do go.

You’ve been a supporter of the ATCF since almost the beginning. Why?

Stephanie in Colombia in 2012. Photo by Joao Canziani.

The ATCF is a fundamental pillar of the ATTA. It’s at the core of the mission of the organization. We have to understand and support the people who live in the regions we’re traveling to, first to find out if they even want us there, and second to empower them to make their own decisions about how they can better live and intersect with visitors. I really appreciate the soul searching and awareness both the ATTA and ATCF are doing around travel and conservation. We are all hard-wired to wander, but we have to do it more thoughtfully.

Tell us about a trip or place that changed you or your thinking.

I recently wrote about this in Outside, but my last trip to Sedona, Arizona, was a wake-up call. My parents have traveled there to hike every winter since the 1990s. It’s a deeply spiritual place for me, but it’s also becoming increasingly overrun and overcrowded and I have begun to ask myself if I should be there or anywhere that cannot sustain the overwhelming amount of visitors it receives.

Check out Stephanie Pearson’s work at Outside and on her site.