Giving forward with the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund

Here at Another World Adventures we believe that travel can have a positive impact on the people and places we visit. It’s at the core of what we do and it’s why we partner with independent operators, around the world, who pride themselves on travelling responsibly. 

We’re excited to take that commitment further, becoming a member of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF), the international nonprofit focused on funding on-the-ground conservation projects around the world. It’s a way for us to directly support work that is critical to protecting the environments, wildlife, cultures and economies that we, and you, value and visit.

“As a member of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, we’re honored to contribute to shaping a future where nature’s health is always at the heart of our adventures. Through this alliance, we embrace the transformative power of collective action in preserving our planet’s wild places to be enjoyed by all generations now and forever in the future.” – Larissa Clark, Founder of Another World Adventures

ATCF supported project: Saving Namibia’s Unique Desert Lions with Dr Flip Stander and the Desert Lion Conservation project 

What is The Adventure Travel Conservation Fund? 

The mission of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF) is to directly fund local projects engaged in the conservation of unique natural and cultural resources of adventure travel destinations. 

Through the membership we’re joining ATCF members from across the globe to protect threatened communities, cultures and wild places for current and future generations. 

ATCF supported project: The Kayapo Project; Amazon Adventures Empowering Large-Scale Conservation (Photographer Cristina Mittermeier)

Once a year, the ATCF awards grants to organisations seeking conservation funding. As members we’ll be actively supporting the fund by nominating and voting on grant recipients and the financial support from our membership goes to fund the chosen conservation projects.

We’re so excited to learn more about the projects nominated this year. They can include both nonprofit and for-profit organisations, which may include conservation groups, indigenous people groups, tour operators, or accommodations, can receive project funding from ATCF.

Some examples of previous projects include: 

• The Kayapó Project in Brazil – Developing conservation-based tourism micro-enterprises that incentivize and support Xingu Kayapó communities’ efforts to defend their territory and culture from invasion.
• Saving Namibia’s Unique Desert Lions – Supporting the regular use of early warning towers and GPS collars in the areas where Human Lion Conflict is prominent to see a reduction in the number of deaths of lions due to conflict with people.
• When the Whales Win, Everyone Wins (Mexico) – Conducting a multi-site humpback whales survey with their network of whale watch guides, local citizens, and Mexican biologists/educators to generate region-wide stewardship and protected areas where whales will be safe, the ocean can heal and communities can gather.
• Empowering Youth to Safeguard Coral Reefs in Bayahibe (Dominican Republic) – Rolling out Green Fins implementation in Bayahibe hand in hand with dive operators and Youth Eco Champions, in turn enhancing resilience and protection of coral reefs and their ecosystems.

ATCF supported project: Volcaone Safaris Village – Photo Credit Craig Howes

What does this mean for you?

When you travel with operators connected by Another World Adventures you know that you’re directly supporting conservation initiatives around the world.

In addition to our ATCF membership we also make a donation to a non-profit for every adventurer who books with us, in 2023 we supported development a new ocean conservation not-for-profit called Free Range Ocean and the first of its many exciting projects. 

“I know first hand how life changing travel can be, it helps us to connect to ourselves, to each other and to the world around us. By working with ATCF and other non-profits we can make sure that the people and places we visit also benefit positively. Donations such as this are one of the many ‘strings in the bow’ of being a responsible traveller and there are lots of other ways to ensure our travels have a positive impact of people and the planet, be it choosing low-carbon transportation, reducing single-use plastics, shopping locally and being respectful to local communities, nature and wildlife … as a start!” 

Read more on responsible tourism here.