For most, loving to travel is essentially loving to discover and experience more of the world we inhabit. Our planet is so remarkably diverse, full of varying climates, cultures, and histories, that the possibilities and opportunities in it are endless. It follows that seeing and exploring new places for the first time can bring many of us infinite inspiration and joy. However, it is a sad paradox that loving to travel and doing so extensively, tends to not show our planet very much love at all. It is widely known now that long-haul travel has a harmful effect on the environment. In exploring the world we damage it and ourselves. Typical, no?
And as well as being pleasurable, travel has become fundamental for global business nowadays. Even though it is easier than ever to communicate and work across long distances, face to face meeting and presence remains essential for international companies. So while many companies may realise the negative impact of their travel footprint, we understand how most are not in a position to reduce it.
Our industry inevitably causes damage to the environment, but, it is an integral part of Essential Travel’s philosophy to do our work with the lowest cost to the planet as possible. So far we have managed to cut emissions back by up to 40%, and have achieved 100% travel policy adoption with M&C Saatchi. And in doing our part to offset damage, we are delighted to now be working with the World Land Trust and REGUA to help conserve one of the world’s most beautiful and under-threat rainforests: the Atlantic Forest in Brazil.
The Atlantic Forest is a biome and region stretching along the Atlantic coast of Brazil down to Uruguay and inland as far as Paraguay and Argentina. Despite now being the second most threatened biome in the world and having only 7% of original forest remaining, the Atlantic Forest is counted as one of the top five locations in the world for exceptional biodiversity.
The Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (REGUA) is dedicated to preserving what remains of the Atlantic Forest in the upper Guapiaçu river basin. Industrial growth and development has led to centuries of exploitation of the area’s natural resources, which has led to great levels of deforestation and extreme damage to the land’s eco system.
We are assisting REGUA and the World Land Trust (WLT) in funding the purchase of a small plot of land in the currently unprotected Matumbo Gap region. The plot is 59 acres and very strategically placed so as to create a “forest corridor” bridging two parts of the reserve, which will effectively restrict threat of development on surrounding and as-yet-unprotected land.
We believe very passionately in the work of REGUA and the WLT, and are very proud to be involved in the conservation of the Atlantic Forest. We will be posting updates and news regarding our plot and the project as a whole, and are keen for anyone interested to get involved and support the cause.
Our world offers us so much, it is vital for us to give back and show some love in return. In doing so, we allow ourselves to continue to enjoy our planet for years, generations, and centuries to come.
You can learn more about the work of REGUA and WLT here:
Without people seeing the rainforest, we won’t ever conserve it. you’ve got to give it a value, and often that value does depend on tourism