“Ecovolunteering is a solidarity-based and participatory action that consists of helping, during one’s free time, a project linked to the preservation and promotion of animal, plant, environmental and cultural diversity. The ecovolunteer is a committed and voluntary citizen.” The Ecovolunteering Charter
Whay Ecovolonteering ?
Ecovolunteering could be the travel of tomorrow. Who has not heard of the Anthropocene era, the sixth mass extinction, and the dangers linked to climate change? Today, many of you want to travel differently. Ecovolunteering offers an answer to this search for meaning and this desire to act for the protection of biodiversity. Committing to an ecovolunteering mission means choosing to take part in a more solidarity-based world that is respectful of living things.
The Ecovolunteering Charter
Between October 2013 and December 2014, a collective coordinated by Cybelle Planète, of which eco-volontaire.com is a member, conducted a democratic debate in order to propose a definition of the term ECOVOLUNTEERING and to put forward an ETHICAL CHARTER. 395 people took part in drawing up this charter: ecovolunteers, ecovolunteering organisations, tourism professionals, committed citizens… The debate took into account everyone’s opinion, without restriction, and the results reflect the collective thinking.
- Commitment 1: Transparency on the use of ecovolunteers’ financial contributions Where ecovolunteers make a financial contribution to their mission, the organiser commits to full transparency regarding the use of the money paid. This includes a breakdown of the percentage of the amount going to the host project, to the organiser, and where applicable to an intermediary, as well as the percentage of the amount dedicated to the ecovolunteers’ accommodation and food.
- Commitment 2: Objective communication about ecovolunteering missions The organiser commits to providing honest, explicit and objective information about the mission or missions on offer. This information must take into account and detail: the research or conservation programme, including objectives, methodology, and where possible results and publications; the involvement of ecovolunteers in the project and their supervision; the social, economic and ecological benefits, including: the involvement of local communities and the impact on the community; the impact of the mission on the local economy; the ecological impact of the mission.
- Commitment 3: Preparation of ecovolunteers for the mission The organiser commits to putting in place preparation prior to the ecovolunteers’ departure, in order to: optimise their cultural immersion; clarify the meaning of their involvement in the host project; inform ecovolunteers about their conditions of participation (accommodation, comfort, travel arrangements). This preparation may take the form of documentation, a meeting, or any other appropriate medium.
- Commitment 4: Limiting the environmental impact of missions The organiser commits to estimating and limiting, as far as possible, the environmental impact of the mission on offer, and to making this information accessible to ecovolunteers. The organiser also commits to implementing actions aimed at reducing these impacts, for example: recommendations to ecovolunteers on eco-friendly practices to adopt; recommendations on CO2 emissions offset programmes; adaptation of the minimum duration of the mission according to its remoteness (balancing the territorial benefits of the mission against the ecological impact of travel).
- Commitment 5: Collecting ecovolunteer feedback The organiser commits to gathering ecovolunteers’ experiences (for example: testimonials, reports) and publishing them. Furthermore, where possible, the organiser commits to connecting former and future ecovolunteers.
- Commitment 6: Regular evaluation of projects The organiser commits to carrying out a regular evaluation of the projects offered to ecovolunteers, based on: the consistency of the original project with its current content; the consideration of ecovolunteers’ feedback on the project; any results achieved; projects in development.
- Commitment 7: Recognition of ecovolunteers’ participation The organiser commits to publishing, on a regular basis, reports on the actions and results of the project and on the achievements in which ecovolunteers participated during their mission.
- Commitment 8: Taking animal welfare and the use of species into account The organiser commits to refusing any ancillary activity involving the use of wild animals for recreational purposes (for example: swimming with dolphins, circus, training, feeding for tourist purposes, etc.). In the case of animal sanctuaries, the organiser commits to offering only projects whose priority is to reintroduce animals into their natural habitat, and which keep animals in sanctuary only when their reintroduction proves impossible.