Tempted by eco-volunteering? What you need to know before booking a solidarity trip

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Preserve the last Lost Worlds, remote natural environments and among the richest on the planet, before it is too late" can be read on the website of Naturevolution, an association offering environmental protection missions in Madagascar and Indonesia. Eco-volunteering combines the discovery of new regions of the world and projects to preserve the fauna or flora of a country. Unlike simple ecotourism, where observation is paramount, eco-volunteering involves the active participation of the volunteer. And sometimes requires training time.

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The commitment of the volunteer can take many forms: "There are a lot of eco-volunteers. In Brazil, for example, the protection of emblematic species organized by associations is flourishing. In Chile, projects tend to come from civil society, in conjunction with universities or conservation organizations, and can, for example, take the form of an inventory of fauna or flora... " explains Fabien Bourlon, researcher in territorial innovation and tourism.

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"Protecting lost worlds"

Coral transplantation, reforestation... There are many ways to practice eco-volunteering. AdobeStock/pigprox

During an ecovolunteer mission, ecology and social are gladly intertwined. What Evrard Wendenbaum, founder of Naturevolution, proudly claims. "We initially focused exclusively on nature conservation, before realizing the importance of involving local communities in this process. Their living conditions have a direct impact on ecosystems: extreme precariousness can, for example, lead to poaching. The association offers reforestation, environmental awareness, patrols by ecoguards, mangrove replanting ... Just like the construction of schools, the training of teachers, the establishment of vegetable gardens, etc. All for the sum of 3200 euros for a three-week stay in Madagascar - flight included. Note: the ecovolunteer missions of the association are challenging to two thirds of the cost of the project.

Taken care of as soon as they arrive at the airport, the volunteers are taken to the place where the mission will be held for two or three weeks. "In Madagascar, we work on a very remote territory: it takes two days to reach the Mackay massif. In Indonesia, it takes half a dayto reach the primary forest of the island of Sulawesi," says Evrard Wendenbaum. The rest of the time, the volunteer is mobilized on a project – except when (short) training is necessary. During coral reef protection missions in Sulawesi, for example, a briefing by scientists first takes place to inform the traveler about indicator fish species (i.e. those whose behavior gives indications of the state of coral reefs). Only then do they dive along a rope to note the fruit of their observations. "We still offer them a moment to discover the territory, through a hikeor a night in the forest for example."

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The challenge of body ecology

In addition to its benefits in the territory where the mission takes place, eco-volunteering has long-term benefits. AdobeStock/encierro

This type of trip allows you to acquire new skills: "The volunteer is trained as part of a rather atypical experience," says Pascal Mao, a researcher in planning, development and management of tourist recreational territories. This, while giving meaning to his stay and integrating into a dynamic that goes beyond him, in which he crosses his observations with those of scientists in search of data, universities, municipalities and organizing associations.

The benefits of the experience are not limited to the duration of the mission. "In addition to its effects at the (sometimes ultra) local scale, the ecovolunteer project has several benefits at other scales. We can point, for example, to the issue of body ecology: our perceptions of the world evolve when we are involved ourselves. Physical commitment gives a whole new depth to mental commitment," explains Fabien Bourlon. An effect that Evrard Wendenbaum observed in his volunteers: "They leave with a greater ecological awareness, they want to change their lifestyles".

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"There are a lot of scams"

Some projects claiming to be ecovolunteers are in fact greenwashing. AdobeStock/tongpatong

However, eco-volunteering presents a contradiction: the safeguarding of fauna or flora often requires several thousand kilometers ... By plane. "We are aware of it," says Evrard Wendenbaum. But controlling everything remotely doesn't work. So, I extend my presence on the spot by staying several months in the field. And we organize the most missions of three weeks instead of two. And, like many other tourism sectors, eco-volunteering is also subject to abuses: many greenwashing projects are regularly born. "I was told of practices during so-called turtle sightings in Mexico that were more in mass tourism than in ecotourism. There are many scams," denounces Pascal Mao.

How to avoid them? Two words, for Fabien Bourlon: "Find out" as much as possible about the project. For Pascal Mao, the chosen stay must meet one of these three criteria: either enter into a scientific protocol (conducted from start to finish by researchers); either be part of a conservation work whose general interest has been proven (such as the private national parks of South America created by Douglas Tompkins); or, finally, to be a rehabilitation work whose general interest has been proven.

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One ecovolunteer in two repeats the experience

Although volunteers who have already participated in a mission often repeat the experience, the practice has struggled to take off since the Covid-19 pandemic. AdobeStock/Tunatura

Despite some success, eco-volunteering has struggled to restart since the Covid-19 pandemic: "We thought there would be a significant craze after confinement, but this was not the case. The recovery has not lived up to our expectations," laments Evrard Wendenbaum. However, the profiles of those conquered by the practice are diverse: young, retired, active ... "It's really open to everyone, as long as you're friendly and in good physical condition." Moreover, among those who have already taken part in a mission, many are those who start again, sometimes several times. "Almost one ecovolunteer out of two participates in more than one project with us."

Recurrences that are partly explained by the consecration of tourism in search of meaning, appeared a few years ago: "Travel, yes, but travel useful: with eco-volunteering, there is this self-legitimization of tourism," explains Pascal Mao. Added to this is the rise of criticism of more traditional tourism. "Society as a whole is increasingly responsible; Ecological and social themes are now selling."