Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
Our Conservation
Conservation Is Our Battle Cry!
At Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris, our unwavering commitment to conservation efforts is at the heart of our operations. We believe that responsible tourism plays a pivotal role in preserving the planet’s biodiversity and natural habitats. Our approach integrates sustainable travel practices with active support for conservation initiatives worldwide, ensuring that our journeys contribute positively to the environments and communities we visit.
Our dedication to conservation efforts is exemplified through various initiatives:
We meticulously design our safaris to minimize environmental impact, adhering to sustainable travel principles that protect ecosystems and wildlife. Our trip leaders are seasoned experts who share eco-conscious travel tips, guiding participants to engage in environmentally friendly practices throughout their journey.
In each destination, we collaborate with local operators and conservation organizations to bolster grassroots initiatives. For instance, in Namibia, our partnerships focus on wildlife protection, community development, and conservation education, ensuring that the region’s stunning landscapes and wildlife continue to thrive for generations.
Recognizing the carbon footprint associated with travel, we have implemented a comprehensive carbon offset program. When you book with us, we fully offset your carbon emissions for the duration of the trip, and we encourage travelers to offset emissions from their travel to and from the destination. This collaborative effort significantly reduces the environmental impact of our expeditions.
Responsible Tourism
Connect with like-minded travelers, leaders, and operators that share the same passion for wildlife, travel, and conservation as you. When we travel responsibly, we help protect and preserve the places that can intrigue and inspire others for many generations to come.
Destination-Specific Conservation
Cheesemans’ goal is to ensure that each of our destinations benefit on a grass-roots level. To do so, we are working with local operators in each destination to create an interactive list to facilitate this effort. This is a work in progress, so please check back as we develop this further.
We also emphasize the importance of traveler engagement in conservation. By participating in our safaris, you join a community of like-minded individuals dedicated to wildlife preservation and environmental stewardship. We encourage travelers to contribute to citizen science projects, such as maintaining eBird lists during outings or uploading GPS-referenced wildlife photos to platforms like iNaturalist, enhancing data collection for conservation research.
At Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris, we are steadfast in our mission to intertwine exploration with preservation. Our conservation efforts are not merely an aspect of our business but the foundation upon which we build every journey.
Our interactive map showcases the destinations where our travel supports grassroots conservation efforts. By clicking on each destination, you can learn about specific conservation projects and how your participation makes a difference.
Check out our interactive map below to see how you can help in the destinations we travel to. Please note that the countries shown in green are those where our travel currently supports grass-roots conservation efforts.
Please feel free to click the destination’s name to learn about their location-specific conservation.
World map by Vemaps.com
Carbon Offsets
We take you to amazing destinations, navigating far and wide, and when we do, we recognize that the world pays a steep price. Taking this into account, we have made each trip carbon neutral.
And, by signing up with us, you pledge to offset your carbon emissions to and from your trip. You can purchase offsets with most airlines (Delta includes them automatically), use our handy carbon calculator and donate to Sustainable Travel International, or contribute to your favorite offsetting organization.
To see carbon offsetting in practice, check out a sampling of STI’s projects in places we visit: Palau, Torres Del Paine (Chile), Panama, Galapagos, Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania), and Namibia.
Together we will fight climate change!
CHEESEMANS' & CLIMATE CHANGE
Partners For Conservation
Cheesemans’ partners with organizations, as participating members, that take initiative to educate and promote global travel with a greener footprint through Responsible Tourism. These organizations continuously help us improve our practices to protect and preserve the unique wildlife within our destinations. Learn more about these organizations below.
Sustainable Travel International believes that people’s inherent wanderlust, their desire for new experiences, and concern for the places they care for most can inspire the protection of the world’s natural and cultural bounty while generating economic opportunity in destinations that rely on visitors. Since 2002, they have been charting a new course for travel and tourism — one that leads to a healthier environment, greater economic opportunity, social justice, and the protection of natural and cultural resources.
Cheesemans’ became a Guardian Member in 2022.
Founded in 1991, IAATO is a member organization that establishes extensive procedures and guidelines that ensure appropriate, safe, and environmentally sound private-sector travel to the Antarctic, including providing a forum for the international private-sector travel industry to share their expertise, opinions, and best practices; fostering cooperation between private-sector travel and the international science community; ensuring members employ the best qualified staff and field personnel through training and education; encouraging and developing international acceptance of evaluation, certification and accreditation programs for personnel.
Cheesemans’ became an Operator Member in 2001.
The WCA’s mission is to protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises through a connected community of people with the expertise, capacity, and resources to act as the voice for cetaceans and their habitats locally, nationally, and internationally. By creating an alliance of stakeholders working together on cetacean issues, they help organizations across the world to push forward with a more unified methodology for cetacean protection, and sustainable whale watching.
Want to learn more about the fantastic efforts the WCA makes toward responsible whale and dolphin observation? Check out their Global Best Practice Guidelines!
Cheesemans’ became a Partner in 2015.
Serengeti Watch (also known as Friends of the Serengeti) was founded in 2010 in response to the proposed construction of a commercial highway through Serengeti National Park, which would have fragmented the ecosystem and destroyed the migration as we know it. They sounded the alarm on this major threat and followed up with a campaign that included petitions by scientists and individuals around the world, and support of a legal case in the East African Court of Justice. Since then, they have continued to monitor the Serengeti ecosystem and build programs to support it.
Cheesemans’ became an International Member in 2010.
The Polar Citizen Science Collective creates opportunities for research and public education through citizen science, leveraging the reach of polar travelers to enhance understanding and protection of the polar regions.
High costs and the complexity of access to the polar regions are often prohibitive to Arctic and Antarctic research. They aim to meet the needs of the polar science community by engaging travelers in data collection projects.
Cheesemans’ became an Operating Partner in 2022.
Organizations We Support
Cheesemans’ supports a variety of organizations that align with our mission of cultivating your passion for conserving our beautiful world. We helped these organizations through primary funding, active fundraising, or regular volunteering.
Cofounded in 2015 by Ted Cheeseman, Happywhale engages citizen scientists to identify individual marine mammals for fun and for science, to increase global understanding and caring for marine environments. Whales are identified by their unique markings using auto-recognition technology and submitted photos, contributing data and a better understanding. Through collaborative research and conservation, Happywhale is now able to identify most living humpback whales in the North Pacific, creating a powerful tool for conservation science.
Cheesemans’ provided primary funding in its first three years and fundraises for them during Antarctic voyage auctions.
One of the world’s most popular nature apps, iNaturalist, helps you identify the plants and animals around you. Get connected with a community of over a million scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! What’s more, by recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature.
Cheesemans’ encourages all travelers to download this app and contribute to citizen science while on our trips.
eBird began with a simple idea—that every birdwatcher has unique knowledge and experience. Their goal is to gather this information in the form of checklists of birds, archive it, and freely share it to power new data-driven approaches to science, conservation, and education. At the same time, they develop tools that make birding more rewarding. From being able to manage lists, photos and audio recordings, to seeing real-time maps of species distribution, to alerts that let you know when species have been seen, they strive to provide the most current and useful information to the birding community.
eBird is among the world’s largest biodiversity-related science projects, with more than 100 million bird sightings contributed annually by eBirders around the world and an average participation growth rate of approximately 20% year over year. A collaborative enterprise with hundreds of partner organizations, thousands of regional experts, and hundreds of thousands of users, eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Cheesemans’ encourages all travelers to download this app and contribute to citizen science while on our trips.