Camps International pledges climate action in its work educating a new generation of 'responsible travellers'

Camps International may be headquartered in Ringwood, but as the name suggests their impact extends across four continents.

The organisation oversees a permanent network of international camps, from Kenya and Tanzania in Africa, to Cambodia and Borneo in Asia, as well as Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru in the Americas.

Each of these locations experiences high levels of poverty and significant environmental and wildlife conservation challenges, where the team can hope to make the largest difference.

This is where students come in. Camps International works to connect thousands of schools with its camp communities, flying young people out to participate in a wide range of sustainable projects and adventure activities.

One day they might be building a classroom or setting up a supply of fresh drinking water – the next, working alongside locals on reforestation and marine conservation initiatives.

Students helping out on a reforestation initiative in Cambodia. Credit: Camps International

Now, after more than two decades spent building its international network, the organisation is making a firm commitment to a sustainable and responsible future by signing the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.

Matt Lacey, COO of Camps International, said: “By becoming a signatory, we are committing to the Declaration’s overall aim of reducing reliance on carbon- and material-intensive ways of delivering visitor experiences’ and instead, prioritising community and ecosystem wellbeing.

“This is an urgent need that we are all too familiar with as part of our ongoing dedication to delivering school expeditions with sustainable impact for communities, wildlife and the environment over the past twenty years.”

As part of the Glasgow Declaration, the organisation has pledged to deliver a climate action plan within the next two months, and publicly report its progress towards long-term targets alongside the actions it is taking to achieve them.

Camps International will also collaborate with other signatories and members of the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency network.

Matt added: “We believe that the most important and effective way to reduce our carbon footprint is for people to make lifelong changes to the way they live – to reduce their carbon footprint today, not in 40 years’ time, and develop lifelong habits.

“We are in the very fortunate position of having thousands of young people travel with us every year and their experiences at our camps are often life changing.

“With us, those young people are able to see the effects of climate change first-hand and gain an understanding of the impact that these changes are having on rural communities and in highly sensitive environments.”

The commitment builds upon Camps International’s recently launched Responsible Traveller Training programme, which aims to educate the young people who fly out with them on sustainable tourism.