50-year-old British tour company Exodus Adventure Travels has partnered with the Blue Marine Foundation on seven global projects to restore ocean ecosystems covering 7,000 hectares. The projects, toward which Exodus and its sister companies plan to donate at least £1 million (USD$1.22 million) over the next three years are:
- Greece – A blue carbon approach to restoring ocean ecosystems
- Formentera – Safeguarding the future of ancient seagrass meadows
- Kenya – Restoring Mida-Creek’s mangrove forests
- The Caribbean – Restoring blue carbon habitats and protecting unique marine ecosystems
- Indonesia – Community-led restoration of Indonesia’s extraordinary blue forests
- Philippines – Restoring abandoned aquaculture ponds to productive mangrove forests
- The Maldives – Restoring mangroves and seagrass for climate mitigation and resilience
The effort is part of the company’s new approach to responsible travel, supporting conservation initiatives driven by local communities for lasting impact. It calls it “Thriving Nature, Thriving People.”
“At Exodus Adventure Travels, empowering our guests to travel responsibly is a core aspect of the adventures we create,” said Kasia Morgan, Head of Sustainability at Exodus Adventure Travels. “By supporting local communities to conserve nature across our destinations, we can create transformative travel experiences that not only immerse our guests in the beauty of the world but also contribute to its restoration and resilience. Every adventure we offer is thoughtfully curated to leave a positive, lasting impact on the places and people we visit.”
A year ago, Exodus was certified as a B Corp, a business that meets standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Its Thriving Nature, Thriving People initiatives include:
- Citizen Science Departures: In a first of its kind program, travelers may participate in collecting vital biodiversity data, contributing to global conservation efforts, on specific Exodus trips.
- Rewilding: In partnership with Rewilding Apennines, this program aims to restore natural habitats across Italy. For every traveler, the company funds the rewilding of 100 square meters of land, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem regeneration.
- Empowering Disadvantaged and Under-Represented Communities: Through the work of the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, the company supports under-represented and disadvantaged communities through tourism initiatives. A few of these programs include Exodus’ Mountain Lioness Project in Tanzania, which has supported 30 pioneering female porters to become mountain guides on Kilimanjaro.
- Community Kickstart Projects: Through its global partner network, Exodus supports various grassroots community empowerment and conservation initiatives such as uplifting women, encouraging entrepreneurship, youth conservation engagement or regeneration. Most recently, The Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation partnered with Portugal A2Z Walking & Biking as part of their Community Kickstart Projects, to help restore the country’s vital ecosystem following devastating firestorms destroying over 40,000 hectares of land in 2017 – including the iconic 800-year-old Pinhal de Leiria forest.
