Luxury tour operator – The Safari Collection has revealed plans to become Kenya’s first ‘climate positive’ hospitality company this year. This decision builds on the company’s efforts taken so far to reduce and offset its carbon emissions and restore Kenya’s wildlife habitats.
“Over the recent months, we have been working hard to track, measure and monitor our carbon footprint. We are taking the first step towards becoming a ‘climate positive’ hospitality company which involves identifying and reducing our emission where possible and offsetting the rest.” said Mark Boyd, Footprint Director at The Safari Collection.
According to the World Economic Forum, different modes of transport within the tourism sector are responsible for 4.5 billion tonnes of carbon emissions per year; equivalent to 8% percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Another report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) released in December 2019 projected that Transport-related emissions from tourism are expected to account for 5.3% of all man-made Carbon emissions by 2030.
“We are mindful of the fact that even though Travel and Tourism helps to protect huge carbon sinks around the world such as forests and savannahs, it can contribute to climate change through emissions. We believe that we have a responsibility to take climate action and limit the negative environmental impacts of tourism.” said Caroline Nyawira, Safari Expert at The Safari Collection.
In pursuit of sustainability, last year The Safari Collection planted 18,000 indigenous trees in a number of deforested regions across Kenya including Eburru Forest State Reserve and Samburu National Reserve. Among the species of trees planted include Olive Olea Capensis, Podocarpus and Afrocarpus falcatus which have shown a high success rate.
The company has also been certified by Ecotourism Kenya as a Gold Eco-Rating company for its compliance to ecotourism principles and best practices in terms of concern for the environment and the welfare of local communities.
Outlining how the company plans to achieve climate positivity, The Safari Collection has pledged to plant an additional 4000 trees in the coming few months and to partner with the farming communities living on the periphery of the reserves to uplift sustainable livelihoods.
The Safari Collection is also joined a growing movement of travel organizations around the world by Declaring a Climate Change Emergency and committing to amplify its own efforts to become climate positive by encouraging its partners and suppliers to do the same.
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