TRAVEL AUCTION WITH A CAUSE

Many of the world’s most extraordinary travel experiences depend on healthy ecosystems and thriving local communities. None of which exists without the places and people behind it, and none of it will last without them either.

The adventure travel industry has quietly come together to build one of the most effective collaborative conservation models anywhere: the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF). Rather than leaving travelers as passive spectators of the places they visit, the ATCF turns travelers, tour operators, destinations, and gear brands into active participants in conservation. 

A decade in, the model works. 

ATCF has funded 53 community-led conservation projects across 29 countries, backed by more than $800,000 in grants, with a goal of funding more and surpassing $1 million in giving this year. What’s even more impressive is the caliber of communities and projects that work with the ATCF. Of the funded projects, 88% protect an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List animal species or habitat. 42% are located in global biodiversity hotspots 62% preserve or restore already protected land.  31% are female-led and 27% Indigenous-led, 

Three recently funded projects show this conservation effort in action. 

In the Galapagos, a whale shark migration project uses community-led citizen-science to track and protect the species. In Zimbabwe, a rhino reintroduction initiative near Hwange National Park is turning communal land into a sanctuary and creating new conservation jobs for local women. The cool part about this project is that it is being led and owned by the community – the whole reintroduction is theirs. Then, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, a solar energy project is powering an Indigenous-run ecolodge while protecting more than 50,000 hectares of rainforest.

This year marks ATCF’s 10th anniversary, and its Travel Conservation Auction, the world’s largest and most respected adventure travel and gear auction benefiting conservation, kicks off the celebration. Running September 27 through October 20, it invites travelers to bid on trips, gear, and experiences donated by companies committed to the mission. It’s a chance to be that traveler, the one whose next adventure directly funds the places and communities that made it possible.

Every traveler who bids during our auction becomes part of actively helping to protect the places they love and visit. 

Visit the Travel Conservation Auction webpage for more information and be sure to sign up for the Auction Insider to receive sneak peeks and early access to bid! 

Here are the details:  https://adventuretravelconservationfund.org/travelauction

Use our vanity URL: travelauction.org