Wildlife observation tours in support protection of wildlife and their habitat

Wildlife observation tours alone don't really contribute to the protection of wildlife and/or the protection of their habitat if they only focus on observing wildlife but are not associated with any environmental awareness and/or scientific activity. In fact, many wildlife observation tours that are not guided by experienced biologists and that are not part of any local conservation programmes can bring more harm than benefits to the local wildlife and their habitat, especially when:

• the annual frequency of tours is high,
• tours are organised on the exact same itinerary on very close dates, 
• observation of wildlife is not organized in a wildlife-friendly way (Read my article about this approach: Ethical approach to wildlife observation and photography (indyguide.com)
• wildlife observation tours are not guided by naturalists, wildlife biologists, or previously trained guides by a wildlife specialist, 
• waste is not collected all along the way during the tour, etc.

However, if you want to make a direct or indirect contribution to wildlife protection when joining a wildlife observation tour, you can join specific tours that are part of a local wildlife conservation programme. By joining such specifically designer tour, you could: 

• take part to some research and conservation activities implemented in the country by a local conservation programme (also known as citizen science): camera trapping, observation of wildlife to study their behavior and ecology, cleaning specific sites from waste, etc 
• financially support local wildlife conservation efforts as for some wildlife tours, profits from the tours go directly to support conservation efforts. 

Besides taking part in citizen science activities organized during the tour, you can also meet some members of the local community, support them financially by staying at their place, know more about their culture and their knowledge about wildlife, as well as get a better insight into the current challenges in terms of conservation explained by your guide during the tour. 

If you want to travel and make a direct contribution to wildlife and environment protection at the same time, search for conservation organizations or travel agencies working with conservation organizations that offer such a unique but essential experience. 

If you want to observe wildlife in Mongolia and make a contribution to their protection and to the protection of their habitat, you can directly contact me, as I am a professional wildlife biologist and conservationist and I am running a conservation programme in Mongolia or check here on the tour that I am leading in Mongolia on wildlife observation for conservation: Wildlife Observation And Citizen Science In The Gobi (indyguide.com)