Volunteering with wildlife on holiday? Here are some ‘green flags’ to look out for

RobPerkinsisatravelwriteratactivisttravelcompany,ResponsibleTravel. Aholidayvolunteeringwithwildlifecanbelife-changing.Youmightlearnnewskills,meetpeoplefromallovertheworld,andperhapsevenkickstartacareerinconservation. And,atatimewhenmuchoftheglobalnewsonclimatechangeandbiodiversitylosscanbequitedepressing,thiskindofholidayisalsoagreatwaytofeelthatyouaremakingapositiveimpact. Fromseaturtlestoelephants,orangutanstobears,thereisagrowingrangeofvolunteertripsthatallowyoutobeuseful.Butunfortunately,noteveryprojectishighquality,andsomemaycostalotofmoneywithoutdoingmuchtohelp.Selectingtherightprojectiscrucialtoensureyoureffortsaregenuinelymakingadifference. Herearesome‘greenflags’tolookoutfor. TransparencyiskeytochoosingtherighttripAnyreputablevolunteerorganisationshouldbehappytotalkopenlyaboutitsdifferentprojects,aswellastoanswerquestionsaboutthenatureoftherole,andhowvolunteerworkandfundsmakeadifference. “Lo