Protecting the Environment

Promoting the sustainable use of natural resources

Whether in urban centers or rural villages, community-based tourism projects have protecting the environment around them at their heart. From promoting peace in gang-ruled urban districts to ecological projects in rural areas that promote the sustainable use of natural resources, many of the community tourism projects that the VSocial Foundation supports are focused on protecting the environment.

When it comes to tourism, with multinational hotel resorts for example, it happens all too frequently that tourist services become detached from their local surroundings, with any money spent there funneled away from the local area. Community-based tourism projects are different. Locally owned, all money spent here supports the local area and economy. And their success has a ripple effect too, allowing the growth of other community cooperatives in the supply chain, providing local food to homestays or restaurants from sustainable agricultural practices, often in line with indigenous farming traditions.

Take Taboquinhas, for example. This rural community of cocoa farmers in Brazil welcomes travelers to learn more about the process of chocolate making. Part of a network of community cooperatives, Taboquinhas also provides a natural alternative to drinking straws out of bamboo to local businesses. And by also providing tourist services, this community’s farming business is more robust, with a second stream of income to protect their farm and way of life when cocoa prices are low.

The VSocial Foundation supports cooperatives all across the world that promote environmental protection. And by connecting travelers with them to enjoy a chocolate tour or a drink with a Brazilian bamboo straw, you’re directly supporting sustainable farming practices and helping local communities keep hold of their lands.

Whether by visiting on a tour or through a donation, your support makes a real difference to all the communities involved. Take a look at the projects below, and find out how your support can help communities across the globe protect their environment.