Can Your Next Holiday Help Protect Wildlife?

Think of the thrill of a leopard safari in Rajasthan’s Jawai. Between the rush of off-roading across rugged, rocky hills and the unforgettable moment of locking eyes with a sleek leopard moving gracefully through the brush, wildlife encounters often become the most powerful part of any journey. Holidays like this are hard to match. At their best, wildlife tourism experiences allow travellers to witness animals in their natural habitat in a way that is both respectful and conservation-driven. But increasingly, they also come with a quiet responsibility to actively protect what they’ve come to admire.

While many of us escape to nature for a quiet retreat, there’s often more happening behind the scenes than we realise. As conscious travel continues to shape where and how we stay, the need for wildlife conservation and habitat restoration – especially in fragile ecosystems - has never felt more urgent. More properties are weaving sustainability and conservation into their brand language, making it increasingly difficult to tell which ones are genuinely doing the work and which are simply echoing the narrative.

So, does it mean your next holiday can help protect wildlife? In fact, there are choices that can shape the survival of species, habitats, and entire ecosystems.

For a long time, wildlife encounters in tourism leaned toward observation at a distance, or worse, interaction without consequence. There’s a growing awareness that proximity can sometimes, the most meaningful encounters are the least intrusive ones.

This is something very commonly seen across Maldives properties. For example at Huvafen Fushi The resort works with marine environmental scientists to protect and preserve the reef that surrounds the island, with guests invited to take an active role through its Coral Adoption programme – selecting their own coral frame (small or medium), which is then nurtured and grown in the resort's carefully protected coral nursery. It's a tangible, lasting contribution to the reef ecosystem.

At Cheval Blanc Seychelles, the focus is on preserving the island’s unique biodiversity, from giant tortoises to rare species like the Seychelles black parrot. Working with the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles, the property supports ongoing efforts to protect local ecosystems and marine life. Guests are also encouraged to take part in conservation-led activities.

At Shangri-La Le Touessrok, Mauritius is home to a total of 16 beehives that are hosting over 700,000 bees, making the luxurious island resort the first hotel in Mauritius to become home to more than half a million bees, establishing the largest bee population within the country’s hospitality sector – an ideal environment that supports pollination and enriches local flora.

Similarly, in Thailand, where elephants have long been part of cultural life, many sanctuaries today focus on their care and protection. At Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, guests can experience this firsthand through collaborations with nearby elephant sanctuaries. Set against Krabi’s lush landscapes, the experience allows visitors to observe rescued elephants in a natural, peaceful environment, while also taking part in simple conservation activities like feeding and bathing them.

Similarly, as shark and ray populations decline in the Arabian Gulf, the Atlantis Atlas Project by Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, has focused on breeding and releasing native species back into the wild. Since 2019, the programme has released 73 Arabian Carpet Sharks and 17 Honeycomb Stingrays, all born and raised at the resort before being assessed for survival in natural conditions. The initiative also ties tourism to conservation funding: for every marine animal experience, a small contribution goes towards research and environmental projects, with over $500,000 raised since 2021 to support efforts across the region.

With growing interest in mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, Volcanoes Safaris has emerged as a leader in great ape ecotourism. Launched in 2023, the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Project by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust is a conservation initiative focused on tracking lions and other carnivores in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Led by a team of researchers, it also invites guests at Kyambura Gorge Lodge to take part by helping collect data during game drives – turning their stay into a hands-on contribution to wildlife conservation.

There is a noticeable shift in how luxury is being defined, with greater emphasis on environmental responsibility. The main backbone of every conservation effort is individuals such as marine biologists, rangers, veterinarians, and local communities.

“Maintaining conservation-first operations means balancing ecological priorities with pressures like climate change, limited funding, and land use. Unpredictable conditions, invasive species, and the demands of tourism add further strain, while effective conservation requires long-term investment and collaboration beyond property boundaries,” says Fi Evans, Head of Conservation and Research at Ol Jogi, an exclusive and high-end lodging in Kenya offering safaris, bushwalks, and is pioneering new methods and techniques to protect wildlife. Over the past five years, they have been building a conservation model that delivers measurable impact with key outcomes including official conservancy recognition, a sustained zero-poaching record alongside a stable rhino population, and the use of advanced tracking technologies to improve monitoring and response.

While forests and lush landscapes are often associated with conservation-led stays, properties in deserts and polar regions are proving just as committed to protection.

With over two decades of experience in Antarctica, White Desert operates under a tightly controlled, low-impact model shaped by international regulations, including the Antarctic Treaty System and International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators. Its camps are temporary and fully removable, powered in part by solar energy, and dismantled at the end of each season, with all waste transported off the continent. Rather than positioning itself as a research outfit, the operator places emphasis on education – offering guided briefings and limited access to nearby scientific stations to contextualise Antarctica’s environmental significance. “The broader approach is centred on minimising human disturbance, particularly to sensitive wildlife such as the Emperor Penguin, while aligning tourism with long-term conservation priorities,” adds Stuart Hablutzel, marketing manager, White Desert.

In the Alpine setting of Hôtel Royal Evian Resort, biodiversity is treated as infrastructure rather than embellishment. Classified as an LPO Refuge since 2011, the hotel’s green spaces are managed in close collaboration with the LPO to balance human activity with native flora and fauna. “Since 2023, 4.2 acres of short-grass lawns have been replaced with permanent meadows, allowing wild areas to regenerate while maintaining a cohesive landscape,” says François Dussart, CEO of Evian Resort. “Birdhouses, amphibian shelters, insect hotels, beehives, and hedgehog habitats have been introduced across the park, creating the conditions for a more harmonious coexistence.”

At Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island, conservation is central to the destination’s identity, rooted in Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s vision of ‘Greening the Desert.’ Today, the island functions as a wildlife sanctuary, supporting breeding and rewilding programmes for species like the Arabian oryx, gazelles and giraffes. Tourism is closely tied to these efforts, with wildlife drives and limited hands-on activities like mangrove planting.

Al Maha, again a desert resort located within the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), a portion of its revenue is channelled directly back into the protection of this 225-square-kilometre sanctuary. Similarly, set within a 500-hectare protected reserve in the Khadeja Valley, The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert functions as a conservation-led desert habitat for native species such as the Arabian oryx and sand gazelle.and also has a fixed contribution from each stay that helps fund these conservation efforts, supporting the ongoing care and protection of the reserve’s wildlife. In India, Relais & Châteaux SUJÁN Sher Bagh and Jawai charge a conservation fee of Rs. 2500 per night per person at all of the camps, which goes towards the conservation efforts.

Hospitality group Six Senses has positioned conservation as a core part of its operations across several properties. At Six Senses Con Dao, a partnership with Con Dao National Park supports sea turtle conservation through an on-site incubation centre designed to improve hatchling survival. In Six Senses Yao Noi, efforts are centred on protecting biodiversity, particularly the Oriental pied hornbill, a key species in the region. Meanwhile, Six Senses Ibiza approaches conservation through regenerative agriculture and local partnerships, extending its focus to marine protection, wildlife rescue and land restoration.

Long after you’ve left with your travels, it’s often these quieter moments that remain.So, can your next holiday help protect wildlife? Not in a way that demands a complete shift, but one that encourages you to notice more, choose with greater care, and recognise that responsibility has a place in resort life too.