Conservation Projects
We fund and support local conservation projects and sustainability. A dollar per person who goes on tour with us goes to each of these two organisations we support. We acknowledge our impact and strive to leave a positive result through our environmental, educational and community work.
Tasman Bay Guardians
Conservation, Education and Collaboration in our marine and freshwater environments.
We acknowledge that the survival of species depends upon the health of Mother Earth. Te Taiao (our environment) needs our help and our passion lies in the sea. At Abel Tasman Eco Tours, we believe in putting our skills into improving our environment and the community. So in 2017 Abel Tasman Eco Tours established Tasman Bay Guardians. They have developed a strategy tackling a range of identified threats to the aquatic environments of Tasman and Golden Bays, through action projects, integrated spatial management and of course education. They believe that by conducting successful action projects between stakeholders, they can then more easily tackle the big decisions that we face in ensuring a healthy future for our bays and community. Please click on the buttons below to see their plan.
$1 per person per tour goes directly to Tasman Bay Guardians, you can add more to your donation when you book, should you please. Your contribution is much appreciated!
Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust
Pest animal and weed control.
When Abel Tasman Eco Tours was founded in 2013, the Birdsong Trust was our first avenue to donate to conservation. The Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust is a partnership between commercial operators, the community and the Department of Conservation The vision is to protect and enhance biodiversity and improve the visitor experience in Abel Tasman National Park. It is a Charitable Trust, formed in 2007 and registered with the NZ Charities Commission, and the Inland Revenue Department as a charity. It is separate from the Department of Conservation and commercial tourism operators in the Park, but works closely with them and the local community, on local projects for local benefits.
EcoTours represents the tourism operators on the board of Trustees and we are also a platinum donor.
$1 per person per tour goes directly to Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust. Your contribution is much appreciated!
Project Janszoon
Project Janszoon is a privately funded trust working with the Department of Conservation, the Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust, the community and local iwi to restore the ecology of the Abel Tasman National Park over a 30-year time frame.
Named after the Dutch Explorer Abel “Janszoon” Tasman, the trust aims to reverse the trend of ecological decline in the park by reducing predator numbers and weeds, restoring ecosystems, and re-introducing native birds, animals and plants into a thriving park environment. Project Janszoon was launched in 2012 and will complete its work on the 100-year anniversary of the establishment of the park and 400-year anniversary of Abel Tasman’s “discovery” of New Zealand in 2042.
Abel Tasman Eco Tours has in the past collaborated on several projects with Janszoon, including The Sir Peter Blake Young Environmental Leaders Forum, tree planting and survey work. Abel Tasman Eco Tours has assisted Trustee Philip Simpson in the writing of his book on the park. Abel Tasman Eco Tours is also the only company to take visitors to the Aviary at Wainui clearing and feed the captive birds acclimatizing for their release into the park.
The Mārahau Pledge
Abel Tasman Eco Tours is a founding member of The Mārahau Pledge.
The pledge is a practical commitment by businesses working in the visitor sector to protect and enhance the environment that they love and work in. A portion of your ticket price (Environmental Access Fee (EAF)) goes directly towards preserving the unique environment you will enjoy on your trip in the Abel Tasman. This includes the compulsory concession fees paid to the Department of Conversation as well as voluntary contributions to local organisations and projects to improve the environment, ecology and access to the national park.
Click on the image to read the Pledge.
The Department of Conservation administers the National Park
All of the conservation is done in partnership and with guidance of the Department. As commercial operators we must own a concession to be able to operate in conservation areas and we pay an annual fee to the department for every visitor we bring into the park. This fund goes directly back into the park’s infrastructure to make the park a more enjoyable and safe place to be.
