The dramatic images coming from some of the wildest areas of the planet have reached the homes of all Italians. From the fires in the Amazon forest, to Siberia, to the latest worrying ones that are devastating Australia, it is now consolidated that climate change is a reality that we must deal with. Faced with these global problems, the citizen feels lost and frustrated by the sense of impotence that is felt in the face of this news. If the individual citizen alone certainly cannot change the world, each of us can make his or her individual contribution that, combined with many others, can truly change the fate of the planet. In fact, by rethinking one's lifestyle, one can reduce one's ecological impact. Some small daily actions are within everyone's reach and there are no excuses for not implementing them. Among the most important are:
- reduce meat and fish consumption;
- buy local products;
- use reusable items such as water bottles, containers, etc.;
- take public transport whenever possible.
These are just some of the small actions that can be implemented today. But there is one activity above all that makes the difference and that few know about. I am talking about the environmental volunteering.
What is environmental volunteering?
Environmental volunteering is a branch of volunteering and represents all those voluntary service activities that have as their purpose the conservation of the environment in its entirety. Generally, volunteers are called to participate in a field conservation project organized by one or more local associations. Among the main activities that characterize environmental volunteering we find:
- endangered species conservation projects: many of the wild species that have accompanied us since we were children in our idea of nature, are in danger of disappearing forever due to the most impactful human activities that are a consequence of plastic pollution, global warming, deforestation, etc. In these projects the volunteer takes part in projects such as monitoring and counting animal populations, supporting a team of researchers and studying and analyzing ecology.
- environmental redevelopment activities; many habitats suffer damage from events such as fires, illegal deforestation and vandalism. Volunteers become an active part of conservation through reforestation and environmental restoration projects.
- recovery and care of injured animals: many animals have suffered natural or human-induced damage and need help. Wildlife rescue centers are responsible for the recovery and eventual reintroduction into nature.
Some examples of environmental volunteering projects
Participate in a environmental volunteering in Italy and abroad such as those organized by Keep the Planet is a great way to become an active part of the change. Doing so not only means helping the environment and animals, but also living an extraordinary travel experience. Among the projects most requested by volunteers is the Beach monitoring to protect sea turtle nests. Every year, in fact, thousands of volunteers decide to contribute to the protection of these fantastic creatures. There are numerous countries where you can have this type of experience and the list also includes Italy. In fact, our peninsula is a place where the caretta caretta, the sea turtle widespread in the Mediterranean Sea, lays its eggs. There are active projects in Puglia, Calabria, Campania, Sicily and Sardinia. Another conservation project much loved by volunteers is that of participate in reforestation projects in different countries of the world. Planting trees is perhaps the most important action we can do today for a planet that is suffering because of our activities. Reforestation is important because forests maintain the climate balance, and also many symbolic species such as gorillas and orangutans, our cousins of the forest. In a world full of frivolities, let us hope that the environmental volunteering become an increasingly common and well-known experience.
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