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Feeling guilty when birding far from home (1 Viewer)

YuShan

YuShan

Well-known member
United Kingdom
OK, not relevant for me right now because Covid-19 keeps me very local at the moment, but generally speaking....

I often feel guilty when I travel a long distance, and especially when I need to use an (international) flight for a birding/ nature trip. I travel to admire birds and nature in general, but by travelling to do this I'm contributing to the destruction the very thing that I love so much! I'm really struggling with this at times. It's paradoxical and hypocrite.

While I'm doing my best to keep my destructive footprint as low as possible (minimise eating meat, minimise waste, use public transport and walk where possible, living small, rejecting consumerism, etc), all this is more than offset by any international flight I take, which serves no other goal than my own pleasure, which is, paradoxically, enjoying nature at exotic locations.

It is easy to be angry about, for example, deforestation. But many people involved, for example small sustenance farmers, often don't have much of a choice at the moment to feed their family. Me on the other hand, I am with my birding hobby putting a massive burden on the environment just for my self indulgence. To experience beautiful nature myself, while I could also settle for just watching David Attenborough's documentaries at home and just be happy with the birds in my local city park that I can reach by walking for 5 minutes.

Are more birders here struggling with this paradox?
 
No. This year, with other countries already desperate about the fact that ecotourists aren't contributing to local economies and as a direct result local people deprived of income are turning to poaching etc demonstrates very clearly the value of ecotourism to nature. Those who are travelling for sun sand and sex should hang their heads and book Bournemouth instead but ecotourists are good for the planet.

John
 
I know I'm an offbeat, finding it strange when nature lovers drive by fuel car through nature reserves to watch birds for fun (their own lists), thus helping endanger those very birds and their habitat.
 
I hear what you are saying...... and yes, I feel that same guilt once in awhile. But I look at it that I am an activist for the environment. If there were no birders or responsible hunters or people who enjoy hiking and kayaking etc, where would we be?

Without the people who enjoy nature, there would be little left or it would be polluted beyond recognition or fit for life, birds, humans or whatever.

So the very nature of being a birder, is that of being an activist in some manner. I donate to the local reserves and like and collectively, all of us donors add our voice to protect the environment.

So no....no guilt....but just knowing that I appreciate nature and find myself at peace in nature.
 
You could always offset the carbon emissions for your flight with Gold Standard carbon credits that help to address the issue of carbon, but also other environmental and social issues.

https://www.goldstandard.org/take-action/offset-your-emissions.

I would respectfully suggest that if you can afford the trip you can also afford the offset, and by buying the credits you can travel guilt free and enjoy the experience of deciding which project you wish to support, which ideally would be in the country you are visiting.

Cheers
Mike
 
I’d rather offset my own emissions by reducing my energy consumption even further than to help pay for another oversized wind farm installation in yet another inappropriately placed area causing the death of untold numbers of bats and birds. However, given I dont have kids, don’t drive (cycle to work), travel by plane at the very most, once a year, rarely have more than one light on in the house at the same time, don’t own a TV or sound system and only heat the living room of my house - I think my energy consumption is on the lower end anyway. However, obviously food production and manufacture of materials goods have their own massive footprint so I buy second hand if I can and generally avoid processed food. In a word, I absolutely don’t feel guilty to use a plane to go birding abroad (which often included bird-related work in the past anyway) and if I ever did, like I said, I would find further ways to reduce my footprint in other areas to offset it. Reducing our reliance on energy in the first place is more sustainable and less damaging to wildlife IMO, than changing how we generate it without reducing our consumption.
 
MKinHK said:
You could always offset the carbon emissions for your flight with Gold Standard carbon credits that help to address the issue of carbon, but also other environmental and social issues.

https://www.goldstandard.org/take-action/offset-your-emissions.

I would respectfully suggest that if you can afford the trip you can also afford the offset, and by buying the credits you can travel guilt free and enjoy the experience of deciding which project you wish to support, which ideally would be in the country you are visiting.

Cheers
Mike
Click to expand...

While it is a good thing to give to charity, what you are proposing is the wrong attitude. Why do you think that as long as you pay money into some kind of scheme you are somehow entitled to destroy the environment?

You cannot offset destruction caused by flying with building a windfarm. That windfarm causes destruction too. The only real solution is not flying and consuming less.
 
YuShan said:
While it is a good thing to give to charity, what you are proposing is the wrong attitude. Why do you think that as long as you pay money into some kind of scheme you are somehow entitled to destroy the environment?

You cannot offset destruction caused by flying with building a windfarm. That windfarm causes destruction too. The only real solution is not flying and consuming less.
Click to expand...

Well excuse me for offering a constructive answer to your question! I have to wonder why you asked if you'd already figured out the answer.

I personally believe that ecotourism has an important part to play in conserving birds, habitats and livelihoods around the world. Tourism is the world's biggest employer, and I personally believe that these jobs matter too. Ecotourism concentrates the tourist spend on key habitats and the communities that live in them, and therefore has great value in preserving the biodiversity we all value. Conversely where the ecotourism dollars disappear the communities and the wildlife are threatened by increased levels of poaching and deforestation.

Perhaps you should take a look at the variety of credits the Gold Standard offers as I suggested. If you had you would notice that the majority of offset projects have nothing to do with wind farms. And if you were to find a credit that you were comfortable to support you would be able to travel, support the economy of the host country with your visit, minimise your footprint AND contribute to a meaningful social/environmental programme .. all without feeling like a hypocrite.

Very happy to continue the conversation.

Cheers,
Mike
 
MKinHK said:
Well excuse me for offering a constructive answer to your question! I have to wonder why you asked if you'd already figured out the answer.

I personally believe that ecotourism has an important part to play in conserving birds, habitats and livelihoods around the world. Tourism is the world's biggest employer, and I personally believe that these jobs matter too. Ecotourism concentrates the tourist spend on key habitats and the communities that live in them, and therefore has great value in preserving the biodiversity we all value. Conversely where the ecotourism dollars disappear the communities and the wildlife are threatened by increased levels of poaching and deforestation.

Perhaps you should take a look at the variety of credits the Gold Standard offers as I suggested. If you had you would notice that the majority of offset projects have nothing to do with wind farms. And if you were to find a credit that you were comfortable to support you would be able to travel, support the economy of the host country with your visit, minimise your footprint AND contribute to a meaningful social/environmental programme .. all without feeling like a hypocrite.

Very happy to continue the conversation.

Cheers,
Mike
Click to expand...

I thank you for your constructive answer and I did check your link when you posted it. Sure there are good projects in there.

But the way I see it, you can never "offset" bad environmental behaviour by donating to some good cause, because it doesn't undo the damage that you are causing. These things are independent, because you can also donate to a good project without causing damage first. So in my opinion this doesn't buy you a licence to pollute. Whatever you do, your holiday remains unnecessary damage for selfish reasons. That is the part I struggle with.
 
I feel this way about twitching, but not so much traveling to a new place and looking at the native fauna. I would rather go and visit a location where the bird I would have twitched is common, and easily see it and dozens of new species and acquire new life experiences, then go out of my way to try to see a rare bird that might not even by there when I show up.

I justify traveling long distances to see critters based on the argument that if myself and others weren't doing so, then there would be no financial incentive for locals to bother saving things. I think its also important to experience new places and cultures, because I think it leads to a better outlook on the world.
 
I feel this way about twitching, but not so much traveling to a new place and looking at the native fauna.
Click to expand...

You could twitch the length and breadth of the country week in week out for rarities for the emissions of a single long haul flight...so perhaps you've got it the wrong way round?
 
Your website https://www.hikingbirdman.com/ lists some lovely places that you have visited. I can see how you may feel the conflict of so much travel. I’m lucky, I live close to the Cairngorms National Park, 99% of my birdwatching is within walking / cycle distance. Finding and feeling content with what you have is not easy for everyone, but I do think if you can get to that point you may feel a certain new feeling of freedom. Hard to explain.
 
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