Enjoy nature and at the same time actively help protect it: Volunteering in national parks and other protected areas is becoming increasingly popular in Germany. We'll introduce you to some exciting voluntourism offers for campers and reveal why it's worth it for you to get involved yourself.
Fresh air, birdsong, barefoot on the meadow: many campers love vacationing in the middle of nature. The positive aspects are well known: being outside in the woods and fields has been proven to promote relaxation and be completely healthy.
Nature is simply part of a relaxing and eventful camping stay. The increase in threatened animal and plant species, the decline in valuable biotopes and the increasing pressure on sensitive landscapes also concerns campers.
Nature is still intact in Germany's national parks. But that takes a lot of commitment. Professionals there work around the clock to preserve nature. In recent years they have received increasing support from volunteers. Voluntourism is booming – also in Germany!
Voluntourism for campers:
This way you can actively help protect nature
Voluntourism is a form of vacation that is particularly popular among young people and combines traditional tourism with volunteer service. This usually refers to offers abroad in which holidaymakers get additionally involved socially or ecologically as part of their stay, for example in nature conservation or development aid.
There are now such offers in Germany too - and they are particularly interesting for campers. ECOCAMPING, together with the association “National Natural Landscapes e. V.” and other partners have created an opportunity to make the camping holiday even more exciting: in four German protected areas, campers help with various nature conservation projects under the guidance of expert rangers.
That's why it's worth taking part
We all like to enjoy nature. Going out for a day with experts and getting involved is a completely new experience for many people. Even if it sounds like work at first, many campers are very excited about being involved in active nature conservation. You will learn a lot of new things about the flora and fauna of the respective holiday region and get to know a completely different perspective.
It is a special type of camping holiday that combines fun and enjoyment of nature with a meaningful activity. Of course, the rangers are also happy about the interest in their work. And much more about guests who put on gloves and get active themselves. It's a great experience that camping guests don't have every day and that they'll tell friends and acquaintances back home about.
Examples of voluntourism in Germany
There are now four protected areas in Germany where you can actively help with nature conservation. We would like to introduce you to two of these projects.
From forest glass to waste glass
The Havelberge camping and holiday park is located directly at the Müritz National Park. Extensive pine forests characterize the landscape. These have long served as a source of tree resin, a valuable raw material for chemical products. The pines were scored to stimulate resin production. Glasses hung on the tree trunks to catch the dripping tree resin. From 1990 onwards, tree resin was no longer in demand and many glasses and shards remained in the forest. However, with increasing drought in recent years, the risk of forest fires is also increasing. To protect against forest fires, but also to prevent injuries to people and animals, the old glasses have to be taken out of the forest. Some camping families took on this task last summer. Now the area is free of the legacy of days gone by.
Boardwalk path across the raised moor
In the middle of the Feldberg nature reserve in the Southern Black Forest Nature Park there is one of the few raised moors in southern Germany, the Hirschbäder Moor. However, the raised moor only has a chance of survival if guests adhere to the strict path requirements. In order for visitors to find an attractive network of paths, the paths and footbridges must be regularly checked and repaired. In the summer of 2021, active tourists worked with the responsible forester to renew a boardwalk across the raised moor. Enjoying nature will be possible again for all Black Forest fans for the next 15 years.
Where are there other offers for camping voluntourism?
If you feel like it, you should regularly check the campaign page www.naturschutz-im-urlaub.de under “Voluntourism Offers”. The latest possible applications in the four partner regions are presented here.
The campsite operators are also well informed: If you ask at reception, you might find out some real insider tips. The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) is funding the project “Voluntourism for Biological Diversity in National Natural Landscapes” with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in the Federal Biological Diversity Program.
You will find voluntourism offers at these camps in the ECOCAMPING network.
Your opinion is needed!
With a study by the National Natural Landscapes e. V. the potential for this form of vacation should be recorded. Click here to go directly to the survey.
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