Bianca Caruana

A new kind of volunteer tourism has entered the travel industry with an innovative approach; Volungearing, conceived by TribesForGOOD, taps an individual’s skills to pair him or her successfully in the social impact sector.

IIn the last century, Thailand has lost roughly 92 percent of its elephant population. Factors such as illegal wildlife trade, deforestation, and human-animal conflict have led the Asian elephant to the pages of Thailand’s endangered species list. The future of the surviving eight percent remains uncertain — but we know that humans have as much a role to play in their survival as they have had in their decline.

Dharavi, in central Mumbai, is considered one of the largest slums in Asia, but deep within this neighborhood, below the shanty grey roofs, loosely comprised of scavenged, upcycled metal, lives a resourceful and innovative community that plays an imperative role in Mumbai’s city-wide waste management.

As selfies with tigers, primates and other wild species front Instagram and Facebook feeds, tourists are now forced to question the morals and ethics of their encounters with captive animals.

In places like Sumatra, environmentalists are hoping a focus on eco-tourism will influence conservation efforts.