Environmental Statement
Ever since the early days of Seabirds and Seals we have been committed to operating our tours in a responsible manner. Our business is wildlife tourism and run by passionate nature-lovers for those with an appreciation of the natural world.. We have a passion for conservation and the need to ensure the long-term protection of species and habitats.
We advocate working with local communities and leaving a positive impact on the destinations we visit and this has always been a fundamental part of our business.
At all times we adhere to the Nature Scot Marine Code of Conduct and we are also WiSe accredited operators, proudly adhering to strict protocols to minimize disturbance to marine widlife. Since 1992 we have been the business of choice for conducting winter ornithological and seabird surveys for Aberdeen University’s SOTEAG (Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Group) and Atlantic Grey Seal surveys for the Scottish Government conservation agency Nature Scot.
Shetland Unesco Global Geopark Partner
We are part of Shetland’s Geopark partners in the community, showing our commitment to respecting the landscape and nature of Shetland and who carry out activities which protect, improve and promote our environment.
Our Green Tourism Journey & Silver Award
We’re very proud to have received a Green Tourism Silver grading award. The awards are acknowledged worldwide as an indicator of good environmentally-friendly-practice, and are a great way of progressing on a green journey as well as acting as a hallmark of ‘Green Quality’, attracting custom from increasing numbers of eco-minded visitors. Having accreditation and our good green practices verified by the Green Tourism team, shows our customers how committed we are in caring for our environment.
The quoted text to follow in bold is feedback we received from Green Tourism upon presentation of our award.
“Seabirds-and Seals have done an excellent job in achieving the Green Tourism Silver award following on from their first GreenCheck Assessment. They have displayed an excellent understanding of sustainability and awareness of opportunities and challenges associated with running a responsible business. They have scored well across the board but have excelled in the Awareness, Community, Experience, Destination, and Communication goals. The team at Seabirds-and-Seals have shown a commitment to continual improvement, a willingness to implement change where required and dedication in the pursuit of sustainable business practices”
Green Tourism assessed Seabirds-and-Seals against 15 sustainability criteria grouped under the pillars of People, Places and Planet. These consider the social, economic and environmental actions the business has undertaken, providing a holistic assessment of sustainability performance.
A Green Tourism Award means that a business works responsibly, ethically and sustainably, contributes to their community, is reducing their impact on the environment and aims to be accessible and inclusive to all visitors and staff. We have been working hard towards these goals, and hope in time to achieve ‘Gold’ as we continue on our green journey.
You can find out more about our commitment to going green by reading our blog here.
Green Tourism Policies
Download & View: Seabirds-and-Seals Green Tourism Environmental & Sustainability Policy 2023
Green Tourism Sustainable Procurement Policy
Download & View: Seabirds-and-Seals Green Tourism Sustainable Procurement Policy 2023