Basecamp Tree Plantation Report
Basecamp Tree Plantation was established in 2000. Since then we have managed to plant over 75,000 trees.
The aim of the project is to revive the Talek river ecosystem, by addressing the pressing issues of deforestation and ground erosion. Furthermore, by planting trees we seek to counter the carbon footprint caused by our visitors’ air travels to Kenya or Spitsbergen, as well as to educate the local community on the importance of afforestation and conservation of natural habitats.
In 2006 Basecamp Masai Mara was chosen to host Barack Obama and his family when he visited Kenya. Each member of the Obama family planted a seedling in the Basecamp Tree Plantation. The ‘Obama Forest’ can be seen on the right-hand side as you enter Basecamp Masai Mara.
We encourage our guests to follow the example set by the Obama family, and plant a tree in our Tree Plantation, helping us to confront the local and international problem of climate change.
In Kenya, when visiting Basecamp Masai Mara, you can make an on-the-spot of USD 25, covering the cost of planting 5 trees. In Spitsbergen Basecamp, guests will join the project with a CO2-investment of 250 NOK per person. These are donated in their entirety to Basecamp Masai Mara’s forestry project. In 2014, Basecamp Spitsbergen collected a total of NOK 163 215,00 for the tree plantation project – that’s close to 5,000 trees in a year.
Through these initiatives we have successfully established the only typical forest along the Talek river, which has become a home for hundreds of bird species and other small animals.
