A huge thanks to everyone who helped us reach this goal!
It’s super easy to get involved, in fact, we will take of all the nitty gritty – all you need to do is purchase your Captain’s Pack in any Flight Centre store and we will automatically plant on your behalf.
Tell me about the project I'm supporting
2,000 year old Food Forest in the Atlas Mountains 🌱
High up in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco is a productive food forest with origins over 2,000 years old. The incredible natural landscape is an example of one of the world's oldest sustainable systems of agriculture.
This transformative project supports a women’s co-op nursery and First Nations Berber community to plant food forest species that remove CO2 and enable sustainable farming livelihoods, protecting the precious ancient ways of life for the native people of the area.
In partnership with High Atlas Foundation
HAF is a non-profit organization founded in 2000 by former Peace Corps Volunteers committed to furthering sustainable development. HAF supports Moroccan communities to take action in implementing human development initiatives.
Location
This region of the Atlas mountains in Morocco is comprised of mountains, deep valleys and lakes, creating a rich and varied natural landscape unlike anywhere else in the world.
The ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert. Many of the people living in the Atlas Mountains are part of the indigenous Berber tribes from Morocco and Algeria. that the local Indigenous Berber tribes still call home.
Background
Up until relatively recently the 65 acres of food forest was managed by 800 local families to produce an abundance of yield, including banana, tamarind, citrus, fig, guava, pomegranate, mulberry, carob, quince, grapes, olive, argan as well as crops such as wheat, corn, pulses and beans.
However historical deforestation for barley and corn farming along with grazing have left much of this land heavily degraded, with local communities now struggling to create sustainable livelihoods.
Approach
This project will plant millions of trees across an area of over 4000 hectares.
It is a unique project that is dedicated to achieving sustainable outcomes for climate and biodiversity while considering social & cultural benefits. These needs are balanced through the specific species that are planted, and the way local communities are engaged and have ownership over the process and outcomes.
Environmental Benefits
In degraded regions like this, a critical first step towards rehabilitation is to plant species that can sustain in these conditions, which ensures the local communities have strong incentive to protect the land.
These initial trees will create the conditions necessary for the original ecology to become viable again.
This project will plant a combination of food forest species such as:
- Cherry, walnut, almond and fig
- Critically endangered Moroccan Cypress
Trees planted are audited & have legal protection for over 30 years.
Community
Integrating and working with the local indigenous Berber tribes of the region are a key focus for this project. The goal is to create new, sustainable livelihoods for local communities.
It will achieve this through direct employment for nursery and planting activities, as well as providing new food forests for local people to harvest from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q) Does this initiative offset my trip?
A) This is not a carbon-based initiative and does not offset any element of your trip.
Q) Who is planting the trees?
A) Both Flight Centre and Reforest take tree planting very seriously, and only partner with the best on-the-ground. Our partners need to be local themselves, understanding the ecology of the ecosystems and best approaches for restoring them. They know their local landscapes like the back of their hand and have strong relationships with the community. You can learn more about the specific partner for each project here. We’re all about transparency and want you to feel confident that your trees are in good hands.
Q) When will the trees be planted?
A) To ensure your trees survive and thrive, they need to be planted in the right place, in the right way, at the right time of year. Based on climate and rainfall, it’s a different time of year in different regions. So, depending on the location of your project, it could be next week or up to 12 months away.
Q) Will I get notified when my tree is planted?
A) No, however, you can follow the planting journey by visiting our page here. For more information around your project, subscribe to the Reforest newsletters.
Q) How does the 1mil tree target work?
A) Between September 2023 and September 2024, we are aiming to buy 1 million trees collectively across all of our Flight Centre + Reforest Planting for the Planet projects. Due to seasonality, not all trees may be planted within the 12x month period but may fall into the following planting season.
Q) How will we know once we have hit 1mil trees?
A) Each month we will update this page with how we are tracking against target.
Q) Can I visit the trees?
A) We totally understand the desire to visit your trees – we're tree lovers too! However, some of the projects are on private land or in sensitive locations, so we can’t always guarantee public access. But don’t worry, depending on where you are based, and where the projects are located, you may be able to take part in a community planting day (at your own cost).
To find out more about community planting days that you and your customers can attend, sign up to the Reforest newsletter.
Q) How do I know that my trees are actually planted and protected?
A) Rest assured, we take the responsibility of planting and protecting the trees very seriously. Our partner, Reforest, has a strict integrity and verification process with each of the planting partners on the ground. This includes regular updates and reports with geo-tagged photos and videos showing the progress of the trees (we like to think of them as the tree's baby pictures, showing how they are growing up!). We're all about transparency and you can see these photos and receive updates on the projects by subscribing to the Reforest newsletter.
Q) What happens if a fire or other event destroys my trees?
A) Fire is a tough challenge for any reforestation project, but it’s not a reason to give up on planting trees. These projects are run by local experts who take steps to minimize fire risk, such as over-planting and selecting species that are fire and climate resilient. While we can’t guarantee that nothing will ever happen, we work hard to spread the risk across a diverse portfolio of projects and plan ahead of potential risks
Terms & Conditions
1. Captain’s Pack can be purchased in-store or over-the-phone:
A Captain’s Pack:
1.1 Must be purchased in-store or over-the-phone;
1.2 Must be paid for in full at the time of making your booking;
1.3 Cannot be added to a fare or upgraded to another Captain’s Pack after you have secured your booking;
1.4 Are non-refundable and non-transferable. The Terms and Conditions set out on this webpage apply exclusively to all in-store and over-the-phone purchases of a Captain’s Pack. The Captain's Pack is not available from or able to be booked by Flight Centre Independent travel consultants as they operate independent businesses.
2. Waive Flight Centre’s Change Fees
If you purchase a Captain’s Pack Essentials, Value or Plus offer, we will waive Flight Centre’s change fee up to R300 per person which can only be redeemed once. Supplier fees may apply. This is only a saving on any fees charged, and will not be paid out should the change fee be less than the saving.
3. Waive Flight Centre’s Cancellation Fees
If you purchase a Captain’s Pack Value or Plus offer, we will waive Flight Centre’s cancellation fee up to R1500* per person which can only be redeemed once. Supplier fees may apply. This is only a saving on any fees charged, and will not be paid out should the cancellation fee be less than the saving.
4. Supplier change and cancellation fees
Irrespective of whether you have purchased a Captain’s Pack, cancelled bookings may also incur supplier fees, which can be up to 100% of the cost of the booking, regardless of whether travel has commenced or not. Supplier fees may also apply where a booking is changed and when tickets or documents are re-issued. Where we incur any liability for a supplier fee for any booking which you change or cancel, you agree to indemnify us for the amount of that fee. Where you seek a refund for a cancelled booking for which payment has been made to the supplier, we will not provide a refund to you until we receive the funds from that supplier.
Where a supplier states a booking is a non-refundable booking, the booking remains non-refundable.
5. Lost Baggage
All Captain’s Packs have this feature which is a Lost Baggage Service operated by Blue Ribbon Bags (BRB). This applies to checked bags only. If your bag does not arrive at your destination when you do and is not at that original destination airport within 96 hours of the arrival of your flight, you will receive compensation of R6000 (per bag) if you have a Captain’s Pack Essentials, R9000 (per bag) if you have a Captain’s Pack Value or R12000 (per bag) if you have a Captain’s Pack Plus. There is a limit of 2 bags per cashback claim.
After reporting your missing bag to the airline, you must also report your missing bag to BRB within 24 hours of that flight landing and include the unique identifier for their airline lost luggage claim (often called a file locator, reference or tracking number.)
To file a new Mishandled Baggage Report call 1 917-920-9699 (toll free), or online at https://flightcentre.blueribbonbags.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. BRB will track and attempt to expedite the return of your missing bag for you and keep you informed of any progress. The Lost Baggage Service works alongside any travel insurance you might have. All Blue Ribbon Bags services are subject to their Service Agreement detailed here.
6. Family Bonus
Captain’s Packs with this feature receive a Family Bonus - when any adult purchases a Captain’s Plus Pack, all children (Under 12 years at the time of travel) will also each individually receive the benefits of the Captain’s Plus Pack, excluding Planting for the Planet.
7. Planting for the Planet
We have partnered with Reforest Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 89 629 970 467) to assist in tree planting projects in Morocco and Australia. Visit www.flightcentre.co.nz/p/captains-pack for full project details. If you have a Captain’s Pack Essentials we will pay for one tree to be planted in Morocco, if you have a Captain’s Pack Value we will pay for two trees to be planted in Morocco, and if you have a Captain's Pack Plus we will pay for three trees to be planted in Morocco.
8. Insurance Upgrade
When you purchase a 1-8 day Leisure Standard TIC policy, we’ll upgrade you to a Leisure Comprehensive TIC policy for free. Valid for customers up to 69 years old only. Excludes USA cover. Applies only to insurance bought with Flight Centre’s partner TIC, and must be purchased through Flight Centre and not via the TIC website or any other third parties.
In the event that you opt for a Leisure Standard TIC policy, such policy must be paid for within 48 hours of your booking having been secured, thereafter Flight Centre will immediately upgrade you to a Leisure Comprehensive TIC policy free of charge.
9. Flight Centre's booking terms and conditions
Flight Centre’s usual Booking Terms & Conditions will also apply to your booking. These are available here.
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*Prices are in ZAR and subject to availability. Please refer to specific product’s terms and conditions.
