How you could save rare animals by simply going on holiday

The Rabari goat herder is waving at us from the valley below. Through my binoculars, his red turban seems to be glowing in the morning mist. Dotted around him, his goats graze in the surrounding fields. We are high up on a massive granite outcrop with a panoramic view over the Indian state of Rajasthan.

Suddenly, the engine of our Jeep roars into life. Yusuf, our guide and Director of Experiences at Suján Jawai, is on a mission and we are soon bouncing over uneven terrain down into the valley.

When we meet up with the goat herder, he takes us to a field where one of his goats lies dead. It doesn't take a pathologist to conclude that the bite marks around its neck are those of a leopard.

"Our relationship with the Rabaris is critical," says Yusuf. "They have lived here for centuries and without their co-operation the leopards will not survive. That's why we take seriously projects such as improving sanitation in the villages, sponsoring local schools and our wildlife research facility. That farmer will be compensated for his loss."

Opened in 2013, Suján Jawai is a luxury tented camp with exemplary low-impact eco-credentials. With Jaisal and Anjali Singh at the helm, it has pioneered a business model of engagement with the local community that is proving remarkably effective. During my three nights at the camp, we had multiple leopard sightings on every game drive, including one of a mother and four cubs.

"More farmers are turning away from agriculture to return the land to wildlife corridors for both the leopards and their prey species," Yusuf told me. "It's only when they have a sustainable financial stake in the wildlife that there can be a vision for the future. It is this vision to which our guests contribute when they stay at Jawai."

In Africa, the most successful examples of wildlife conservation are achieved through community involvement, where tourists have a chance to see, and sometimes participate in, the projects they are helping to fund.

In India, the picture is not so simple. Government management of its 50 tiger reserves is often driven by damaging financial objectives rather than environmental considerations. Outbursts of poaching are frequent and efforts to prosecute the guilty often frustrated.

India's most famous and largest tiger reserve is Ranthambore, which surrounds an old royal hunting ground - a magnificent setting of lakes, forests, forts, temples and palaces. I had been there on a previous trip and the wildlife experience left much to be desired, with tip-obsessed guides making it feel like a zoo.

I am glad to report that things are improving. Tiger numbers are increasing (now around 55-65), and quieter zones have been opened to tourists, which helps reduce the pressure. There is still a cacophony of shouting and revving engines whenever a tiger is spotted, but initiatives on the ground, which depend on tourism for funding, are having a positive effect.

Tofts (Tiger Operators for Tigers) rates, assesses and promotes tourist operators and accommodation providers on the basis of their environmental and wildlife credentials, and is a useful resource when planning a tiger-viewing trip to India. It also supports a number of inspirational projects.

One of these is Tiger Watch, led by Dr Dharmendra Khandal. "This was all started by local villagers, who realised they had an interest in protecting the tigers they have lived alongside for generations," he tells me.

"Tigers don't just stay obediently in reserves. They need to move along wildlife corridors between population centres, and this causes conflict with humans. Our 35 village guardians use infra-red cameras and have the most detailed survey ever of tiger movements outside the park, an area the Forestry Department does not monitor but which is vital for tiger survival."

Tourism can make a difference by creating jobs and generating revenue to pay for sanitation, schools and healthcare. If it can be demonstrated that tourism pays, and is more sustainable than poaching or large-scale agriculture, the march of destruction will be halted.

The packages below have been chosen for their contribution to wildlife conservation projects. Consider them not a "Last Chance to See" but a "Last Chance to Save" the world's endangered species.

LEMURS, MADAGASCAR

Issue: Due to deforestation, lemurs are among the most endangered species on the planet.

The trip to take: A 17-day safari (maximum eight people) visiting some of the best lemur habitats in Madagascar, among them Kianjavato Field Station.

How it helps: Around R72,400 is donated annually from these holidays to help fund Kianjavato's work.

Details: The cost, from around R63,100, includes all meals and a guide but excludes international flights.

Operator: Natural World Safaris 

LEOPARDS AND CHEETAHS, NAMIBIA

Issue: Numbers are declining due to poaching and human/animal conflict.

The trip to take: Over 16 days guests can join a big-cat rehabilitation programme in Okonjima Nature Reserve where activities include tracking rehabilitated carnivores.

How it helps: Hands-on activities directly assist big-cat conservation.

Details: The cost, from around R73,000, includes most meals but excludes flights.

Operator: Travel Local

MOUNTAIN GORILLAS, RWANDA

Issue: These animals are critically endangered due to habitat loss and historic hunting.

The trip to take: Trek to see the gorillas while staying at Wilderness Safaris Bisate Lodge.

How it helps: Bisate Lodge runs an indigenous reforestation and community programme while gorilla trekking is one of the most effective partnerships between tourism and conservation.

Details: A six-night stay costs from R108,500 including a gorilla-trekking permit, two nights at Bisate Lodge, visits to Akagera and Nyungwe National Parks and flights.

Operator: Red Savannah

MANATEES AND TURTLES, PERU

Issue: Manatees are killed by watercraft collisions, and turtle eggs are eaten in large numbers.

The trip to take: A five-night stay in Peru includes a four-night rainforest cruise on the Aqua Expeditions' Aria Amazon riverboat.

How it helps: Guests receive lectures and visit projects to which nearly R181,000 has so far been contributed.

Details: The costs, from R85,300, includes full-board accommodation and return flights.

Operator: Rainbow Tours

ELEPHANTS, AFRICA

Issue: These magnificent creatures are under threat all over Africa due to ivory poaching.

The trip to take: A 31-day immersion into the lives of elephants, visiting savannah, desert and forest habitats in Congo, Chad, Namibia, Kenya and Botswana.

How it helps: The trip's itinerary includes meeting key conservationists and visits to pioneering projects that are helping give elephants an economic value that aids the poorest communities, and includes a donation of R54,300 to Save the Elephants.

Details: The cost of R543,000 includes all flights, most meals, a private guide and the donation.

Operator: Steppes Travel

LYNX, WOLVES AND BEARS, SLOVAKIA

Issue: Populations in the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia are threatened by logging and unsustainable hunting.

The trip to take: Based in a mountain chalet and working with research scientists, this seven-day expedition tracks the animals in their mountain habitat.

How it helps: By studying the animals' movements and behaviour, the project hopes to stabilise numbers.

Details: The cost of R27,000 includes all meals but is excludes flights.

Operator: Biosphere Expeditions

ASIATIC WILD DOGS, THAILAND

Issue: Their natural habitat is declining alarmingly.

The trip to take: You will gather data about the population size and diversity of the species, analyse habitat, and evaluate its prey species and the potential overlap with the diets of other large carnivores.

How it helps: Direct citizen science involvement with a crucial project.

Details: The cost, from R38,000 for seven days, includes all meals but excludes flights.

Operator: Earthwatch

BLACK RHINOS, KENYA

Issue: The species is on the brink of extinction due to poaching.

The trip to take: A stay at Saruni Rhino Camp in northern Kenya, where a protection and breeding programme has been set up by the Sera Rhino Sanctuary. This is the only camp in East Africa where rhinos can be tracked.

How it helps: Guests make a donation of R1,600 per night to the community conservancy which runs the sanctuary.

Details: Seven nights at Saruni Samburu and Saruni Rhino Camps costs from R59,300 excluding flights.

Operator: Expert Africa

- The Daily Telegraph