Some of the world’s most beautiful islands are taking bold steps to stay that way. To mark Earth Day this month, Victoria Beardwood explores the top escapes for the eco-conscious traveller
This article was taken from the April 2025 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.
When it comes to taking action to preserve the planet, Palau – officially the Republic of Palau – is doing the most. This tiny island nation – an archipelago of 500 isles in the western Pacific Ocean – made waves back in 1979 when it adopted the first-ever anti-nuclear constitution. Then again in 2017, with its Palau Pledge. A world first, it means every international visitor must read and sign a stamp in their passport that promises they will ‘preserve and protect’ the islands before being allowed access, requiring them to make responsible choices while travelling. More recently, Palau has taken things up a level. An initiative called Ol’au Palau rewards sustainable choices with exclusive experiences. Visitors can collect points for acts such as using reef-safe sunscreen and eating sustainably sourced food, then trade them for adventures usually reserved for native Palauans. Try eating fresh fish at drop-off on Malakal Island, where photos show the fishermen who caught it that day, for example, and use the points to go on an unmarked hike with a guide. With an abundance of stunning natural beauty, including a thriving marine sanctuary known as ‘the underwater Serengeti’, it’s no wonder the locals are deeply committed to protecting their cherished home.
When you think of a private island, this is probably the sort of place that springs to mind. Luxurious bungalows perched above malachite waters, framed by swaying palm trees. A wooden footbridge that allows you to stroll above Cambodia’s first marine reserve, looking out for turtles and seahorses. Candlelit dinners overlooking the sea and cocktails with your toes in the sand at the requisite beach bar. Yes, Song Saa is the daydream version of an island retreat – including its happy coexistence with nature.
Its ethos of preserving the ecosystem of the Koh Rong Archipelago, home to the sister islands of Song Saa, is reflected in thriving reefs, bioluminescent plankton, a local, sustainable food offering and its non-profit foundation. This initiative aims to improve the lives of locals and protect the environment through efforts like coral reef restoration, waste management, mangrove regeneration and educational programmes.
Even the less-travelled among us are now likely familiar with the Azores – something unthinkable just a decade ago. In 2023, the archipelago saw its highest-ever number of overnight stays (3.8 million), and between January and August 2024, there was an 8.5 per cent increase from the previous year. It’s as though a stupefying force field has recently lifted from this magnificent group of nine Portuguese islands in the Atlantic, and we have collectively rediscovered an Edenic paradise.
Realising this, locals are more determined than ever to prioritise the preservation of their natural resources and biodiversity over tourism. They’ve even implemented measures like using biofuels and electricity for transportation, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050. What’s more, some 300,000sq km of ocean around the archipelago have just been designated the biggest Marine Protected Area in the North Atlantic network. As a result, the Azores are becoming a blueprint for green tourism. Nowhere is that more obvious than on São Miguel, the archipelago’s largest island. Nicknamed The Green Island for its swathes of untouched rainforests, it promotes low-impact activities such as hiking and biking through its lush, unspoiled terrain. The expansive volcanic valley in the centre, Furnas, allows the island to harness geothermal energy – and has done for centuries, as evidenced by the traditional local dish, cozido. This delicious stew is slow-cooked in fumaroles, holes dug in the hot volcanic soil.
As for wildlife, dolphins, turtles and whales (sperm, pilot and great) play off the coast and can be carefully observed on responsible tours. Birds such as the rare Azores bullfinch flit about in the eastern skies, while various beekeeping initiatives across the island, including those at Solar Branco Eco Estate, are working to boost the bee population.
As the smallest and remotest of the Canary Islands, El Hierro is also the least explored. As a result, it has managed to keep its natural spaces unsullied and free from development, unlike some of its more popular neighbours. You won’t find any sports bars or water parks here. Instead, visitors are treated to 269sq km of volcanic landscapes, unusual rock formations, organic vineyards, evergreen forests, sandy beaches and wind- bent juniper trees (see them on the hillsides at El Sabinar).
El Hierro’s designation as a Unesco World Biosphere Reserve in 2000 and Geopark over a decade ago has helped protect around 60 per cent of the island. The creation of the Mar de Las Calmas Marine Reserve in 1996 has ensured that the underwater fauna, flora, and wildlife off its southern tipremain exceptionally well preserved. Admire sub-aquatic geology and look out for moray, grouper, barracuda and whale shark at what’s considered the island’s best dive site, El Bajón, a submerged mountain near La Restinga.
Wildlife conservation is happening on land too. Local environmentalists are attempting to bring back the native population of the El Hierro giant lizard, which almost became extinct in the 1940s. You can meet some of these endangered reptiles, which grow up to 60cm, up close at the Recovery Centre inside Frontera’s Guinea Eco museum.
This private island off the coast of Bintan, a couple of hours by boat from Singapore, eschews the title of ‘eco resort’. Not because it doesn’t live up to it, but because the term is so often now associated with greenwashing. Instead, Nikoi’s owners have been quietly taking steps to positively impact the local environment and people since it opened in 2004.
Food, for example, comes from the island’s organic garden and a nearby permaculture farm, villas are made from driftwood, all power comes from renewable (mainly solar) energy, groundwater is recycled and sea water is put through a desalination system to make it drinkable. The resort also works with Seven Clean Seas to do beach clean-ups, and started its own non-profit, The Island Foundation, that runs learning centres in rural Bintan communities, with education around sustainability high on the agenda.
During a stay on Nikoi, it’s impossible not to feel connected to the land – and not just because of its sand floors.
This rugged, self-sufficient Danish island, reached via ferry from Aarhus or Kalundborg, is considered one of the most sustainable in Europe and was the first in the world to make the switch entirely from fossil fuels to renewables. Since 2007, it has used energy from the likes of wind turbines and biomass heating plants to provide power to all residents. Learn more about it at the Samsø Energy Academy.
Better still, explore the literal fruits of the island’s green efforts
on a ramble through its dramatic landscape of hills, moorlands, bays, gorges and fertile farmlands. It’s easy to see why Samsø is colloquially called Denmark’s vegetable garden, although fruit and herbs are equally abundant. In April, seek out fresh asparagus and, from May, try its famous new potatoes. Samsø’s restaurants even compete to make the best kartoffelmad (an open-faced potato sandwich). Come August, forage for over 100 different blackberry varieties, and find elderberries in October.
If you think you’ll spend a stay here sending photos of poolside rum punch to your pals, think again. At this 150ha island in the Indian Ocean, there’s no phone signal, no in-room internet or TV. Denis encourages a true digital detox, eliminating distractions that might hinder a reconnection with nature.
Instead, you can leave your phone in your room and spend days snorkelling with endangered sea turtles along the protected shoreline or seeking out endemic birds like the Seychelles fody, warbler and paradise flycatcher. Such abundant wildlife is thanks, in large part, to the Green Islands Foundation, which has done extensive research into the island’s ecosystem and how to preserve it. You might try making furniture from fallen trees at the self-sustaining lumber mill and carpentry workshop, or sampling local cuisine made with the island farm’s vegetables, fruits and herbs, and poultry and cattle fed on Denis Island’s plentiful coconut palms.
What did Eigg’s residents do when they felt like their island could be run better? They bought it, of course. In 1997, around 60 people formed a trust and raised £1.5m for a community buyout of the tiny island in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. Since then, Eigg has blossomed into an eco paradise for its 100 or so locals and visitors alike. It has evolved from a one-shop destination with no mains electricity and few jobs to an island powered entirely by a mix of wind, sun and hydro power, now boasting a thriving tourism and gastronomic scene.
Head to An Laimhrig, a community centre that was six years in the making, to shop, indulge at the tearoom or rent e-bikes. Sip craft beer at the cooperative micro-brewery in the centre of the island, then bed down in a bothy at Eigg Organics, where you can learn to grow your own vegetables in a traditional croft.
As South Korea’s largest island, Jeju sees some 15 million visitors every year. Little wonder, given its pristine beaches, other-worldly geology around Mount Hallasan and the lava tubes of Manjanggul Cave (set to reopen to visitors in August). Not to mention the intrigue of it famous haenyeo – tenacious female free divers who continue the centuries-old tradition of sea foraging for the likes of abalone, urchin and octopus.
Given its popularity, environmental conservation has had to become one of Jeju’s main – and more difficult to achieve – priorities. Along with its declared ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030, with a focus on harnessing wind and solar power, it’s leading the charge when it comes to use of electric vehicles. Around 6.4 per cent of vehicles on the island are now fully electric, the highest proportion in South Korea.
Sustainable tourism plays a crucial role in these aims, and eco-conscious travellers can explore the island with no impact by following the Olle Trail: 437km of scenic paths that wind around craggy coastline, past forests and across volcanic terrain. Rest up at one of the green-certified hotels such as Jeju Art Villas, We Hotel and Haevichi Hotel Jeju, or a traditional hanok guesthouse. Yerae Ecological Village, in a small valley near Jungmun, gives visitors the chance to learn more about local ecology. Visit in spring to see plum blossoms at their peak.
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