Demand for nature-based tourism is increasing around the world. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, protected areas received roughly 8 billion visits annually, generating US$ 600 billion in direct in-country expenditures and US$ 250 billion in consumer surplus per year (Balmford et al., 2015). Furthermore, wildlife tourism contributed 4.2% of direct in-country expenditures and 6.8% of employment globally (WTTC, 2019).

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an abrupt halt of the nature-based tourism industry in many parts of the world, disrupting essential funding streams for protected areas where biodiversity and human vulnerability are highest, and at greatest risk, especially in Africa and Latin America (Hockings el al., 2020; Lindsey et al., 2020; Spenceley, 2021; Spenceley et al., 2021). The pause of tourism markets has led to devastating income loss with major repercussions to local communities (Spenceley et al., 2021a). Food markets closed, jobs were terminated, and many people retreated to rural areas of origin where they also returned to harvesting wildlife and local natural resources for survival (Lehmann et al., 2021).

With nature-based tourism operations suspended, greater illegal wildlife trade and poaching has emerged, while “extractive industries and enterprises seize opportunities to encroach on the conservation estate” (Buckley, 2020, p. 1; Newsome, 2020). Alarmingly, the reduction of conservation actions coupled with increased poverty around protected areas can “create a feedback loop where intensified reliance on natural resources spurs further human encroachment into natural habitats, increases exposure to and consumption of wild animals, and amplifies future pandemic risks” (Lindsey et al., 2020, p. 1304).

This crisis has highlighted the importance of nature-based tourism to human health, community wellbeing, and ecosystem health (Spenceley, 2021; Spenceley et al., 2021b). It also demonstrates how over-reliance on tourism and lack of revenue diversification can lead to worsened crises (World Bank, 2021). Ultimately, the pandemic awakened us to a realization that “long-term resilience for protected areas also means strengthening the local economy, securing the financial viability of enterprises, and considering the need for long-term investment” (Spenceley et al., 2021, p. 112). It highlights the urgent need to build more political capital and public will for wildlife and biodiversity conservation (Lindsey et al., 2021) and, where appropriate, to outsource tourism enterprises through concessions (World Bank, 2021; Spenceley et al., 2017). Finally, it has shown that emergency budgets, contributed partly by tourism revenue sharing, must be established to assist wildlife authorities, conservation management, and communities reliant on subsistence from protected areas during future catastrophic events (Hockings et al., 2021; Lindsey et al., 2021 Spenceley, 2021; Spenceley et al., 2021; Lehmann et al., 2021).

Although many institutions have developed rapid responses to address the consequences of COVID-19, the needs of wildlife and protected areas, and communities that rely on them, cannot be overlooked. At this critical juncture, IUCN can increase its positive global impact by focusing more on tourism as a key conservation tool. Accordingly, this motion calls forth efforts by IUCN that will help the industry and tourism-dependent communities rebuild in a sustainable, equitable, and pro-conservation capacity.

• Benin Ecotourism Concern [Benin]
• Conservation International [United States of America]
• Endangered Wildlife Trust [South Africa]
• EUROPARC Federation [Germany]
• Fundación Charles Darwin para las Islas Galápagos [Ecuador]
• Instituto de Ecología Aplicada de la Universidad San Francisco de Quito [Ecuador]
• Istituto Oikos [Italy]
• Istituto Pangea -Onlus- Istituto Europeo per l`Educazione e la Formazione Professionale per l`Ambiente [Italy]
• Lilongwe Wildlife Trust [Malawi]
• Southern African Wildlife College [South Africa]
• The Nature Conservancy [United States of America]
• Wildlife Conservation Society [United States of America]
• World Wide Fund for Nature - International [Switzerland]