130 - Strengthening sustainable tourism’s role in biodiversity conservation and community resilience

130 - Strengthening sustainable tourism’s role in biodiversity conservation and community resilience

Latest version in this language: Version as sent to Plenary | Published on: 01 Oct 2021

CELEBRATING the value of wildlife and nature-based tourism in supporting communities around the world and its important role in biodiversity conservation, conservation funding, environmental literacy and spiritual and cultural uses of nature;

CONCERNED for the communities and countries reliant on nature-based tourism operations, whose health and livelihoods have been severely impacted by the pandemic;

EMPATHETIC to the welfare crisis communities face due to the pandemic and economic loss from the halt of tourism, which has increased habitat encroachment, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and unregulated harvesting, and thereby created greater risk for zoonotic disease transmission;

RECOGNISING that more effective implementation of sustainable nature-based tourism strategies and benefit-sharing programmes is an integral part of community recovery to strengthen resilience during future adverse events and to build a more sustainable future for people and wildlife;

CONSIDERING the efforts of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), World Bank, World Economic Forum, World Trade and Tourism Council (WTTC), and IUCN Member organisations to develop programmes that support sustainable nature-based tourism in the aftermath of this pandemic crisis;

NOTING Resolution 6.060 Improving standards in ecotourism (Hawai‘i, 2016) and previous resolutions by the UN General Assembly and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) reminding us of the significant contributions of nature-based tourism to the protection of biodiversity and the added benefits to community development and poverty eradication;

DETERMINED to use this pivotal moment to help governments, businesses and NGOs establish better global awareness about the loss of biodiversity, the vulnerability of communities that rely on tourism and the positive opportunities sustainable tourism can facilitate;

ENCOURAGED that the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) has established a COVID-19 Task Force and Call for Action to support Rescue, Recovery and Rebuilding protected and conserved areas; and

RECOGNISING that IUCN can provide urgent help for vulnerable communities and endangered species by building more capacity and actions for sustainable nature-based tourism and calling on its Members to support private-sector partnerships that bolster recovery and resilience beyond protected areas;

The IUCN World Conservation Congress, at its session in Marseille, France:

1. CALLS on the Director General to commit dedicated attention for nature-based tourism by:

a. including Sustainable Tourism as a topic; and

b. integrating nature-based tourism events and activities into future Congresses and IUCN conferences;

2. CALLS on the Commissions to consider creating an inter-commission working group focused on sustainable tourism’s role in biodiversity conservation and community resilience;

3. URGES the WCPA COVID Task Force, in collaboration with other Specialist Groups and Task Forces, to strengthen its Call to Action for Rescue, Recovery and Rebuilding by:

a. producing memoranda for equitable benefit-sharing programmes and emergency strategies for communities and protected areas reliant on nature-based tourism; and

b. developing resources to support local, equal-access outdoor recreation and wildlife tourism programmes in developing countries to increase opportunities for natural heritage experiences that improve health, well-being and conservation values; and

4. CALLS ON Members and affiliates to:

a. support development of diversified sustainable livelihood activities, skill-training programmes and alternative protein-sourcing markets in tourism-dependent communities to bolster community resilience against current and future adverse events;

b. establish enterprise-based partnerships to incorporate conservation and biodiversity monitoring across the tourism supply chain; and

c. establish more sustainable financing campaigns, including endowment funds, to support key biodiversity assets during tourism industry recessions.

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]

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