Collaboration for Nature-Beneficial Tourism Sets Course for COP16 in Colombia
Headline: Nature Positive Tourism Partnership Emphasizes Urgent Action at COP26
The Nature Positive Tourism Partnership (NPTP) made a significant appearance at the recent COP26 climate conference, emphasizing the potential of the travel and tourism sector to drive conservation and biodiversity protection.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili underscored the positive impact of well-managed tourism, stating that it can act as an agent of change. He highlighted the commitment to developing a Nature Positive Travel and Tourism sector, which aligns with the principles of nature conservation and regeneration.
Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), reiterated the urgency for immediate action, emphasizing the sector's reliance on nature and its ability to create inspiring experiences. She emphasized the sector's role as guardians of nature, a role that it is uniquely positioned to fulfill.
Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, echoed these sentiments, focusing on the importance of sharing best practices globally to inspire the sector and empower it to become stewards of the planet. He also highlighted the need for future training programs to equip the industry with the skills necessary to protect the environment and people for future generations.
The NPTP, launched at COP15 in 2022, showcased its work and plans for the future during the COP26 side panel. The partnership aims to inspire net positive commitments, leveraging tourism to drive conservation and biodiversity protection by aligning with nature-positive principles.
Key elements of the NPTP's strategy include sustainable and regenerative tourism practices, conservation-linked tourism ventures, alignment with global biodiversity goals, partnership and collaboration, and promoting nature-positive investment and innovation.
The partnership encourages tourism that delivers positive impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, such as wildlife tourism that funds conservation efforts, especially in vulnerable places like small island developing states. It also supports tourism projects that directly protect natural habitats, like private island sanctuaries with coral reefs and forest reserves accredited by the UN.
The NPTP aims to integrate tourism into broader biodiversity targets by ensuring that tourism activities contribute to halting species loss, restoring habitats, and protecting marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It emphasizes partnerships across sectors to implement nature-positive actions and measure biodiversity outcomes.
The initiative also encourages the tourism sector to adopt innovations and shift towards investment models that support natural resource conservation and regeneration, aligned with global sustainability goals.
During COP26, the NPTP hosted a side panel to highlight the sector's role in biodiversity conservation, showcasing successful initiatives where the sector contributes to biodiversity, explores policies that integrate biodiversity into Travel & Tourism, and supports the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework.
The NPTP will take part in the final plenary at COP26, calling for increased recognition for the sector's potential in delivering on GBF goals. Gloria Fluxà, Vice Chairman and Chief Sustainability Officer at Iberostar, and WTTC's Sustainability Committee Chair, will address world leaders during the event.
The NPTP's commitment to safeguarding the well-being of people and the environment, focusing on social and environmental responsibility within the Travel & Tourism sector, positions it as a powerful tool in the fight against biodiversity loss. It is clear that the partnership is determined to channel tourism’s economic power toward biodiversity conservation, restoration, and sustainable use, fully supporting the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework through regenerative tourism models and collaborative efforts.
[1] Sources: COP26 official website, WTTC, World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, and various news outlets covering the event.
