The travel industry as a whole is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors. Globally, it comprises 9% of GDP ($6 trillion) and drives 1 of every 11 jobs on the planet. If left alone, tourism can be a significant threat to WWF’s Goals. If harnessed carefully under appropriate enabling conditions, it can be a powerful, positive driver for conservation goals - incentivizing key stakeholders to conserve their natural resources and potentially providing a long-term sustainable funding source for conservation.
The shining example is Namibia where, over a 20-year span, the adventure travel sector through its partnerships with communal conservancies has been a key driver of Namibia’s extraordinary wildlife recovery story. Fundamental to this success has been the careful nurturing of a policy framework, promotion of external and internal investments and partnerships (e.g. Joint Ventures) between conservancies and the travel industry, and building the capacity of communal conservancies.
These fundamentals have been captured in a new Conservation Travel Readiness Scorecard that enables countries to evaluate their existing capacity to harness tourism as a key incentive for successful community-based conservation and develop interventions or innovations to empower communities to manage natural resources and ensure they benefit from such stewardship.
Download the Conservation Travel Readiness Scorecard
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