Nature for Tourism, Tourism for Nature

For several years IUCN NL, as one of the leading conservation organizations in the Netherlands, has been active in the area of sustainable tourism with a focus on nature and biodiversity conservation.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. It is expected that by 2020 the number of internationally traveling tourists will have doubled to 1.5 billion people. This expected growth will have an enormous impact on the nature, landscape and biodiversity of the destination countries, especially in developing countries. Hotels on beaches where turtles nest, destroyed rain forests for the sake of tourist facilities and polluted trekking routes in the Himalayas are just a few examples of negative ecological impacts.

Opportunities for sustainability
However, tourism can also contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. Tourism generates income that can be used for the protection of nature and serve as an alternative source of income for local communities. Tourism can replace traditional economic activities that damage and destroy nature and can therefore be a more sustainable form of land use. Tourism also creates environmental awareness among local communities as well as tourists. The mountain gorillas in Uganda would have disappeared if they had not become an important tourist attraction and a major source of income. Tourism thus also creates opportunities for sustainability.

What does IUCN NL do?
IUCN NL recognizes the importance of tourism for the world economy but is also aware of the dangers that tourism development can bring to the natural environment. The Tourism & Biodiversity Programme supports small-scale tourism initiatives in the South both financially and technically. IUCN NL links these tourism initiatives with Dutch outbound tour operators to guarantee a market and works towards a more sustainable Dutch tourism sector through platforms, such as the Sustainable Outbound Tourism Initiative. 

• IDUT (Sustainable Outbound Tourism Initiative)
• Flyer Tourism and Biodiversity
• Publication: Destination Conservation
• Workbook integrating business skills in ecotourism operations