In an increasingly interconnected world, tourism continues to grow and remains one of the main ways in which people, cultures and places come together, generating significant economic and social benefits.
Alongside these opportunities, however, there is a growing need to address the sector’s environmental impacts. According to a number of international studies, tourism is responsible for around 9% of global greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the importance of promoting increasingly sustainable models geared towards the protection of ecosystems.
The World Sustainability Foundation’s response
To support operators committed to this journey, the World Sustainability Foundation (WSF), a non-profit organization established in 2022 by the World Sustainability Organization (WSO) and active in the protection of ecosystems, natural resources and threatened species, has launched the Tourism & Conservation Alliance (TCA).
This is an annual international programme for tourism operators wishing to establish a tangible connection between their business and biodiversity protection through communication tools, networking opportunities and direct support for conservation projects.
Joining the Tourism & Conservation Alliance means becoming part of a community that encourages the exchange of experiences and best practices, the creation of collaborations and shared projects, and synergies among members, generating opportunities for mutual growth.
Three membership levels
The Tourism & Conservation Alliance offers three membership levels – Explorer, Impact and Pioneer – structured according to a progressive approach. Each membership includes operational guidelines, a self-assessment questionnaire, an identifying badge, communication materials, access to the international network and dedicated services depending on the level selected.
In addition, the World Sustainability Foundation constantly monitors grant and funding opportunities compatible with the network’s activities and, where possible, promotes or coordinates participation in applications and projects that may support initiatives and tools useful to members of the Tourism & Conservation Alliance. However, funding cannot be guaranteed, as it depends on the outcome of each individual selection procedure.
Direct support for conservation projects
One of the programme’s distinctive features is its direct connection with the biodiversity conservation projects supported by the World Sustainability Foundation.
Members can contribute to two main areas of action:
- Sea, through projects linked to Friend of the Sea®;
- Land, through projects linked to Friend of the Earth®.
The first projects to be supported will be Fondazione Cetacea, for the Sea strand, and Friends of Usambara, for the Land strand.
Fondazione Cetacea works to protect the marine ecosystem and runs one of Italy’s leading Sea Turtle Rescue, Care and Rehabilitation Centres in Riccione, where over the years more than one thousand specimens have been treated and released back into the sea.
Friends of Usambara, active in northern Tanzania, promotes participatory reforestation and forest restoration in the Usambara Mountains, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, and has contributed to the planting of more than 20 million trees.
An invitation to tourism operators
Joining the Tourism & Conservation Alliance means supporting concrete conservation projects, strengthening one’s environmental commitment and becoming part of an international network dedicated to protecting biodiversity.
Interested operators can request information and identify the membership level best suited to their needs, helping to build a tourism model capable of generating value for businesses, local communities and the natural heritage.
For more information:
Tourism & Conservation Alliance – worldsustainabilityfoundation.org
