Building a Nature Positive Future for Tourism: Insights from Valsugana

Published on November 19, 2024

This was the first event in our Autumn Webinar Series in partnership with the GoNaturePositive! project. We were privileged to have Federica Bosco of 'ETIFOR |Valuing Nature' introduce the field of nature positive tourism in the context of this project's efforts to define the concept of a nature-positive economy and plot an actionable roadmap for others to follow. 

If you were unable to attend the live webinar, you can find the key takeaways summarised below as well as a recording of the full webinar and the interesting Q&A session and discussion that followed. There is also a PDF of the slides from Federica's presentation attached to this article.

Key Takeaways


1. Tourism's Dependence on Nature

Over 80% of tourism activities depend on natural resources and ecosystems, such as forests, coral reefs, and freshwater. Protecting these resources is critical to maintaining the sector’s resilience and ensuring sustainable growth.

2. Nature-Positive Tourism Creates Opportunities

A Nature-Positive Economy (NPE) emphasizes ecological restoration while supporting economic prosperity. For tourism, this means prioritizing nature-based solutions (NbS), which can enhance ecosystem services, boost local economies, and attract eco-conscious travelers.

3. Sustainable Tourism Practices Mitigate Risks

Unsustainable practices in tourism—such as resource exploitation and habitat destruction—pose significant risks to ecosystems and communities. Shifting to regenerative tourism models can mitigate these risks while enhancing the quality and appeal of tourism offerings.

4. Metrics for Measuring Impact

Clear frameworks for tracking progress are vital. Examples include Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) and GSTC-aligned indicators. These tools help measure the effectiveness of sustainable tourism initiatives and ensure alignment with global biodiversity goals.

5. Insights from the Valsugana Pilot Project

The Valsugana Tourism Pilot highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement in co-creating sustainable destination plans. DMOs need to take a transformative change: from Destination Marketing Organisations to Destination Stewardship Organisations.

 

Webinar Recording

For further information on the GoNaturePositive! project and to follow the latest developments, visit https://www.gonaturepositive.eu/. 

 

CNEP_Tourism_ETIFOR.pdf
Other news

Announcing our Regenerative Ocean Farming Community Ambassador

September 30, 2024
Gareth Murphy, Seaweed Project Manager, at Simply Blue is appointed as Ambassador for the Regenerative Ocean Farming Community of Practice on the Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform in collaboration with EU funded project, C-FAARER (Community driven Farming for the Atlantic and Arctic Sea basins through REgeneRative aquaculture).

Mainstreaming Sustainable Forestry in Europe

November 20, 2024
This was the third event in our Autumn Webinar Series in partnership with the GoNaturePositive! project. We were privileged to have Giulia Soldano of 'ETIFOR |Valuing Nature' introduce the field of sustainable forestry in the context of this project's efforts to define the concept of a nature-positive economy and plot an actionable roadmap for others to follow.