University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Travel and Tourism Research Association: Advancing Tourism Research Globally

Beyond Sustainability: A Global Study of Nature-based Solutions

in Regenerative Tourism
Chloe King
University of Cambridge

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King, Chloe, "Beyond Sustainability: A Global Study of Nature-based Solutions in Regenerative Tourism"
(2022). Travel and Tourism Research Association: Advancing Tourism Research Globally. 38.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/ttra/2022/researchabstract/38

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 TTRA Full Paper Submission

Beyond Sustainability: A Global Study of Nature-based Solutions in Regenerative Tourism

Abstract: As the UN Decade of Ecological Restoration begins in 2021, there is a need to reconcile global
efforts to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions with local efforts to protect and restore ecosystems.
Protecting and restoring nature will be key to helping communities address both the causes and
consequences of climate change, yet nature-based solutions are infrequently employed as both
mitigation and adaptation measures. Tourism businesses around the world are uniquely placed to
employ nature-based solutions within their properties to manage, protect, and restore ecosystems that
both draw down emissions and help communities adapt to climate change. Key to this will be imagining
a more “regenerative” industry in which the needs of people and nature are valued above profit.
Utilizing the IUCN Global Standards for Nature-based Solutions as a basis for survey design, this study
assesses 30 tourism operators across the globe to investigate how tourism can be more regenerative for
ecosystems and communities by embracing nature-based solutions. The findings indicate five key factors
for this shift, including centering community needs, improving ecosystem integrity, embracing diverse
and inclusive business models, governing in a transparent and just manner, and enhancing conservation
partnerships.

1. Introduction

The past decade saw the hottest temperatures on record and The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) has warned that we are likely to exceed a 1.5°C average temperature increase within 20
years, the point at which severe climate disruptions would occur, with significant impacts for humans
and nature (IPCC, 2022). Already, climate and other anthropogenic impacts mean that more species of
plants and animals are threatened with extinction than in any other time in human history (Borunda,
2020). In response, many governments committed to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, which set
emissions reduction targets required to avoid catastrophic effects. Achieving these targets will require
countries to implement ambitious decarbonization measures and transform every sector of our modern
economy (Pörtner, H.O., Scholes, R.J., Agard, J., Archer, E., Arneth, A., Bai, X., Barnes, D., Burrows, M.,
Chan, L., Cheung et al., 2021).

The global tourism economy—the second-fastest growing industry in the world prior to the COVID-19
pandemic, responsible for 1 in 10 jobs globally(UNWTO, 2021a)—has sought to support these
international efforts, seeking avenues of decarbonization and the transition to climate neutrality.
Globally, tourism is estimated to be responsible for 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions (Lenzen et al.,
2018). In 2021,the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism was launched to raise the climate
ambition of tourism stakeholders, define a sector-wide approach to climate action, and to begin to
define pathways to transform the tourism sector to achieve net zero emissions. The Declaration
acknowledges the tourism sector’s contributions to climate change—without accelerating
decarbonization, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise by 25% or more by 2030, compared to
2016 (UNWTO, 2021b).

The tourism sector is also directly dependent on the health of the communities and environments in
which it operates, and has an opportunity to play a critical role in protecting the natural resources that
both serve as important carbon sinks and can help communities adapt to climate change (IPCC, 2021;
UNEP & IUCN, 2021). The global scientific community has recognized that in addition to the rapid

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decarbonization of the economy, climate action will require a “significant contribution” from Nature-
based Solutions (NbS)—actions that can simultaneously enhance human wellbeing and biodiversity
benefits (UNEP, 2021a; UNEP & IUCN, 2021). Tourism has an important role to play in employing Nature-
based Solutions that help communities adapt to a new climate reality and build resilience to future risks
(King et al., 2021).

In order to inform a climate and nature positive transformation of tourism discourse and practice, this
research assesses the impacts of 30 tourism operators from across the globe using the IUCN Global
Standards for Nature-based Solutions. This research sought to assess how tourism operators have
embraced NbS, and to what extent this enabled a shift from sustainable to regenerative tourism. By
utilizing criteria from NbS standards to understand what factors enable tourism enterprises to be more
socially, ecologically, and culturally regenerative, this study contributes to a growing area of research in
the “regenerative economy” in which human needs and environmental outcomes are valued above
profit, and development is achieved in a more equitable, inclusive, and empowering way. The findings
demonstrate where businesses were most successful in embracing NbS, what challenges arose
throughout the implementation process, and how integrating these solutions enabled a more
regenerative shift.

1.1 Nature-based Solutions

There is a growing body of research demonstrating that Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can effectively
address climate change and biodiversity loss simultaneously, while addressing societal challenges such
as human health and economic development (Kooijman et al., 2021; Schoonees et al., 2019; van den
Bosch & Ode Sang, 2017). The concept of NbS is rooted in climate change mitigation and adaptation,
growing in recognition over the past decade to be embraced as an essential framework by the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which created the IUCN Global Standard for
Nature-based Solutions to guide practical implementation (See Figure 1). However, discourses around
climate change has only recently begun to acknowledge the importance of nature and biodiversity in
mitigating and adapting to such consequences (Gardner et al., 2020).

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 Figure 1: IUCN Global Standards for Nature-based Solutions

Currently, global oceans, soil, and forests absorb around 56% of all human-produced greenhouse gases
(IPCC, 2021; UNEP & IUCN, 2021); indeed, nature holds some of the highest potential for future
mitigation (See Figure 2). Recent research suggests that by 2030, NbS could contribute 30-37% of cost-
effective mitigation needed to limit warming below 1.5°C (Seddon et al., 2020; UNEP, 2021a, 2021b;
UNEP & IUCN, 2021).1 Ideally NbS are used to protect, manage, and restore ecosystems that already
exist and, if well-designed and implemented, can deliver multiple synergistic climate benefits. However,
while 66% of country signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement mention NbS as part of their strategy,
just seventeen have recognized the combined mitigation and adaptative power of NbS (Seddon et al.,
2020).

1 According to the UNEP 2021 Emissions Gap Report, NbS implemented globally by 2030 could contribute emission reductions
and removals of 5 to 11.7 GtCO2e per year at a low cost of US$ 100/tCO2. Annual emissions by 2030 need to be 13 GtCO2e
(range: 10–16 GtCO2e) lower than current unconditional Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) state to reach the 2°C
goal, and 28 GtCO2e (range: 25–30 GtCO2e) lower to reach the 1.5°C goal. Both estimates are for a 66% chance of staying
below the temperature limit.

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Figure 2: Overview of mitigation options, taken from the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change
2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, the Working Group III contribution

Examples of Nature-based Solutions

Solutions that Protect
Ecosystems
Avoided Forest Conversion
Avoided Peatland Impacts
Avoided Degradation of Coastal
Wetlands
Solutions that Manage
Ecosystems
Natural Forest Management
Agroforestry
Regenerative Agriculture
Solutions that Restore
Ecosystems
Reforestation
Coastal Wetland Restoration
Peatland Restoration

Table 1: Examples of Nature-based Solutions Utilized by Tourism Operators

NbS are also designed to holistically embrace the objectives set forth in the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (See Figure 3) (UNEP & IUCN, 2021). At first glance, one might only see nature

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featured in SDG 14 (Life Below Water) or SDG 15 (Life on Land). In reality, nature underpins every aspect
of the SDGs: it is essential for providing clean water and energy, reducing food insecurity, spurring
climate action, reducing inequalities, building sustainable cities and communities, and more (Kroll et al.,
2019; Naidoo et al., 2019). Likewise, conservation solutions are more likely to succeed if they are
supported by local people and address their needs (Brooks et al., 2013). Protecting land and oceans and
addressing climate change are impossible if efforts to do so ignore the very real societal challenges
communities face—from gender inequality and lack of educational resources to health inequity and
racial injustice.

Figure 3: The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

1.2 Regenerative Tourism

Increasingly, the tourism sector has been criticized for its lack of governance and structural focus on
growth, which has led to the degradation of vital tourism assets (Cheer et al., 2019; Duffy & Moore,
2010; Schaal, 2021). Regenerative tourism represents an alternative to these traditional tourism models
and a paradigm shift for the sector whereby tourism provides more value to communities than it takes.
This is achieved thorough a whole-systems, place-based, community-led, and environment-centered
approach that recognizes the value of social, cultural, environmental, and economic wellbeing.(Bellato
et al., 2022; Cave & Dredge, 2020; Owen, 2007) A regenerative tourism approach acknowledges the
broader ecosystem tourism sits within and the need to co-evolve tourism as the context of the local
places changes over time.

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Such thinking is rooted in practice from other disciplines—from regenerative agriculture to design
(Sheldon, 2021)—and by longstanding and diverse Indigenous, First Nation, and Native knowledge and
practice. Indigenous perspective emphasizes that “tourism occurs within the biosphere and soci-cultural
systems and respects system dynamics and boundaries”(Becken, 2020; Brave Bull Allard, 2019). Fields
such as regenerative agriculture, which seek to actively replenish soil and ecosystems through food
production, have been inspired by indigenous worldviews informing renewed calls for the Western
world to become better stewards of the planet (Garnett et al., 2018; Yuan, 2020). In tourism, there is
urgent need to integrate local ecological knowledge and values into tourism governance so that tourism
activities do not service only the tourist and instead is shaped by the vision of local stewards (Duffy &
Moore, 2010). As this article will argue, this cannot be done without seeing nature as a key solution,
engaging with its stewards—local communities around the world—in asking “what kind of nature do we
want?” instead of “what is the price of nature?” (Büscher et al., 2012).

2. Materials and Methods

This research utilized the IUCN NbS Global Standards, including the 8 criteria and 28 indicators for
implementing NbS, to develop interview and survey questions to assess the practices of 30 tourism
operators around the world and make sense of diverse qualitative data. The research focused on tracing
common themes and patterns across a diverse range of case study participants, including high-end safari
lodges, community-based homestay networks, small eco-lodges, dive resorts, and others (See Figure 3
for map of business locations). Participants were selected using a public call for case studies published
on the websites of several membership-based tourism organizations, with other participants selected
based on purposive and snowball sampling methods.

Informed by political ecology, this research first adapted the IUCN Global NbS Standard (See Table 1) for
a tourism context to better incorporate and provide assessment questions for interrogating the “cultural
contexts, plural perspectives, and contestation” inherent within any tourism development endeavor
(Case et al., 2015). A qualitative and interpretivist approach to data gathering was adopted for online
surveying and semi-structured interviews. This approach has been used widely in research on tourism
and its impacts in order to illuminate complex social and ecological systems as socially constructed
human experiences (Chen et al., 2020; King et al., 2021; Nornman K Denzin, 1998).

The adapted IUCN Global NbS Standard was used as a heuristic device to make sense of qualitative data,
both visually mapping and manually coding responses in full in NVivo to corresponding criteria and
indicators in the adapted NbS Standard. The research employed thematic analysis using a priori codes
based on the 8 criteria and 28 indicators of the adapted NbS framework to code interview and survey
responses to corresponding NbS criteria. Reponses were also triangulated against secondary data
including website information, internal reports, and other publicly available data from tourism
operators. Recognizing the limits of using pre-existing categories for sorting data in interpretivist
qualitative research, the authors attempted to empower respondents to take the lead and point to
features as they see it or suggest improvements in the research procedure (Elliott & Timulak, 2015).

Through a process of crystallization, the authors adopted multiple methodologies to eschew positivist
claims of objectivity and truth—“what is regenerative tourism?”—to reveal and embrace knowledge as
“inevitably situated, partial, constructed, multiple, and embodied” (Ellingson, 2012)—“how can tourism
be regenerative?” Through a reflexive research process, adopting Braun and Clarke’s (2019a, 591,
2019b) reflections on qualitative data analysis that is about interpreting, creating, and telling stories, the

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authors enabled research participants to become co-producers of knowledge and reflect upon aspects
of the adapted NbS framework that best guided them towards a regenerative approach. Reflexivity in
this research process involved “thoughtful, conscious self-awareness” (Finlay, 2002, p. 532), locating the
intersections of myself as author, research subjects, other text, and the world within the research
exercise (Macbeth, 2001, p. 35). This crystallization process ultimately revealed five key principles and
action steps arising from the adapted NbS Guidelines that assist tourism operators in making the
regenerative shift utilizing nature-based solutions and their associated practices, as discussed in the
results section that follows.

Figure 4: Locations of Tourism Operators/Research Participants.

3. Results and Discussion

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In assessing how nature-based solutions can enable tourism to be regenerative, five key principles
emerged from this research: 1) Centering community needs first; 2) Improving ecosystem integrity and
biodiversity; 3) Embracing diverse and inclusive business models; 4) Governing tourism in a transparent
and just manner; and 5) Enhancing conservation partnerships. The results below provide a narrative
synthesis for each of the core principles, with select case study findings and quotes from participants, in
understanding how these principles helped tourism operators to become more environmentally,
socially, and economically regenerative. In an effort to make these findings actionable for businesses,
three key implementation actions for tourism businesses are identified in each principle. Supplementary
Material, including details about surveyed businesses and key survey and interview results, can be found
online at https://tinyurl.com/beyond-sustainability.

Many of these principles were directly influenced by the IUCN NbS Global Standards, reflecting the
broad applicability of the framework to the tourism sector. However, the ultimate Regenerative Tourism
Framework proposed (See Figure 4) outlines the five core principles that reflect the most important
criteria of the NbS framework as they apply to tourism, in addition to other principles and values that
arose through the research process. Each of the five principles are linked to the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating where regenerative tourism can positively contribute to
global goals.

Five Principles for More Regenerative Tourism Practices through Nature-based Solutions

Figure 4: The Regenerative Tourism Framework as influenced by The IUCN Global Standard for Nature-
based Solutions. Author’s creation.

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Principle 1 - Center Community Needs First

To some, it may be counterintuitive that the principle that resonated most strongly with surveyed
businesses does not focus on the natural world. But effective conservation and climate initiatives are
built on a foundation that acknowledges and embraces local context. Assuming what a community
needs limits the impact and longevity of nature conservation. Engaging local people provides vital
context about how they view the natural world and how it has changed. Centering community needs
means the initiative recognizes societal challenges, understands potential trade-offs embodied in the
protection of nature, and works to maximize benefits for locals including those most marginalized.

Key Actions as Identified by Tourism Businesses:

1.1. Understand and document societal challenges, prioritizing the most pressing needs for
community stakeholders.

Surveyed businesses frequently reported working closely with communities to identify areas of
resilience and vulnerability, and then shaping their initiatives around this local context. Developing NbS
often began with a determination of what protection, management, and restoration of nature means
for that community. Businesses described themselves as facilitators of resources, training, education, or
capacity building to help communities realize “a collective path forward.” The founder of a guest house
in Colombia noted “It’s not about asking ‘How do we solve it?’ but instead ‘How can we help you solve
it?’”

Many established processes for stakeholders to help the tourism business assess which solutions are
most vital, utilizing tourism as a catalyst for implementing them. In many cases, this required an
understanding of the value of nature that goes beyond the economic. Documenting community cultural

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practices, areas of spiritual worship or influence, historical values, and other deep understandings of
place were essential. Successful NbS are deeply place-based, grounded in the wisdom and values of local
people, and are developed and managed based on two-way knowledge exchanges and trust with local
communities (Nelson et al., 2021; Webb et al., 2021).

1.2. Adopt a living systems approach that recognizes complex interactions between the economy,
society, and ecosystems within the destination.

Operators that adopted a regenerative mindset described embracing a “living systems” approach—
where decisions by the travel business acknowledge and are informed by the political, cultural, and
economic systems that surround it. This helped to identify potential challenges that will affect
implementation of an NbS or even unexpected benefits (B. M. Holliday & Jones, 2015; M. Holliday,
2016).

Although tourism businesses are dependent on the wider success of the surrounding destination, many
operators found it challenging to identify negative social or environmental impacts or contribute to
positive regeneration of the entire destination. One conservancy in Kenya recognized that in many
places the borders of private conservancies and other land is obvious, because “the grass is literally
greener on the other side of the fence.” To avoid this, they have sought to include their neighbors in all
decision making so that plans could be developed for the entire area and the conservancy did not exist
as an island surrounded by degraded land.

1.3. Document changes and trade-offs in human well-being outcomes as a result of tourism
interventions.

With monitoring in place, businesses can create ecosystem management approaches that are adaptive
to evolving societal challenges and explicitly document inevitable trade-offs that will occur in managing
ecosystems. For example, following the Australian bushfires in 2019, Binna Burra Eco Lodge revised how
it invested in and measured conservation, shifting from a focus on biodiversity restoration to those
actions that would most acutely address the realities of climate change and bushfires. Local businesses
were also more likely to see when tourism is having a negative impact on local people and places,
enabling them to rectify issues before overtourism impacts become irreversible.

Travel businesses can help make these trade-offs explicit to stakeholders by monitoring and reporting
on changes in human wellbeing, nature, and climate outcomes that result from business interventions.
For small businesses, where the measurement and monitoring of social, environmental, and climate
impacts might be deprioritized due to limited resources, there are an increasing number of resources to
support this essential work. Utilizing global frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals,
Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, B Corp Certification or benefit corporation legal framework, helped
businesses assess if they are addressing societal challenges, and what trade-offs occur in the process.

Principle 2 – Improve Ecosystem Integrity and Biodiversity

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As impacts from climate change and biodiversity loss intensify, it will become increasingly important for
travel businesses to invest in the ecosystems on which they depend. This will require shifting towards
“pro-biodiversity” business models and initiatives, in which businesses directly monitor environmental
impacts from their business and invest in restoration and protection of ecosystems. Governance systems
will need to be transitioned to value social and environmental factors alongside the economic. And
business structures—including staffing and capacity building—should reflect the business’ prioritization
of ecosystem integrity and biodiversity. Investments in Nature-based Solutions are only effective if that
nature remains healthy in the face of human and climate impacts, which requires dedicated focus on
ecosystem integrity over time.

Key Actions for Tourism Businesses:

2.1. Monitor ecosystem changes over time and adapt as needed.

Evidence from the pandemic has revealed how the most effective and resilient protected areas were
those with robust management plans, particularly those with high visitation (Spenceley et al., 2021).
Monitoring is an essential component of effective management, and evidence over the course of the
pandemic demonstrated how robust monitoring allowed destinations to make decisions amid
turbulence and uncertainty. While many case studies in this research reported net gains in biodiversity
of the surrounding area or improvements in human well-being outcomes, fewer businesses had robust
monitoring and evaluation systems in place to accurately measure these gains. This resulted in a lack of
adaptively managed and evidence-based interventions.

Increasingly, investors and boards are requesting that businesses provide Environmental, Social, and
Governance (ESG) metrics. Many coalitions in the travel industry now required businesses to engage in
monitoring through data collection and certifications such as GSTC, Green Destinations, B Corp, or Earth
Check that require reporting on biodiversity outcomes. Although many small businesses might not have
integrated ESG metrics and reporting into their business at the outset, adopting measurement and
monitoring systems can be done at any point in operations and will become increasingly important as
scrutiny around the rigor of sustainability and ESG grows.

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Several businesses noted how they were challenged with monitoring and evaluating ecosystem changes
over time, struggling to implement adaptive management practices should undesirable outcomes arise.
Environmental impacts associated directly with the business—energy, waste, water—can be
implemented via internal management. But monitoring ecosystem changes at a broader scale—both
improvements made through your business’ investments and impacts of tourists on natural capital—
require collaboration at the destination level. Partnerships with community groups, NGOs, government
agencies, or partner universities can enable rigorous and sustainable monitoring efforts that are rooted
in local context.

2.2. View tourism as a tool to finance and facilitate ecosystem restoration and protection.

Travel businesses surveyed were often key catalysts for deploying Nature-based Solutions at scale,
utilizing tourism to finance and/or incentivize ecosystem protection and restoration. In many parts of
the world, tourism has become a significant source of revenue for the protection, management, and
restoration of nature. The platform Linking Tourism & Conservation estimates that just 0.5% of the
annual global tourism turnover would be needed to fund a complete network of protected areas (Why
LT&C? – Linking Tourism & Conservation, n.d.). These investments can be direct or indirect. Some travel
businesses are enabling Nature-based Solutions by conducting ecosystem protection and restoration
efforts with their own resources; a resort in Raja Ampat turned a shark finning camp into a shark
sanctuary and increased biomass inside of its marine reserve by 250% over six years. In addition, the
resort charges guests a fee to support their sister NGO which conducts manta ray research, recycling
programs, education, and capacity building across Indonesia.

Even those travel businesses that are not directly managing land or sea often had a role to play.
Businesses made ecosystem investments by developing related tourism experiences, purchasing
products, earmarking a portion of each bill for conservation, or providing needed support and capacity
building. A resort in Colombia, for example, established a local non-profit that employs five people full
time, prioritizing those who have been traditional excluded from the tourism economy, to provide
recycling for 15 businesses in the city.

2.3. Engage residents, visitors, and employees in ecosystem and biodiversity work through
educational opportunities, citizen science, and sharing lessons learned.

Travel businesses often had an avenue for participatory public engagement in Nature-based Solutions.
Businesses that invested in restoration efforts, educational activities, and improved stewardship of local
ecosystems increased the capacity for long-term and low-cost ecosystem monitoring, documented
elsewhere in the literature 11. This included volunteer coral, mangrove, or forest restoration; citizen
science habitat monitoring and research; or skill exchange workshops with local communities and highly
skilled volunteers. Globally, citizen science programs have engaged millions of people and provided
billions of dollars in contributions towards monitoring and conservation programs (Hesley et al., 2017).

Such programs offer an avenue for participatory public engagement in restoration efforts, enhanced by
educational activities and improved stewardship of local ecosystems11. A tourism business in the
Maldives, for example, is one of the only resorts in the country that actively contributes data to the
Maldives National Marine Research Institute using citizen science data collection on every dive; this data
helped Laamu Atoll establish several MPAs and gain recent recognition as a Mission Blue Hope Spot. As
communities witness the outcomes of tourism interventions, they are more likely to support these

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efforts and share positive experiences with the surrounding community, becoming—in the words of one
of the surveyed businesses— “conservation ambassadors”. This deep engagement of residents, visitors
and employees through education initiatives can profoundly increase the viability of NbS.

Principle 3 - Embrace Diverse and Inclusive Business Models

The greater the diversity of a natural ecosystem, the better it withstands external pressure or sudden
shocks (Adger, 2000; Folke et al., 2004; Ling & Johnson, 2012; Oliver et al., 2015; M. K. S. Smith et al.,
2021). There is increasing evidence that diversity of business strategies also improves enterprise
resilience, particularly during unpredictable shocks and crises like those caused by the COVID-19
pandemic (Biggs et al., 2012; Cave & Dredge, 2020). Business health and long-term viability is as critical
as its foundations in nature and community. This principle focuses on the how of implementing Nature-
based Solutions in tourism, arguing that diversity—of funding streams, employment opportunities, and
marketing channels—are all essential to successfully scaling NbS, in the same way that biodiversity is to
the implementation of NbS.

Key Actions:

3.1 Improve the viability of the business and Nature-based Solution by diversifying revenue streams.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many travel businesses remained viable by exploring creative new
revenue opportunities and pivoting their business to appeal to new audiences. These new revenue
streams were often directly tied to the implementation of NbS; for example, a permaculture project
could be shaped to measurably capture carbon, taking advantage of carbon markets, and also to provide
food for hotel guests, a typical expense in hospitality, or to create new value-added products to sell in
the hotel store or spa. These interventions also often had intangible benefits—reducing food miles and
the hotel’s carbon footprint, preserving local food traditions or agricultural practices, and creating jobs
for traditionally excluded populations. These regenerative business models often serve as catalysts of
business development—both formal and informal—in surrounding communities.

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NbS present an enormous financing opportunity for the tourism sector, with global investments in NbS
surpassing US $133 billion in 2020—only 14% of which came from private finance(UNEP, 2021b).
Investment must at least triple if we are to meet global climate and sustainability goals. Biodiversity and
carbon financing linked to NbS will continue to be a key strategy for tourism businesses as they seek
diversified and sustainable funding. NbS can also serve as localized carbon offsets that enable tourism
businesses to decrease their net impacts while they implement changes required for direct reductions,
or to compensate for unavoidable emissions. Hamanasi Resort in Belize, for instance, encourages guests
to buy carbon offsets, while committing to protection and restoration of biodiversity on their property

3.2 Retain and support talent through enhanced training and employment opportunities

Almost every surveyed businesses noted that holistic people-focused training programs are key to staff
retention and the overall health of their business—they on average retained 87.5% of their staff
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As tourism ventures reopened, most faced worker shortages.
Those that were able to retain most of their workforce had a clear advantage and have even found that
workers who were forced to diversify into different roles have enhanced their ability to perform their
core job. One business in French Polynesia noted that after their guides spent time supporting insect
surveys and learning about local invasive species eradication programs, they became more
knowledgeable about and interested in different aspects of the place, which has materially improved
the experience they deliver to travelers.

3.3. Embrace inclusivity and diversity in partnerships, employment, and marketing strategies

Material research has documented the importance of diversity and inclusion for conservation outcomes
(Bonta et al., 2015; Reed, 2008; N. S. Smith et al., 2017; Unit, 2020; WWF, 2017). Diverse viewpoints
enable a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities NbS seek to address. It is also well-
documented that tourism can serve as a driver of sustainable and inclusive growth—providing diverse
employment opportunities, catalyzing small business growth, and supporting the protection of cultural
and natural assets—if well governed (OECD, 2020). To achieve this, many businesses engaged local
people in participatory planning and value chain analysis to determine how to maximize the flow of
benefits locally.

Research has also shown that businesses that create policies and practices that promote social equity
tend to have a more resilient workforce, strong internal culture, enhanced reputation, and overall
stronger value proposition (Deloitte Global, 2018; Hill, 2017; White, 2020). This required looking beyond
the typical human resources pool and shaping opportunities to include those from underrepresented
and underconsidered backgrounds. For example, a conservancy in Kenya hosted a ranger training
program for women, a profession once exclusively held by men, to grow their hiring pool. Operations at
their tannery have also been developed such that people with disabilities can more easily work as tailors
and seamstresses.

Resilience during the pandemic also arose from diversifying visitor target markets by shifting marketing
efforts towards domestic tourists and demographic groups outside of typically Western, white, and
wealthy visitors. Inclusion, equity, and diversity were not just essential principles to guide internal
human resource management or community engagement, but for visitor engagement as well.
Traditionally, sustainable tourism has been marketed to a very niche segment of the population. As a
guest house owner in Colombia noted:

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 “The fact is how a lot of the sustainable market thinks is that poor people aren't interested, or
Black people aren’t interested, or the gay community isn't interested. And it's like no, they're just
excluded. They're not marketed to, and they don't see themselves in your advertising.”

Principle 4 – Develop a Transparent Governance Structure Accountable to All Stakeholders

Tourism and conservation initiatives are implemented, managed, and governed by specific actors. In
many cases, these actors hold greater power, wealth, and agency than the average community member.
Addressing this power imbalance often required new governance structures that prioritize transparency,
acknowledge social and planetary boundaries, and rebalance agency. Structuring the business to
account for a diversity of perspectives, especially at the local level, enabled informed decision making
that understands possible impacts and outcomes. This included transitioning destination management
to models that ensure tourism benefits residents, not just visitors.

Key Actions:

4.1. Continuously engage stakeholders and establish processes for soliciting and incorporating
community feedback.

On average the travel businesses surveyed in this study have been operating for 23 years. There was
consensus that the success of their businesses and Nature-based Solutions was rooted in an ability to
continuously coevolve with their clients, employees, communities, and ecosystems over time. A hotel
based in Mexico formalized this stakeholder engagement from the start, noting that continuously taking
stock of where stakeholders’ common values and dreams align has been central to the business’
governance.

However, few of the surveyed travel businesses had formalized agreements governing community
engagement and conflict resolution. But the survey established that investing in structured
communication pathways and maintaining them over time is a proven mechanism for maintaining
effective Nature-based Solutions. It can be difficult for a small business to dedicate resources to
collaborative community governance, but often there are one or more staff members who are already
present in the local spaces where engagement can occur, and overseeing community partnership can be
incredibly empowering and validating for these staff members. Surveyed travel businesses noted that

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they have developed these relationships through village councils, by participating in local destination
management organizations, appointing community liaison officers, and creating long-term consultation
processes. Especially for NbS that rely on the protection and management of nature, these informal
community relationships can strengthen enforcement, with community members themselves acting
against encroachment on conservation areas.

4.2. Respect and uphold indigenous and local community rights to land and resources .

In some destinations, tourism has fueled conflict over land rights and resources. The establishment of
travel businesses and growth of tourism can also exacerbate already-existing inequities like
gentrification, increasing housing costs, and displacement. Regenerative businesses often worked to
understand and actively heal populations impacted by these systemic problems. For instance, a dive
lodge in Zanzibar established an advisory committee composed of different representatives from fishing
villages, environmental organizations, and the local community, guided by a single mission: managing
the reef sanctuary. The business reinvests 100% of revenue back into conservation and education, and
the model has proven effective at both regenerating the marine reserve and garnering community
support. Surveyed businesses noted that listening and demonstrating that they see the entire system—
not just the tourism space—is key.

4.3. Ensure communities have access to vital natural and cultural assets

Nature-based Solutions should be accessible to all local community members and residents of the
broader region or country. This likely requires the tourism business develop policies and programs that
foster their inclusion in and appreciation of that natural place. Surveyed travel businesses developed a
wide range of programs to address these needs—from sponsoring school groups, to enabling informal
employee-guest interactions as part of the travel experience, to hosting annual community cultural
events and parties and creating open-access camping on nature reserves. Such activities weave the
socio-ecological benefits of NbS into the existing community fabric. Hospitality businesses, already so
attentive to guest needs and experience, are well-suited to foster these interactions.

Principle 5 - Enhance Regenerative Partnerships

16
Regeneration cannot occur in isolation—it requires the formation of deep and effective partnerships.
There is no simple checklist for creating a successful regenerative enterprise or Nature-based Solution—
the work, like nature and people, is complex and will challenge the thinking of even advanced
regenerative practitioners. But through strategic partnerships, this work can leverage best practice,
borrow knowledge from related fields, mainstream into national and global tourism planning, and
garner investment. And most importantly, a broad group of stakeholders can claim ownership of the
results. Embracing a regenerative business model means not only doing the work, but also sharing that
work to amplify its impact.

Key Actions:

5.1. Be a bridge between communities and government to enhance social and ecological regeneration.

Most respondents were actively engaged in some capacity in shaping government policy towards
conservation of ecologically significant areas. In the words of one Costa Rican hotel’s founder,
“Businesses need to be politically involved in order to guide and steer government in the right direction.”
Several marine-based operators were essential in directing the time and resources necessary to help
governments create and implement either MPAs or management plans. In the words of one owner in
Indonesia: “[The management plan] would not have even started [without us here]. Since 2007 nothing
has happened.” Another operator in Brazil likewise was instrumental in working with the government to
establish laws to protect the region by prohibiting fishing in the rivers, whereas rivers in regions outside
of their influence remain unprotected.

In many cases stakeholders trusted operators to act as the conduit between local communities and
government authorities. The founder of a guest house in Colombia noted:

“We've been a real bridge [between the local government and community] because before the
tourism board was scared to have a conversation with the community because there's so much
bad history. And it was by bringing in me and then another business owner and then community
leaders and the tourism board, we were able to sit down and have a conversation. And any other
area that suffering with that difficulty between community and states, local businesses can
actually really help them.”

5.2. Partner with NGOs and government to inform management, monitoring, and reporting.

Public-private partnerships can also enable the essential data collection and monitoring required to
successfully manage an NbS. Many respondents reported establishing a non-profit or donating directly
to a local NGO, or else relied on partnerships with external NGOs in order to conduct ecosystem
monitoring and community engagement efforts. Surveyed businesses identified data collection and
consistent community engagement as two of the most difficult NbS best practices to enact.
Collaborative networks that include NGOs and government can support travel businesses as they
integrate these practices into their business and NbS. This might include leveraging philanthropy among
guests, encouraging them to donate to local NGOs or conservation efforts. In the words of one resort in
Malaysia:

“I hoped that 70-80% of hotel guests would buy into [authorizing an additional charge to donate
to our nonprofit]. But 96% of guests are accepting the fee for this program. We raised $250,000
in 2019.”

17
5.3. Contribute to national and global targets for human wellbeing, climate change, biodiversity and
human rights to scale best practices out and up.

Finally, the shared experiences of many of these travel businesses underscore the importance of
initiatives that contribute to regional, national, and global targets for the environment and human
wellbeing. Businesses noted that external reporting frameworks and tools promoted accountability,
helped to establish baselines, and guided their focus. But these tools were far more effective in
collaboration, and businesses were grateful for peer-to-peer learning networks to share their success
stories and common challenges. Many businesses cited their participation in peer-to-peer learning
networks—such as Regenerative Travel or The Long Run—as a critical resource as they develop business
strategies and seek to make positive impacts in their communities.

4. Conclusion

This research assessed the impacts of 30 tourism operators from across the globe using the IUCN Global
Standards for Nature-based Solutions to inform a climate and nature positive transformation of tourism
discourse and practice. The authors sought to assess how tourism operators have embraced NbS, and to
what extent this enabled tourism to be more socially and environmentally regenerative. The Five Key
Principles, and action steps associated with each, were identified through discussions with the case
study participants, reflecting which aspects of the IUCN Global NbS Standard were most relevant to
tourism businesses. Ultimately, the findings reveal how Nature-based Solutions are not just about
nature: the way in which tourism businesses engage with local communities in the funding,
implementation, and monitoring of NbS all have implications for the extent of social and environmental
regeneration can occur. This regeneration, like the NbS such processes can facilitate, must occur
through a whole-of-the-system, place-based, environment-centered, and locally-led approach.

18
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