How do you measure nature?
The Vjosa is one of the last untouched rivers in Europe. It starts in Greece, in the Pindus mountains, and runs through Albania to the Adriatic Sea. It is visually striking: long sections of the river are braided, creating a lattice of turquoise dotted with islands of dove-white sand. Locals use it to farm, fish, and stop floods. It’s also a haven for wildlife – visitors look for birds, otters, and the rare Balkan lynx. This rich biodiversity has made the river a battleground for conservationists, fighting to protect more than a dozen threatened species, including several found nowhere else on earth.
Vjosa River
In March 2023, the river Vjosa was officially made a national park. It is the latest in a string of new protected areas around the world – part of an international movement supported by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dr Thiago Beraldo Souza, who chairs the Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group at the WCPA, estimates that around 24 percent of the earth is currently protected. The goal is 30 percent: “my mission is to reconnect people to nature,” says Thiago. “To do that, we have to make the conservation sector talk to the tourism sector”.
Dr Thiago Beraldo Souza, Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group at the WCPA
There’s already a lot of momentum. In Albania, the campaign to protect the Vjosa includes non-profit organisations, scientists from Tirana University, outdoor clothing company Patagonia, a huge number of local volunteers, and even Leonardo DiCaprio. Thiago witnessed a similar level of enthusiasm at the recent UN biodiversity conference, COP16, in Colombia. “I was really surprised by how strong the business presence was,” he explains. “People are realising how important the private sector is – and tourism, in particular – to achieve conservation goals.” At the nature pavilion, it was the first time WTTC hosted a UN event solely dedicated to tourism and nature, alongside policymakers, the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, and UN Tourism.
So what are the barriers to progress? With this appetite for partnership, why don’t more travel businesses get involved with conservation projects like the Vjosa? “There is still some misunderstanding,” says Thiago, and a need for better dialogue between activists and the tourism sector. There is also the very real problem of greenwashing, leading some conservationists to be wary of help from travel companies – be it financial, raising awareness, supporting projects, or attracting volunteers to an initiative.
The bigger issue, however, is not a lack of passion. Nature has never had more media attention, or popular support – including from tourists. The real challenge is the method. “What are the right metrics to measure the success of conservation projects? This is the million-dollar-question,” explains Thiago. Issues like climate change are not easy to measure – but you can measure them. This creates a baseline that companies and international agencies can use to track progress, and slowly watch emissions tick down over time.
Quantifying nature is harder. We have one measurable thing: the percentage of land that is protected. But what else matters? Should we monitor the number of species in a given area? Or the quality of air and soil? What about the governance of a particular project, or its impact on local people and economies? This is Thiago’s big focus: to help create metrics that can be compared across hundreds of countries, and thousands of destinations. He doesn’t have an answer – yet. But one thing is certain: travel and tourism companies have to be part of the process. The Nature Positive Travel & Tourism Initiative is an important step towards this.
“What we are discussing is how the tourism sector can be nature positive, and how we can really keep track of our footprint,” Thiago says. He points to successful efforts in the past to set basic standards for an industry – “the hotel sector is really comfortable with the certification process, for example”. Some certifications are required by law, such as health and safety practices. Others are voluntary, with an easily recognisable logo for customers, like the Fairtrade stamp or the Rainforest Alliance certification. And there is the WTTC’s own Hotel Sustainability Basics.
For protected areas, Thiago has a starting point: the ‘Green List’ created by the IUCN. It’s an international benchmark with seventeen criteria, ranging from good governance of a project to its conservation impact, as well as taking into account the local social and economic circumstances of a destination. The IUCN is keen to work with travel and tourism companies, even passing a resolution at the recent World Conservation Congress – resolution 130 – to promote a proper dialogue between conservationists and the private sector.
Raja Ampat, located in the heart of the Coral Triangle
His advice? “If you’re new to this, start local,” says Thiago. Understand your impact and start with small changes in the way you operate. “If you already have a mature biodiversity strategy, invest in projects that can make the difference”. Look beyond the destinations you directly interact with and see if you can support ecosystems of global significance, like the Amazon, the ‘coral triangle’ in Indonesia, or the African wilderness.
Vjosa river valley
Today in Albania the Vjosa is thriving. It’s one of the last ‘free-flowing’ rivers in Europe – one unimpeded by dams, dredges, or infrastructure. Visitors bring in money, coming for the landscapes and nature, as well as walking, canoeing and rafting. And the tourism industry is full of local character, with plenty of independent hotels and cafés. “This was a local movement,” says Thiago. It started with a small group of people – “it’s always a small group of people,” he adds. Earning the river’s protected status took years and a huge effort. Today, the challenge is to work in partnership with the government and businesses to promote an organised and sustainable tourism industry that provides a genuine experience, and protects nature for good.
Learn more about WTTC’s work on Nature Positive Travel & Tourism here>
