The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a deep global recession, impeding the growth of the tourism which is the largest market-based source of finance for protected areas and jeopardizing conservation efforts worldwide. These intersecting calamities – a pandemic in a time of biodiversity loss – call for a response that speaks to both crises, addressing economic losses and promoting recovery through actions which simultaneously support biodiversity conservation.
This report estimates the economic impact of tourism in protected areas on local economies and makes the case that the promotion of sustainable tourism in protected areas should be actively included in COVID-19 economic recovery plans, an investment that would provide jobs and support economic development while also protecting biodiversity which is being lost at a rapid rate globally.
The report also also makes the case for investing in protected areas by providing evidence that for every dollar invested in protected areas and promoting sustainable tourism, the rate of return is at least six-fold. To recover from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, promote economic growth and conserve biodiversity, the report recommends a system-wide approach that includes protecting natural assets, growing and diversifying tourism businesses, as well as sharing benefits with local communities.