Nature-Based Solutions to Human-Made Problems in Tourism

Tourism, like many industries, is at odds with the environment. The footprint of mass tourism has left scars on landscapes, polluted pristine beaches, and endangered ecosystems. We’ve heard the term sustainability thrown around for years, but what if the real solution wasn’t about reducing harm but about learning from nature and working with it? What if tourism could not only be sustainable but regenerative, helping to heal and restore what we’ve damaged?

When we think of sustainability in tourism, we often focus on reducing waste, minimizing energy use, and offsetting carbon emissions. But these solutions are often reactive. They acknowledge the problems but don’t tackle the underlying causes. Nature-based solutions, on the other hand, are proactive. They involve working directly with natural systems to create positive environmental outcomes, and many of these solutions are already in practice today.

For example, imagine a tourism model where the development of accommodations and infrastructure doesn’t degrade the environment but enhances it. This could be through rewilding efforts, protecting biodiversity, or even restoring local ecosystems that benefit both the land and the local communities. These solutions don’t just aim to minimize damage, they aim to restore and regenerate.

The beauty of nature-based solutions is that they are not futuristic ideas. They already exist, and many destinations are already implementing them successfully. From eco-lodges nestled in forests that integrate seamlessly into the environment, to regenerative tourism experiences that focus on restoring natural habitats, the idea of working with nature rather than against it is not new. The question isn’t whether these solutions exist, it's about how we scale them and integrate them into tourism on a wider scale.

Here are a few examples of how nature-based solutions can be integrated into tourism:

1. Eco-friendly accommodations: Instead of building large, energy-intensive hotels, more destinations are embracing low-impact, off-grid accommodations that blend into their surroundings. These structures are often built using local, sustainable materials, and powered by renewable energy sources. (Important to remember that bringing long-haul guests eliminate the local effort though)

2. Regenerative activities: Activities that go beyond just low-impact tourism but actively contribute to the environment can be part of the solution. For example, travelers might participate in reforestation projects, help restore coral reefs, or engage in wildlife conservation efforts.

3. Conservation as tourism: In some destinations, tourism revenue is being used to fund conservation efforts. National parks, for instance, can benefit from the tourism dollars that go into maintaining the protected areas, running educational programs.

4. Local community involvement: By integrating local communities into the tourism model, we can ensure that economic benefits are shared, and that the protection of natural resources aligns with local interests. Indigenous knowledge often plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of local ecosystems, and tourism can provide a platform for these communities to share their practices while benefiting economically.

In many ways, nature-based solutions in tourism are not just about the environment, they are about rethinking our relationship with the places we visit. Instead of treating the environment as a backdrop to our vacations, nature-based solutions ask us to consider how we can help rather than just consume.

Still, it can be difficult to tell which practices are genuinely rooted in nature and which are simply greenwashing. Some companies might market themselves as sustainable or regenerative without making the necessary changes on the ground. It's important to ask critical questions and look for evidence of true impact, not just a shiny label.

This shift from sustainability to regeneration could redefine the tourism industry. What if every hotel, every tour, every activity, and every destination not only aimed to minimize harm but actively worked to restore ecosystems and empower communities?

The beauty of nature-based solutions is that they are often win-win scenarios. They provide travelers with richer, more meaningful experiences, help regenerate ecosystems, and support local economies.

Is This the Future of Tourism? I don’t know, of course, but it is without doubt a part of the solution. Tourism, at its core, is about connection, it is about connection to places, cultures, and experiences. But for far too long, that connection has been extractive. We visit, we enjoy, and we leave. The challenge moving forward is to create a form of tourism that leaves the places we visit better than we found them.

We don’t have to wait for the future. The solutions are here. The shift to a more regenerative form of tourism is already underway in some places, and it’s up to us to embrace these models, scale them, and make them the norm rather than the exception. From small, community-driven projects to large-scale sustainable development initiatives, nature-based solutions are already a part of tourism today.

The question isn’t just about how we can make tourism more sustainable. It’s about how we can create experiences that work with nature, not just for the benefit of travelers, but for the planet as a whole.

This is the challenge of our generation: to embrace nature-based solutions and reimagine tourism as a force for environmental restoration and long-term sustainability. As travelers, businesses, and policymakers, we have the opportunity to shape a future where tourism leaves the world better than it found it. And that’s a vision worth striving for.