Governing sustainable tourism in territories with high environmental value: reconnecting tourism and nature for addressing the climate crisis with an ecosystem-based approach

The Mediterranean is a vulnerable hotspot in the current Climate Emergency. Tourism is and will be one of the most impacted economic sectors, with heightened risks, including flooding and erosion of key coastal assets. The recent Transition Pathway for Tourism and the Glasgow Declaration are building a global momentum for Climate Action in Tourism, but policy makers and destinations need support and new approaches. Nature can be a cornerstone to address this challenge, while ensuring the protection of key destination assets, such as beaches. How? Through climate mitigation and adaptation using ecosystem-based approaches, which can only be accomplished through strong governance, robust planning, and the engagement of the private sector and citizens.

NaTour4CChange will build on successful experiences at Med and global level to test solutions for increasing the resilience of coastal destinations in the Mediterranean. The project will set common methods to allow participating regions to assess their tourism-related climate adaptation and mitigation priorities, and take climate action via plans and strategies, supported by cooperative governance. In coastal destinations, cross-sector teams will deliver specific tourism climate action plans, focusing climate adaptation, where Nature-based Solutions will be tested to ensure their feasibility, while innovative destination marketing and communication approaches will engage private stakeholders, visitors and residents in climate action. Finally, NaTour4CChange will promote crossfertilization among participating regions and destinations, to achieve common methods and to compare the different tested plans and solutions, which will lead to lessons, best practices and policy recommendations. Associated partners and external stakeholders —at regional, national and international scale— will benefit from these learnings in order to make a significant Med contribution to this global challenge.