The Issue: ecotourism is a vital contributor to the South African economy, to job creation, and to nature conservation. However, greenwashing in ecotourism is rising globally, with over half (53%) of green claims made by companies found to be misleading or inaccurate. At the same time, incidents of unethical guiding practices appear to be increasing—particularly through social media.
The Opportunity: more than 84% of travellers want to travel more responsibly, and 72% want their next trip to support local communities, preserve cultural heritage, and protect the planet. WEIF will leverage WildEarth’s brand as a trusted and global voice in guiding and ecotourism to combat greenwashing by shaping industry standards through awareness-building, advocacy, and thought leadership.
Key Projects / Initiatives:
- Wildcast Podcast: a podcast series featuring hosted conversations with experts to dive into salient topics such as human-wildlife conflict, empathetic guiding, ethical tourism, and more.
- Showcasing thought leaders, conferences, and public speaking events related to nature conservation.
- Special Guided Drives on WildEarth: live and interactive safaris that enable audiences to directly engage with leaders in the field.