Arendalsuka, which happened last week, has been called the “Dancing-floor of Democracy”. Just after summer holidays and copied from a similar event in Sweden, Almedalsveckan on Gotland, each year it is THE political event in Norway. All the top leaders of the government, the political parties, numerous organisations and civil society are discussing top issues of the time. This year the record of 1100 different events took place over the week. As LT&C has its main office in Arendal, we were of course most interested to participate in events related to our mission to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and issues of tourism, nature conservation and protected areas.  Continue reading →

When the word “tourism” is mentioned, most people have its negative impacts in mind and point fingers to others but themselves. It is high time to focus more on the positive potential of tourism and make any efforts to learn from good examples and inspire others to make their own contribution. The most important and world-wide agreed frame for a future we all want is working for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And tourism has the potential to create support for all the 17 SDGs. Therefore it is great news that UNWTO has just come out with an online platform to achieve SDGs through tourism. Have a look and see how you can contribute yourself. Continue reading →

Already June 22, the Norwegian Minister for Climate and Environment announced the intention to establish a national park on the Lofoten. The Lofoten Islands are both, one of the most outstanding tourism destinations and highly valuable nature areas in Norway. The present proposal intends to cover only a minor part in the South-West Lofoten mountains (86 km2) and very little of the important marine surroundings (13km2). For those reading Norwegian have a look on kongelig-resolusjon-forslag-til-verneplan-for-lofotodden-nasjonalpark-i-moskenes-og-flakstad-kommune-nordland-fylke-180622.  Continue reading →

That the 193 UN-member countries agreed in 2015 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim to reach them by 2030 counts as one of the most important decisions the entire world community ever took. Now the 2018 SDG Index and Dashboards report presents for the first time an assessment of all 193 countries’ distance to achieving the SDGs. It includes detailed SDG Dashboards to help identify implementation priorities for the SDGs.  Continue reading →

Denise Landau and Peter Prokosch waving the LT&C flag in Stanley, Falklands

Denise Landau is one of the founding members of LT&C and Member of the Board from the organization’s beginnings. The Aspen Daily News and numerous other media outlets have recently featured her for her work on a monumental success story in the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, where she helped to eradicate human-introduced rats and mice, thereby saving two species of endemic birds from extinction.

In the following interview, Peter Prokosch asked about her views and experiences in linking the fields of tourism and conservation: Continue reading →

The marine conservation and travel magazine SEVENSEAS featured in its June edition the LT&C-Example Seychelles. Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean which is renowned for its unique flora and fauna, half of the land area being protected as nature reserves and the government has committed to protecting 30% of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.3 million square kilometers until 2030. Tourism is one of the major pillars of the economy and plays a crucial role in conservation. The Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation (SSTF) is a Seychellois NGO which acts as a connecting platform for tourism stakeholders in Seychelles, facilitating partnerships and joint initiatives for sustainable tourism. Continue reading →

Many have heard about the tragic incident in May happened to the Virunga National Park, our Partner and LT&C-Example. One of the park’s rangers was killed, while two visitors were abducted in the park. Tourism, which is so crucial for sustaining the park, its mountain gorilla population as well as for the communities surrounding the park, therefore had to be suspended. Since tourism was relaunched in 2014, the Park has received over 17,000 visitors, with world-class guest accommodation and services. Tourism has provided essential employment opportunities to local communities and is integral to supporting the Park’s ongoing development work. It is uncertain for the moment when the Virunga National Park can be re-opened. While we recommend to follow-up on the website of the Virunga National Park, our member Greg Bakunzi/Amahoro Tours, who is operating in all three countries, DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda, supporting their trilateral cooperation, has provided us with his views on and his assessment of the situation: Continue reading →