Tourists pay up: Plea to save SA wildlife
Tourists are being urged by the state government to top up funds to save endangered species under a new plan launched today.
Tourists visiting top South Australian eco-spots could have part of what they pay for in accommodation or tours distributed to save animals at risk of bird flu, Environment and Tourism Minister Emily Bourke announced today.
In a new program called “Travel for Nature” would allow tourism operators to opt in to “incorporate a small contribution into their pricing” which would help fix habitat for the nationally endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot.
Funds would also go towards struggling woodland bird species including Superb Fairy-Wrens, the European Goldfinch and the Sacred Kingfisher in the Mount Lofty Ranges, at Mark Oliphant Conservation Park in the Adelaide Hills.
Operators across the state were told they could join the program, which is run in partnership with regenerative tourism platform Reforest, but at this stage all funds will flow to support the bird habitat restoration.
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The minister says in the future, as the program gets more operators signed up, it will expand to support more environmental causes.
“Following the harmful algal bloom and the arrival of bird flu, now more than ever, visitors to our state are looking for ways to give back to the environment, and they want to support sustainable tourism,” Bourke said.
“Through the Travel for Nature program, they can see where their contribution is going and take comfort in knowing that they are supporting important environmental projects whilst travelling.”
Reforest Co-founder and CEO Daniel Walsh said it was the first time Reforest has partnered with a state tourism organisation.
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Operators that opt in to the program can access a digital dashboard hosted by Reforest which details where the funding is going, and how the environment is being supported.
Off-grid accommodation CABN, which has 39 tiny-house style stays available at eight SA locations, is one of the providers that is part of the program; its founder and CEO, Michael Lamprell, joined Bourke at a press conference on Thursday morning.
“It’s an important initiative that aligns with our values, with sustainability at the heart of everything we create,” Lamprell said.
“In today’s fast-paced, digitally dominated world, we are seeing consumers make a fundamental shift towards nature.
“People are looking for smaller, more intimate experiences where they can pause, reflect, reconnect with themselves, each other and with nature.”
Shadow environment minister Nicola Centofanti said if tourism operators “voluntarily choose to participate and visitors are well informed about any extra costs at the time of booking, then the program has the potential to be worthwhile, assuming the money goes towards genuine, measurable conservation projects”.
“What I wouldn’t want to see is unwanted fees being imposed on tourism businesses and their visitors at a time when cost-of-living pressures are already significant,” Centofanti said.
“We don’t want a situation where the government is passing its responsibility for protecting and managing our parks and wildlife onto the tourism industry.
“Visitors and tourism operators making a voluntary contribution should be additional to government’s responsibility, not a replacement for it.”
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