IGTOA Activities & Funding

Tourism companies are seeking advice on sustainable tourism. And consumers are becoming more and more conscious about the environmental and social impacts of their purchasing.

For this reason, IGTOA is taking part in a program to develop Sustainable Tourism Baseline Criteria, in partnership with Rainforest Alliance, and organizations like the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the World Conservation Union (IUCNP.

During the month of January a series of consultation activities is taking place with key representatives from the private sector around the world. The main product of this effort will be baseline international criteria for sustainable tourism. This will help IGTOA members to create state of the art operations in the Galapagos Islands.

Learn more about this initiative

An ambitious new project is planned to restore Floreana Island. The Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation are following on their great success with Project Isabela, which eradicated tens of thousands of feral goats and gave back that island to tortoises, ground-nesting birds, and native plants.Now they intend to do the same on Floreana. The Galapagos Conservancy, which is fundraising for this project, says:”Like Isabela Island, this once pristine island was transformed by the introduction of goats and other non-native species, as well as the continual presence of humans for more than a century. The goats have left once-lush landscapes entirely barren. And many of Floreana’s rare native species - some found nowhere else on Earth - have disappeared from the island. (more…)