Tourism drives nature conservation
Businesses have a key role in addressing the threats to ecosystems worldwide. By joining forces, NEPCon and The Long Run will accelerate the expansion of nature conservation by the private sector and within the tourism industry.
By joining forces, NEPCon - the world’s largest non-profit organisation working on sustainability certification, and The Long Run - a global membership organisation of nature-based tourism businesses, will strengthen their unified drive for sustainable land use and the protection of high conservation value areas worldwide.
The Long Run provides support to tourism businesses that own, manage or significantly influence biodiversity to achieve the highest standards in sustainability. Together, they help protect more than 20 million acres of biodiversity and positively impact the lives of 750,000.
“The Long Run is a great fit for NEPCon’s strategy to promote conservation in the context of privately owned or managed nature areas. With The Long Run we will be able to strengthen and deliver a range of synergies, which will ultimately benefit nature and communities as well as businesses,” said Peter Feilberg, Executive Director of NEPCon.
As an international non-profit organisation operating in more than 100 countries, NEPCon has been collaborating closely with The Long Run since 2014 and helped develop the Global Ecosphere Retreats® (GER) Standard. The Standard is used for verification and recognition of work in sustainability by private nature-based tourism businesses.
“The Long Run community is very excited to join forces with NEPCon, building on complementary resources and synergies which will help both organisations expand their positive impact. Collaboration is key to accelerate and scale-up change and together, we can inspire more businesses to drive positive change for people and nature for the long term”, stated Jochen Zeitz, Founder of the ZEITZ Foundation and The Long Run.
NEPCon has been delivering innovative yet practical solutions for supply chain transparency and responsible sourcing. This merger will enable NEPCon to use its experience and expertise to enhance the performance of protected areas globally and increase conservation impact.
“The Long Run team will bring unique and fresh insights, knowledge and expertise in community driven conservation to NEPCon, adding valuable experience to our team and organisational portfolio. The synergies are very clear,” said Peter Feilberg.
By merging with NEPCon, The Long Run members will access a broader scope of skills and network. The organisation looks forward to leveraging the opportunities that NEPCon’s global presence provides for more diverse, scalable and cost effective support. This will help strengthen the voice of private conservation at the regional level.
The merger will enable NEPCon to consolidate the pioneering work done by The Long Run in the tourism sector to stimulate change in other land-based sectors including forestry, agriculture and ranching.
“By joining forces with NEPCon we can realise our aspiration to be the world’s leading private land conservation network. The added support will help us further pioneering approaches and policies that drive conservation and community well-being in the long term,” added Jochen Zeitz.
For further information, please contact:
- Hando Hain, Director of Strategy and Innovation, NEPCon, hhain@nepcon.org
- Luu Thi Ngoc Anh, Communications Manager, NEPCon, aluu@nepcon.org
- Delphine King, Managing Director, The Long Run, delphine@thelongrun.com
- Holly Tuppen, Communications, The Long Run, media@thelongrun.com
Notes to the Editor
About NEPCon
NEPCon (Nature Economy and People Connected) is an international non-profit organisation that works to support better land management and business practices that benefit people, nature and the climate in 100+ countries. For 25 years, we have worked to foster sustainable land use and responsible trade in forest impact commodities. We do this through innovation projects, capacity building, and sustainability services. Over 80 million hectares of forest land and nearly 2 million hectares of agriculture farms that are included in our certification services against international sustainability standards. Learn more at www.nepcon.org.
About The Long Run
The Long Run was founded by Jochen Zeitz, a visionary entrepreneur who, in 2009, created a blue print for tourism businesses to conserve wilderness in perpetuity. First a programme of the ZEITZ Foundation, The Long Run evolved into an independent not-for-profit in 2015, and registered as a UK-based charity in 2017. Its member and supporters share a vision of “Business, nature and people working harmoniously together for a sustainable future”.
The Long Run brings together a growing global community of nature-based tourism businesses committed to protecting biodiversity and improving lives. It achieves this by connecting, supporting and inspiring members to become models of excellence in sustainable tourism and conservation using the 4Cs framework — Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. By providing technical expertise and sharing best practice, The Long Run supports each member on a journey towards the prestigious Global Ecosphere Reatreat Standard. The Long Run counts 39 core members, and 36 affiliates/supporters and partners. In 2018, some 40 members the The Long Run invested over USD12 million in conservation and community projects. Read more at www.thelongrun.org
