Regenerative Tourism Grant – The Ocean Foundation
Proposal Deadline: June 30, 2024, by 11:59 pm EDT
In 2021, the United States established a new multi-agency partnership to foster small island leadership in combating the climate crisis and promoting resilience in ways that reflect their unique cultures and sustainable development needs. This partnership supports the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) and other key initiatives such as the U.S.- Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis (PACC2030). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) partners with the U.S. Department of State (DoS), along with The Ocean Foundation (TOF), to support a unique island-led initiative – the Local2030 Islands Network – through technical collaboration with and support for small island developing nations to advance the integration of climate data and information for resilience, and the application of effective coastal and marine resource management strategies to support sustainable development.
The Local2030 Islands Network is a global, island-led network dedicated to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through locally driven, culturally informed solutions. The Network brings together island nations, states, communities, and cultures, all tied together by their shared island experiences, cultures, strengths, and challenges. The Four Principles of the Local2030 Islands Network are:
Identify local goals to advance SDGs and strengthen long-term political leadership on sustainable development and climate resilience
Strengthen public-private partnerships that support diverse stakeholders in integrating sustainability principles into policy and planning
Measure SDG progress through tracking and reporting on locally and culturally informed indicators
Implement concrete initiatives that build island resilience & circular economy through locally appropriate solutions, particularly at the water-energy-food nexus for increased social and environmental well-being.
Two Communities of Practice (COP)—(1) Data for Climate Resilience and (2) Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism—are supported under this multi-institutional partnership. These COPs foster peer-to-peer learning and collaboration. The Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism Community of Practice builds off key priorities identified by islands through the Local2030 COVID-19 Virtual platform and ongoing engagement with islands. Pre-covid, tourism was the fastest growing industry in the world accounting for about 10% of the world’s economic activity, and is one of the main generators of employment for islands. However, it also has major impacts on natural and built environments, and the wellbeing and culture of host populations. The COVID pandemic, while devastating to the tourism industry, has also allowed us to repair the damage we have done to our environment and communities and pause to think about how we can build a more resilient economy for the future. Planning for tourism must not merely reduce its negative impacts but purposely aim to improve the communities in which tourism occurs.
Regenerative tourism is considered the next step in sustainable tourism, especially considering a rapidly changing climate. Sustainable tourism focuses on minimizing the negative impacts for the benefit of future generations. Regenerative tourism seeks to leave the destination better than it was while improving the quality of life of the local community. It sees communities as living systems that are distinct, constantly interacting, evolving, and essential for creating balance and building resilience for improved well-being. At its core, the focus is on the needs and aspirations of the host communities. Small islands are among the most vulnerable to climate impacts. Many are facing compound and cascading challenges related to changes in sea levels and coastal flooding, shifting temperature and rainfall patterns, ocean acidification, and extreme events such as storms, droughts, and marine heat waves. As a result, numerous island communities, governments, and international partners are seeking pathways to understand, predict, mitigate, and adapt to climate change in the context of enhanced resilience and sustainable development. As populations with the most exposure and vulnerability often have the lowest capacity to respond to these challenges, there is a clear need for increased capacity in these regions to support these efforts. To assist in building capacity, NOAA and the Local2030 Islands Network have partnered with the Ocean Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, to serve as the fiscal host for the Regenerative Tourism Catalyst Grant Program. These grants are intended to support island communities in implementing regenerative tourism projects/approaches including those discussed during the Community of Practice gatherings.
