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Juliet Kinsman
Sustainability Editor at the Condé Nast Traveller magazine, author of The Green Edit (Ebury Press) and founder of eco-luxury resource Bouteco
EarthCheck ECO certifies ecotourism businesses, specifically terrestrial and marine parks.
This certification is aligned to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) Sustainability Criteria, recognised by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services (QPWS).
Delivered online, EarthCheck ECO programs use internationally recognised criteria to report on ecotourism management performance, including environment, risk and quality management, and interpretation.
There are two levels of certification.
EarthCheck ECO is an entry-level program perfect for small- to medium-sized businesses that evaluates an operator’s economic, social and environmental impact. Participating operators are awarded an Earth Rating to recognise their achievement level.
Submitted information is verified via an offsite assessment in the first year and subsequent sample-based onsite audits ensuring that each operator is audited at least every 3 years.
EarthCheck ECO – Certified is an advanced program for those operators wishing to be recognised at the highest level of ecotourism practices globally.
By working with EarthCheck, you will create, enhance or align policies and documentation of procedures such as risk assessments, waste management plans, interpretation requirements and internal audits.
EarthCheck will help participating operators to measure, organise and report their environmental and social management processes.
We’ll track your performance in real time, identify any critical issues and benchmark you across:
Consumers are calling for action to protect the environment and reduce the impact of human activity on the planet.
EarthCheck ECO helps organisations meet those expectations and align with the demands of travellers as they evolve.
You’ll run a more efficient, sustainable and eco-focused business, and your surrounding environment and the visitors who flock to it will thank you for it.
Juliet Kinsman
Sustainability Editor at the Condé Nast Traveller magazine, author of The Green Edit (Ebury Press) and founder of eco-luxury resource Bouteco
There are more than 476 million Indigenous Peoples, found in all regions of the world, from the Arctic to the tropical forests. They make up more than 6 per cent of our global population.
In the spirit of reconciliation, EarthCheck acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout the world and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous Peoples today.
EarthCheck acknowledges that Indigenous Peoples are guardians of the forests and biodiversity hotspots we all depend on. Research shows that lands managed by Indigenous Peoples, with secure rights, experience lower deforestation rates, store more carbon, hold more biodiversity, and benefit more people than other lands — including protected areas.
We recognise and support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration is a positive document that maps out a path for Indigenous Peoples to be free from discrimination and secure in their identities and life choices.
EarthCheck science and products were developed by the Australian Government Sustainable Tourism Co-operative Research Centre (STCRC) over ten years. Our science is reviewed annually to ensure that it meets international standards relative to greenhouse gas protocols, responsible tourism, and certification.
EarthCheck products and services are built on the Agenda 21 principles for Sustainable Development endorsed by 182 Heads of State at the United Nations Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992 and aligned to the SDGs.
EarthCheck Certified provides a framework for organisations to achieve the desired outcomes for sustainable development as set out in the final report of the World Summit for Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.
EarthCheck Certified complies with the Mohonk Agreement (2000), which outlines the guidelines and principles for an international sustainable tourism certification program. It is also a Recognised program of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
EarthCheck Certified is a verification standard accepted by CDP. It is also an approved program of the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China (CNCA), London & Partners, the Mexican Secretary of Tourism (SECTUR) and the City of Sydney.
EarthCheck Certified is an approved program for meeting the EU Energy Directive for the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle – BAFA) in Germany and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy) in the Netherlands.
EarthCheck partners with international research organisations to maintain the currency of EarthCheck science and our benchmarking systems.
The EarthCheck brand signifies scientific excellence, better environmental, economic, and social performance, improved community interactions, and savings through more efficient use of resources. It provides recognition and promotional support to a global consumer market.
