Owing to its considerable diversity in form and footprint, the tourism sector has a complex and wide-ranging relationship with biodiversity, which is defined as “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.” Consequently, while infrastructure and development projects may have a detrimental impact on biodiversity, the Cancun Declaration on Mainstreaming the Conservation and Sustainable use of Biodiversity for Well-being recognizes the sector can “contribute directly to the conservation of sensitive areas and habitats through a variety of activities and by raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity”.

To maximize, to the greatest possible extent, a mutually beneficial relationship between tourism and biodiversity conservation, this paper assesses the level of integration of biodiversity values in 80 national tourism policies. Objectives are to understand (i) where, how and why biodiversity issues are referenced and, where references are made, (ii) if they address and prioritise the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

To achieve its purpose, the study identifies keywords and a coding system to undertake an in-depth targeted content analysis, which enables policy comparisons across countries and regions to deliver an international perspective of the extent of integration of biodiversity values in national tourism policy. Research findings in chapter 2 are presented in four subsections that examine the integration of biodiversity in:

1. Policy narratives as an asset and objective of sustainable tourism;
2. Policy statements, notably in vision and mission statements, guiding principles or core policy aims;
3. Strategic programmes and plans for action; and in
4. Commitments to monitoring.

Summary findings reveal the majority of policies (95%) define _nature _as a primary tourism offer. While _biodiversity _(or _biological diversity) _is referenced at least once in 65% of the policies reviewed, proxies such as _nature _and _environment _are more commonly used to discuss issues related to natural capital. Although policies typically reference an intent for tourism development to be environmentally sustainable, detail on _how _this will be achieved is often lacking.

While the study generates a wealth of data and more detailed findings, the report has only scratched the surface of what might be presented which calls for further work in this area.

1. Summary
2. Introduction
3. Research Findings
4. Conclusions
5. Annex: National Tourism Policies Reviewed for this Report