Galician Atlantic Islands Ecotourism Commitment
A great commitment, a priority, participatory.
Under this ecotourism umbrella, opportunities increase every year.
The importance of these islands, due to their protective function of the estuaries, as a refuge for birds and as a source of marine life, has been recognized for their protection through their inclusion in the OSPAR zone, as a special conservation area, as a ZEC zone, as a ZEPA zone for the special protection of birds and as a Ramsar protected wetland zone.The importance of these islands, due to their protective function in the estuaries, as a refuge for birds and as a source of marine life, has been recognized for their protection through their inclusion in the OSPAR zone, the North Atlantic marine protection zone, the ZEC zone for special conservation, the ZEPA zone for special protection of birds and the Ramsar zone for protected wetlands.
The involvement of all those who work in this national park in its conservation is translated with the certification of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) in 2016. A path that began some time ago, that the CETS allows to visualize and that encourages a continuous commitment to the integration of public use with conservation.
The national park needed a commitment to tourism to advance conservation and public use in the protected area. The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) was the key. In 2015, with the help of Europarc Spain, we met all those involved and bet on this certification.
Working as a group, in permanent communication and with a well-defined strategy, we formalized an action plan committed to sustainability. City councils, institutions, companies, associations and environmental and social groups were present. The result was the CETS certification in 2016.
In addition, the national park has implemented Phase II of the CETS, in which companies apply sustainable tourism requirements and make commitments to collaborate with the park, contribute to biodiversity conservation and support local development.
There are already 26 companies that have joined this effort and are developing sustainable actions. Their commitment to ecotourism makes it possible to conserve this area by involving our visitors and raising the awareness of the entire community.
The CETS certification has allowed the Islas Atlánticas de Galicia destination and its companies to join Soy Ecoturista in 2023 and thus work together with other territories and companies with the same commitment to authentic ecotourism.
Taking into account the fragility of these small rich territories, we must take extreme care of them. Their conservation will be compatible with public use if both parts of the equation, nature and visitor, are properly related. To this end, committed companies work under ecotourism principles that allow visitors to enjoy this special and magical natural environment without damaging it. Companies and the national park work along the same lines, and the result is simple, sensible, ecotourist activities that are truly rewarding for the participants.
Under this ecotourism umbrella, opportunities increase every year. New companies and new activities are incorporated into this approach because of the success of the results for their clients and the destination.