Tourism and biodiversity: mapping tourism's global footprint

Tourism is often described as the world's largest industry on the basis of its contribution to global gross domestic product (GDP), the number of jobs it generates, and the number of clients it serves. The scale of the industry and the rate at which it continues to grow present both opportunities and threats for biodiversity conservation. The publication, jointly developed with Conservation International, illustrates the overlap between tourism development (present and forecasted) and biodiversity hotspots highlighting tourism related threats and opportunities for biodiversity conservation and improved human welfare. To explore the relationship between tourism development, biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction at the global level, a series of maps were produced that plot tourism and socio-economic data against priority biodiversity areas.