This presentation was presented at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2011 (ESTC 2011), held in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA, from September 19th-21st. Organized by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), the

ESTC is a unique annual conference providing practical solutions to advance sustainability goals for the tourism industry.

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Climate Conscious Travelers~CANAECO~

Costa Rica busca reducir emisiones de CO2 causadas por vuelos internacionales02/11/2010

San José | Efe - Costa Rica pretende reducir en 2011 al menos en 20% las emisiones de carbono causadas por los vuelos que llegan al país, afirmó a Efe el presidente de la Cámara Nacional de Ecoturismo (CANAECO), Glenn Jampol, en el marco de la Conferencia P3 (Planeta, Personas, Paz).

La iniciativa, que tiene por nombre "Viajeros con conciencia climática", comenzará a funcionar a principios de 2011 y se extenderá por al menos 10 años, en los que se busca "mitigar la tremenda huella de carbono que dejamos en el ambiente por nuestros vuelos internacionales", señaló Jampol.

Para llevar a cabo el plan, CANAECO contará con la colaboración del Fondo Nacional de Financiamiento Forestal (Fonafifo), que realizará una reforestación de bosques y plantaciones a cambio de un pago voluntario. Este pago voluntario lo realizarán aquellos "hoteles y empresas con conciencia ambiental que operan en Costa Rica", ya que cerca del 90% de las emisiones que se realizan por la llegada de turistas tiene como origen el vuelo, explicó Jampol.

La cámara impulsará además, como parte de la conferencia P3, un plan de incentivos económicos para el desarrollo de proyectos turísticos. Esta conferencia reúne desde hasta este miércoles a 25 expertos y 200 participantes de países de América, África y Europa que intercambiarán sus experiencias y debatirán acerca del desarrollo del ecoturismo y turismo sostenible.

El turismo en Costa Rica es un sector que mueve anualmente cerca de 2.000 millones de dólares y genera más de medio millón de empleos directos e indirectos en un país donde la población es de 4,5 millones de personas. Además, cerca de dos millones de turistas visitan anualmente este país centro- americano, que alberga el 4,5% de la biodiversidad del planeta en cerca de 51.000 hectáreas de bosques.

Climate Conscious Traveler (VCC)… What Is It?

Climate Conscious Travelers (VCC) is a program developed by CANAECO that seeks to compensate the CO2 emissions created by international flights from tourists who visit Costa Rica and for the Costa Rican citizens who fly abroad.

The compensation will be accomplished through an official agreement made in 2009 with FONAFIFO (The National Financial Forestry Fund).

Many from the tourism sector as well as individuals who wish to directly compensate their CO2 emissions from their flight can participate in the program.

The cost is $5.00 per ton.

WHY?5%

• World tourism generates about 5% of all of the carbon dioxide emissions of which 2% are generated by airline transportation.

40%• 40% of the international tourism travel are made via airplane

• In Costa Rica, the CO 2 emissions from International flights add 46% to the national carbon footprint as these are not considered in the National inventories.

• VCC is a Costa Rican program which supports the carbon neutrality initiative for the year 2021 and the National Strategy For Climate Change (ENCC) 2021

2%

Costa Rica’s Carbon Footprint The National Meteorological Institute

Inventories For Emissions By Sector In 2005 (In Thousands Of Tons )

The Objective To compensate the carbon dioxide emissions generated by international flights from

tourists that visit Costa Rica

The Goal To compensate 20% of the emissions generated by all of the flights to and from Costa

Rica, using the base year 2007 as a reference.

Tourists 2007 No. of Tourists

Total Tons of CO2 Emitted @ (2.49 p/p)

20% Compensation

Foreign Travelers (via jet)

1,356,995 3,380,110 676,022

CR Travelers 500,000 1,245,000 249,000

Totals 1,856,995 4,625,110 925,022

Emissions from Flights 2007 Vs.Carbon Footprint – Costa Rica 2005

Emissions from flights Energy

AgricultureSolid waste

Industrial processes Change of land

use

-3000.00

-2000.00

-1000.00

0.00

1000.00

2000.00

3000.00

4000.00

5000.00

6000.00

Thousands of Tons of Carbon Dioxide

CANAECO-FONAFIFO Alliance

FONAFIFOClean Flight

CANAECO VCC

Control

Compensation paperwork

Coordination of tourism sector and

FONAFIFO

Promotion

Projects for the protection of forests, avoided deforestation (REDD+) in buffer zones and replenished aquifers close to highly visited national parks.

Reforestation with primarily native species

Two Models:

How are the compensation costs managed?

The company can compensate its carbon emissions choosing among various ways in order to pay the corresponding costs

- Directly assume the total cost.- Charge its clients.- Share the costs with its clients or if desired, with a wholesaler and include a

third party (hotel, travel agency)

The affiliation in the program is voluntary and free and the associated companies can participate through two models: Member or Partner.

All Commercial Air Routes

Categorías

Flight in

Compensation request

Emissions

Sign agreement

VCC Afiliation

CANAECO

Forward the compensation request

To FONAFIFO

Send the details and company receipt

Flight out

Company

Register the information form on line

Compensation payment

VCC

Induction of the company

Sending the receipt and certificates to the

company.

Receipt of the money and payment to

FONAFIFO retaining $1 per ton.

FONAFIFO

Calculation of emissions, costs and design of the certificate

Sending of the details and receipt to CANAECO.

Requisition from CANAECO

Sending the certificates to CANAECO.

Receipt of the funds by CANAECO.

Particpants and their function

Why Concentrate Only on Forests?100% Of Costa Rica’s Electricity Is

Generated From Clean Energy

VCC Strengths Originated in Costa Rica for the compensation of emissions generated by the

international flights in the tourism industry.

It offers help in resolving the international concern for compensation of emissions while helping to reduce the negative affect of climate change

It is voluntary with free affiliation; the interested party can become either a member or a partner.

It has the same cost of compensation of emissions as does direct compensation via FONAFIFO, but with the benefit of aiding CANAECO to lead the tourism sector in this realm.

Foments initiatives of reforestation with only using native species (and Teak as the only exotic species) for carbon sequestration and for the protection of the primary forests for retaining the carbon in the country.

VCC Strengths Economically recognizes the Environmental Services Program which is tied to

the protection of the forests in the poorest rural areas.

It has the backing of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and can be used as positive evidence in the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST)

Through the VCC, CANAECO becomes the first strategic partner of FONAFIFO in the tourism sector that supports avoided deforestation projects.

Through the VCC, CANAECO supports the national initiatives such as the National Strategy for Climate Change and the Costa Rican program for C-Neutrality for 2021 and is a differentiating element for the country as a responsible tourism destination.

How can this benefit your company?

How can this benefit your company?

vcc@canaeco.orgwww.canaeco.org

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