Eight locations across the globe are named Wildlife Heritage Areas

Wildlife Heritage Areas connect wildlife experts, responsible travel companies, and local communities to designate protected areas as wildlife-friendly tourism destinations

World Animal Protection and World Cetacean Alliance have launched a new global program, working in coalition with responsible travel businesses and wildlife charities, to forever change the way people view and understand wildlife.

As more people become aware that zoos and aquariums exploit animals for entertainment, Wildlife Heritage Areas will meet an increasing demand from tourists to ethically see wild animals in the wild.

“World Animal Protection and our partners are breaking new ground in the world of responsible and sustainable tourism,” says Cameron Harsh, US director of programs for World Animal Protection. “Now, travelers will be able to discover amazing destinations—whether near their own homes or abroad—where they can trust that the local communities and the incredible tourism experiences, they have created are meaningfully protecting wild animals and their homes.”

One newly designated Wildlife Heritage area, the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area (SBCWHA), is located in the United States, less than a hundred miles outside Los Angeles. The Santa Barbara Channel, renowned for its rich biodiversity and thriving marine ecosystem, has long been a haven for over 25 different species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. More than 15,000 Pacific gray whales migrate through the channel each year on their way to their breeding grounds in Baja, Mexico in the winter and their feeding grounds in the Arctic in the summer.

“Animals have the power to touch our hearts, inspire our minds, and deepen our connection to the natural world. By appreciating and protecting these magnificent cetaceans in their natural habitat, our hope is we not only enhance their lives but also cultivate an opportunity for tourists to understand and witness their responsibility towards keeping animals in the wild,” said Holly Lohuis, co-director of SBCWHA and local naturalist and marine educator with Island Packers, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and Ocean Futures Society.

Additional Wildlife Heritage areas have been launched in Peru/Colombia, Brazil, Italy, Australia, Portugal, and South Africa.

Wildlife Heritage Areas provide a clear solution for eliminating the exploitation of animals by the modern tourism sector. It is long past time to end all attractions that force animals to suffer by allowing them to be ridden, touched, or posed for selfies, and to recognize that all wild animals have a right to a wild life.

The concept of Wildlife Heritage Areas was born out of the success of the Whale Heritage Sites programme. Initiated by the World Cetacean Alliance in 2015 and run in partnership with World Animal Protection since 2019, Whale Heritage Sites showcase an entire community and their relationship with whales and dolphins by encouraging respectful human-cetacean coexistence – celebrating cetaceans in local culture, arts, and events; supporting local economic and environmental sustainability; and developing locally based science, research and education.

Whale Heritage Sites exist in Australia, South Africa, Spain, and the USA and are transitioning into the Wildlife Heritage Areas programme including the latest designations for The Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area in California, which is one of the more biologically productive marine ecosystems on our planet and is home to an incredibly diverse collection of cetaceans. The Santa Barbara coast is already an international tourist destination for its natural beauty and rich cultural history, but very few tourists realise that this area is also one of the best places in the world to go whale watching.

Madeira Whale Heritage Area, also known as “the flower island”, lies between the Azores and the Canaries in the North Atlantic and has become a hub for nature enthusiasts. Madeira has a strong bond with cetaceans, from their whaling past to the present whale watching activities and the ongoing cetacean conservation efforts.

Wildlife Heritage Areas is the new global benchmark for responsible wildlife tourism that celebrates places and people that recognise their natural heritage with pride, creating the most inspiring and responsible community-led wildlife experiences.

The travel industry currently has no means of identifying destinations meeting high animal welfare standards, wildlife conservation, community well-being, and sustainability while maintaining high tourism value. The Wildlife Heritage Area programme will change this by connecting wildlife experts, responsible travel companies, and local communities as a network collaborating to designate wildlife-friendly and community-based tourism destinations.

In addition, Wildlife Heritage Areas will create new opportunities for visitors to engage with the unique culture, heritage, and biodiversity that underpins each local community’s wildlife offering. By generating pride and income for the responsible protection of wildlife and habitats, this program will facilitate climate resilience and generate a win-win for people and place. (PRNewswire)