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IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group
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IUCN COMMISSION GROUP

IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group

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Group leadership

Dr Thiago BERALDO SOUZA

Dr. Thiago Beraldo Souza is the Chair of the IUCN/WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group (TAPAS Group). Thiago has a PhD in Ecology from the University of Florida where he studied attractiveness, supply and demand of tourism in protected areas. Dr. Souza is one of the authors of the new TAPAS guideline - Visitors Count! He worked 18 years for the National Protected Areas Agency of Brazil - Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and is currently working as consultant for countries like Cape Verde (NDP), Uzbekistan (UNWTO), Albania (IUCN) and the Red Sea. In 2019, Dr. Souza received the National Tourism Award from the Ministry of Tourism as Best Public Manager of Brazil.

Publications: https://florida.academia.edu/ThiagoBeraldo

 

 

Dr. Thiago Beraldo Souza is the Chair of the IUCN/WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group (TAPAS Group). Thiago has a PhD in Ecology from the University of Florida where he studied ...

The priorities of the TAPAS Group are to contribute to the work of the IUCN and WCPA to: (1) conserve biodiversity, (2) generate knowledge, (3) build awareness and (4) improve governance and equity.

The objectives of the TAPAS Group are to:

  • Strengthen the capacity, effectiveness and performance of protected area managers and policy makers and others in relation to sustainable tourism, through learning, exchange and the development of information and guidance.
  • Provide an interactive forum for individuals working on protected areas and tourism, enabling strategic networking, communication, collaboration, inspiration, and partnerships.
  • Provide strategic advice to protected area authorities, the tourism industry, and other stakeholders on the optimum approaches to sustainable tourism planning, development, management and monitoring in protected and natural area destinations.
  • Build awareness and understanding of sustainable tourism and protected areas by developing and disseminating knowledge, including case studies and best practice syntheses.
  • Enhance the level of tourism’s contribution to the goals of protected areas and protected area systems including biodiversity conservation, human well-being, resilience and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Support WCPA in accordance with its Terms of Reference for Specialist Groups and Task Force leaders and other IUCN Commissions and IUCN members as well as other networks and partners.
  • Foster dynamic, innovative and sustainable solutions for financing and managing protected areas in relation to sustainable tourism.

Group Executives 

  • Biodiversity coordinator - Ronda Green
  • Economics coordinator - Cher Chua Lassalvy
  • Communities and heritage coordinator - Kelly Bricker 
  • Knowledge Development - Ante Mandic 
  • Capacity building - Ani Chaoji
  • Membership and communications coordinator - Liliana Medina-Toro
  • IUCN Secretariat focal point - Ulrike Aberg
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