This week actor Leonardo Di Caprio announced funding of $43 million towards an ambitious rewilding project in the Galápagos Islands that aims to protect its fragile ecosystem and reintroduce 13 locally extinct species, including the Floreana mockingbird—one of the rarest birds in the world.

The funding will go towards the launch of Re:wild, a global conservation charity that builds upon decades of work by local communities and conservationists, including the Galápagos National Park Directorate and Island Conservation. Working with these organizations, Di Caprio (a founding member of Re:wild) said the charity will "amplify and scale the local solutions being led by Indigenous peoples and local communities."

One of its first commitments is the introduction of 13 locally extinct species to the Galápagos, including pink iguanas, giant tortoises and the Floreana mockingbird, an incredibly rare bird which is said to have inspired Charles Darwin. Unfortunately, the bird has vanished from Floreana Island, mainly due to the introduction of invasive mammals such as feral cats and rodents through ship and air traffic. Not only do these species threaten the Galápagos' ecosystem, they also threaten local livelihoods by compromising food security, and reducing the number of endemic plants and species that tourists travel here to see.

Paula A. Castaño, a local wildlife veterinarian with Island Conservation, said time is running out for many species. "Galápagos’s pink iguanas, Floreana mockingbirds and other wildlife may soon be lost forever without action," she explained. Speaking about Re:wild, Castaño added "we know how to prevent these extinctions and restore functional and thriving ecosystems—we have done it—but we need to replicate these successes, innovate and go to scale."

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Alongside efforts to control and eliminate introduced species and raise awareness among locals and tourists, Re:wild is also working to protect Galápagos' marine resources so that ecotourism can evolve in a more sustainable way; taking into account the needs and goals of the local community by offering them support through workshops and engagement. According to Castaño, the entire community needs to be involved for the project to work. "In this [scenario], you have to have the community as part of the project, otherwise you are not going to be successful mostly,” she said in a statement. "Once you remove invasive species, you need to protect the island and avoid new species coming back. The biosecurity aspect is very important, so if [people] are not involved on that, it will not happen."

There is nowhere quite like the Galápagos. It represents the ultimate natural paradise. Today, 98% of the the archipelago is a National Park, where you can see the very creatures that inspired Darwin to formulate the theory of evolution. This makes it one of the top natural tourist destinations in the world. But the Galápagos' delicate ecosystem is easily disrupted and conservationists say they have now reached a critical point in the biodiversity crisis.

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President Joe Biden has announced a $2 trillion plan to improve the USA’s infrastructure that could mean impressive changes for travelers around the country if it’s approved. Improvements include 20,000 miles of rebuilt roads and billions of dollars for seaports and airports, but perhaps the most interesting prospect is the $80 billion investment in Amtrak, the country’s nation-spanning railway.

“It is not a plan that tinkers around the edges,” Biden said in a speech near Pittsburgh. “It is a once-in-a-generation investment in America.”

Amtrak has already released an ambitious map of the routes that it would create and improve by 2035 if the funding is secured, with 160 more cities and towns being added to the Amtrak network, including a stop in Wyoming, which does not currently have train service at all.

Most of the new routes would be in the southern and eastern parts of the country, including new connections between Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, and Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City. A long-discussed train route between Las Vegas and Los Angeles would also be reinstated, and a new link between southern California and Phoenix would be constructed. Tunnels and bridges in the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak’s busiest part of the network, would be rebuilt, and there are plans to enhance almost all of the routes out of Chicago, a major hub.

“President Biden’s infrastructure plan is what this nation has been waiting for,” Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said in a statement. “America needs a rail network that offers frequent, reliable, sustainable and equitable train service. Now is our time, let’s make rail the solution.”

Train service in the US lags far behind networks in Europe and Asia, but Biden, sometimes nicknamed “Amtrak Joe,” has been a dedicated train rider, including commuting by train between Delaware and Washington DC when he was a US senator. Biden’s infrastructure plan must next be approved by Congress, which remains bitterly divided and has also been coming up with its own plans for infrastructure improvements.

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One region in Belgium is developing a series of imaginative biking projects to cement its place as the cycling tourism capital of the country. The latest is a sensational 360-degree experience — a daring forest cycle trail that gradually rises 32 feet in the air to propel cyclists through a canopy of trees.

During the past few years, a cycling renaissance has occurred in the Belgian province of Limburg through a handful of unique cycling experiences created by the tourist board. The latest is a forest cycling trail called Cycling through the Trees that runs through Bosland, the largest adventure forest in Flanders.

Cyclists follow a circular track that gradually takes them up into the air (ten meters/32 feet) so they can enjoy 360-degree-views of the forest canopy and the nature reserve below. Recycled tree trunks form rest and information spots on the trail. The trail, designed by Belgian studios BuroLandschap and De Gregorio & Partners, was shortlisted for infrastructure project of the year at Dezeen Awards 2020.

The cycling trail is the second in a series of imaginative cycling projects in Limburg and follows in the tracks of the Cycling through Water project in Bokrijk. That particular trail cuts through a pond, with water on eye level on either side, to make cyclists feel like they are riding on water.

A third project, Cycling through the Heathland, is scheduled to open in Hoge Kempen National Park at the beginning of 2021. It's a 300-meter long cycling bridge that runs through heath landscape and brings cyclists even closer to the evergreen surroundings of the national park.

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With these trails, the tourists board said Limburg is stepping up its game as a pioneer in cycling tourism, taking advantage of improved infrastructure and facilities for cycling tourists. The province now has 2000 kilometers of paved, safe and largely car-free cycling trails that are connected through the cycle node network. Limburg, which welcomes more than 300 million cycling tourists each year, is widely regarded as Belgium's premier cycling province. It's also home to unique camping experiences like these suspended teardrop tents.

Igor Philtjens, president of Visit Limburg, said the cycling trails are designed to promote sustainable tourism and encourage people to get out into the countryside and explore their natural surroundings by bike. "And what a success it is," he said. "Because the number of cyclists that visit Cycling through Water and Cycling through the Trees is continually growing. And the projects are receiving more and more international acclaim."

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When it comes to epic vacations to take next year, this trip in Norway ticks plenty of boxes. It's a 12-night journey that will take you on the country's Discovery Route, all the way from Bergen to Stavanger, where you'll enjoy action-packed adventures, engage meaningfully with local communities, and trek through otherworldly landscapes.

In May, travel company Up Norway worked with a team of sustainability-focused travel experts to create a new bucket-list trip along The Discovery Route in Norway. They met and partnered with local tourism providers, hosts, chefs, guides and farmers who are "truly invested in their communities" and who work together to provide fun and sustainable experiences for visitors and locals. Through this partnership, they created a 12-night trip that brings travelers right to the heart of these communities, and experience everything on offer there.

On the tour guests will enjoy guided adventures designed to have a low impact on the environment. For example, there's the sunrise and sunset hike in Trolltunga Via Ferrata. The day starts with a 6km off-road bike ride, followed by a 250m climb up the extraordinary 'via ferrata,' or iron paths, where they'll enjoy views of the lake and waterfalls from atop the mountain. Dinner is served in an Arctic domed tent, where guests will spend the night before making the sunrise journey back down the next morning.

The 12-night adventure also includes trips to Skjervsfossen Waterfall Rapell; canoeing in Refsvatn Lake; hiking through unmapped trails; a carbon-capturing experience in Trefadder forest; Arctic cider tasting in the picturesque hills of Hardanger; and more. The Discovery Route runs through mountains, glaciers, crystal-clear rivers, waterfalls and pristine fjords, making it the perfect route for an active holiday. Meals and food will generally be provided by local chefs, farmers, small growers and artisan producers, who guests are invited to meet.

Torunn Tronsvang, founder of Up Norway said she expects international interest in trips to Norway will accelerate in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, but he believes travelers will want to take a more considered approach to travel. "Regenerative tourism will be in focus," she said. "There is no doubt that the demand in the future will be for destinations that offer magnificent nature with plenty of space, security in the form of a good health system and sound political management, as well as a destination that takes sustainability seriously."

The Discovery Adventure Route trip costs $4899 per person. That price is based on four guests traveling together sharing one car (a Tesla model) and two rooms. It includes accommodation, transport, some meals and guided tours but doesn't factor in flights. The trip launches in April next year (if travel restrictions are lifted) and should run until September. For more information, see here.

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Valencia, the third-largest city in Spain, has started measuring and monitoring the carbon emissions that directly result from tourist activity as part of its new sustainable tourism strategy, becoming the first city in the world to do so.

Valencia has been making moves toward a green future for years, and sustainability is a pillar of the city’s tourism strategy. Visit Valencia, the city’s tourism board, recently carried out a study that measured the sources of carbon emissions from tourist activity across ten areas, including water management, waste, transport to and around the city, and accommodation. The research found that tourism accounted for 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2019 and that 81% of tourist emissions came from transport to the city. Transport within the city added less than 1%.

The study also found that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by tourist activity is equivalent to one third of the carbon footprint generated by the food consumption of the city’s residents.

“In 2015, when the Valencia 2020 Strategic Plan began to take shape, the city made a commitment to develop a sustainable tourism model that was more integrated and more accessible for both citizens and visitors, while also generating economic wealth for the city,” Emiliano García, councillor for tourism of the Valencia City Council, told Lonely Planet. “The city participates in environmental projects at a European level and also works at a local level to better the city’s sustainability credentials incorporating a host of local stakeholders. Through this framework, the agreement with Global Omnium arose. Global Omnium is a Valencian water management company, whose pioneering technology enabled us to calculate our carbon footprint generated by tourism and, subsequently, audit it. This project has undoubtedly put Valencia at the forefront of sustainable destination management.”

Valencia is striving to become a carbon-neutral destination by 2025 and to make the city the world’s leading tourist destination with zero environmental impact. Future plans include determining whether the public transport system can go fully electric and adding more plants to the city’s parks to absorb carbon dioxide.

“Measures will focus on reducing the direct consumption of petroleum-derived fuels; improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption from non-renewable sources; promoting the consumption of local products, goods and services; enhancing the local economy and the circular economy; monitoring the carbon footprint of each establishment and its actions, as well as the measures adopted for its reduction and compensation, in addition to taking advantage of the natural environment's capacity in order to develop projects to absorb further CO2 emissions,” García told Lonely Planet.

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Costa Rica is encouraging tourists to offset the carbon footprint they generate from flights and overland travel in its bid to promote sustainable tourism and become one of the world’s only carbon-neutral countries.

The initiative, called the Pura Vida Pledge, seeks a voluntary donation from travelers, and contributions will go towards environmental projects throughout the country, such as planting forests, regenerating natural spaces and implementing agroforestry systems on local farms, which allows trees to grow on the same land as crops.

The amount that travellers are requested to offset is determined by using an online calculator created by the National Forestry Financing Fund. Based on visitor data from 2018, it’s estimated that the country would raise more than $3.5 million for environmental projects, even if only 10% of the emissions were offset.

“This agreement invites our tourists to mitigate their trips and thus contribute to the protection of forests and the recovery of forest cover,” Gustavo Segura, Costa Rica’s minister of tourism, said. “It is a step forward in responsible tourism.”

Costa Rica is seen as a world leader in the environmental movement, and it was awarded the Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environmental Programme in 2019, the UN’s highest environmental honor. The country’s ambition is to become carbon neutral by 2050, and it’s well on the way: national parks make up about 25% of Costa Rica’s landscape, nearly 30% of the country’s energy sources are renewable and about 50% of the land is forested.

From late October, visitors to Costa Rica no longer have to present a negative COVID-19 test result to enter the country, which had previously been required of travelers since it began to gradually open its borders in August. As of November 1, all international travelers are now allowed to visit Costa Rica.

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Norway is pioneering an electric, self-driving water taxi that could revolutionise urban public transport in the era of the climate crisis. The water taxis are small, carbon-neutral and customers can summon them at the push of a button.

Norwegian start-up Zeabuz has revealed it will launch a self-driving ferry, or water taxi, next year. Capable of carrying up to 12 passengers at a time, customers will be able to hail the commuter ferry by pressing a button on their phones. The emissions-free mode of public transport was first developed by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2018 and Zeabuz are on track to getting it on the water and serving commuters by 2021.

The battery-powered Zeabuz will transport passengers across waterways in cities, as well as settlements along the coast where boat trips are common with the intention of having minimal impact on the environment. It's a self-driving system, a technology that can make people feel a little uneasy but the company assured all safety standards and checks have been met. Using state-of-the-art sensors, the autonomous ferry will be able to detect the area around them and safely navigate around swimmers, other boats or stationary objects in the water. Those sensors will feed data back to the control system to help it make decisions about where to dock and how to handle passengers safely.

By revitalising urban waterways, Zeabuz said it will be able to reduce congestion, emissions, noise pollution and traffic jams in cities, while boosting public health. The ferries will connect and integrate with existing land-based public transport infrastructure to give people more sustainable choices in getting from A to B. To make it especially user-friendly, the docks will be well-placed to suit commuters, while the ferry's compact size means it will be able to travel under bridges with ease.

As well as selling the Zeabuz to cities in Norway, the company said it wants to help international partners in designing and building similar ferries in places with navigable waterways like New York, Sydney, Istanbul, London, Amsterdam and Hong Kong. Many places are already making strides in sustainable water-based public transport. Paris is developing"flying water taxis" or SeaBubbles along the River Seine. And Denmark 's first electric ferry entered service last year, the first in the country without a diesel engine on board.

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Amtrak 's new fleet of high-speed trains is going to reduce carbon consumption by almost half, giving passengers in the northeast a more sustainable way to travel.

Comfortable, low carbon transport is the name of the game over at Amtrak. At least in the Acela line. The rail company recently unveiled its new-look, high-speed Acela train for passengers living along the northeast corridor and it comes with sleek new extras including 25% more seats, more legroom, as well as more spacious restrooms and larger storage compartments for luggage.

Its upgraded cafe car will have more dining and beverage options, including a greater selection of meals and craft beers, and will come with more eco-friendly packaging. Those who need to get some work done on the road will be able to plug their laptops and phones into personal outlets and USB ports at every seat, while taking advantage of the complimentary Wi-Fi on board. There are also adjustable reading lights at every seat.

Accessibility has been improved too for passengers with disabilities, allowing them to move more easily throughout the trains. There's also built-in technology that will inform passengers of their location, travel speed and any announcements from the conductor. What's more, the trains will speed up northeast travel by running at 160 miles per hour – that's 10 miles per hour faster than current models. And thanks to their lightweight design, they'll reduce carbon output by about 40% per customer.

Set to hit the tracks in 2021, the new fleet will travel along the current Acela line between Boston and Washington, DC.

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British royal, Prince William, has teamed up with broadcaster Sir David Attenborough to launch the biggest environmental prize in the world, which they believe will become the "Nobel Prize for environmentalism."

The Earthshot Prize aims to incentivize change and help to repair the Earth over the next ten years, awarding £50m (US$64.6m) to fund 50 solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems by 2030. It is centred around five ‘Earthshots’, which are simple but ambitious goals for the planet, improving life for everyone and for generations to come. These include protecting and restoring nature; cleaning the air; reviving the oceans; building a waste-free world and fixing the climate.

The prize aims to find new solutions that work on every level, have a positive effect on environmental change and improve living standards globally, particularly for communities who are most at risk from climate change. Every year from 2021 until 2030, Prince William and the Earthshot Prize Council will make a £1m ($1.27m) award to five winners, one per Earthshot. Anyone whose workable solutions make a substantial contribution to achieving the Earthshots is eligible, including individuals, teams, collaborations, businesses, cities and countries.

“The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice," says Prince William. "Either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve. People can achieve great things. The next ten years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.”

Nominations for the prize open on November 1, with an annual awards ceremony held in a different city each year. The first ceremony will take place in London in the fall of 2021 and further information is available from The Earthshot Prize's website here.

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Travel News Stories

Galápagos' giant tortoises and pink iguanas given lifeline from extinction

More US cities could be connected by rail with this major Amtrak upgrade

Award-winning Belgian bike trail propels cyclists above an adventure forest

Could this new tour in Norway become your epic adventure in 2021?

This Spanish city is the first to measure tourism's carbon footprint

Costa Rica is asking travelers to offset their carbon footprint

Will this self-driving ferry in Norway revolutionise public transport?

Amtrak unveils new high-speed, low-carbon trains with sleek extras

Prince William and David Attenborough are launching a new environmental prize

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