World Congress Motion on Enhancing sustainable tourism practices through the incorporation of welfare standards for wild animals in captivity and in the wild

Dear Members,

I will be serving as the Facilitator for the discussion on Motion (number 074),  “Enhancing sustainable tourism practices through the incorporation of welfare standards for wild animals in captivity and in the wild”,  in the lead-up to the IUCN World Conservation Congress.

Motion 074 | iucncongress2025.org

I invite you to review the motion and share your comments, suggestions, and inputs to help determine whether it should be adopted at the Congress, which will take place in October 2025.

Please provide your feedback by 14 May 2025, in the link shared above.

Motion Title: Enhancing sustainable tourism practices through the incorporation of welfare standards for wild animals in captivity and in the wild

Introduction: Despite growing emphasis on sustainable tourism, animal welfare remains largely overlooked, contributing to ecosystem disruption and zoonotic disease risks. Motion 074 highlights the urgent need to integrate ethical treatment of wild animals—both captive and free-ranging—into tourism practices, aligning with international frameworks and past IUCN resolutions promoting conservation and sustainability.

Proposed Motion: IUCN urges governments, tourism operators, and partners to embed animal welfare in tourism policies, certification schemes, and recovery strategies. It calls for science-based research, capacity-building, and cross-sector collaboration to ensure tourism contributes positively to biodiversity, public health, and local economies, while protecting wildlife from exploitation and unnecessary harm.