Hotels can play a role to protect or restore natural ecosystems that act as carbon sinks. Forests are carbon sinks, as are blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass, and salt marshes. These ecosystems possess a natural ability to fight climate change by capturing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in their biomass and soils.
In addition to preventing carbon emissions, forests and coastal habitats provide other important benefits. These critical habitats promote biodiversity and support nature tourism activities, such as birdwatching, hiking, and snorkeling. They can also help to reduce flooding and stabilize shorelines.
The most direct way that you can protect these ecosystems is by leaving them intact. It is common for coastal hotels to remove mangroves that grow along their property or use fertilizers that kill seagrass beds. Be consciously aware of your impact on these sensitive ecosystems and implement practices that conserve them.
Another way that you can protect these ecosystems is through carbon offsetting. When you purchase carbon offsets, you fund projects around the world that have been certified to reduce carbon emissions. One way that carbon offset projects can deliver these emissions reductions is by protecting or restoring natural ecosystems.
When you invest in these types of carbon offset projects, you can help create benefits that go beyond carbon reductions and conservation. Many projects also improve the livelihoods of local communities by creating local jobs, providing skills training, improving sanitation, or increasing food security.