National Geographic

World Legacy Awards 2016

National Geographic Traveler recognizes leaders in sustainable tourism for 2016.

Published March 9, 2016
13 min read

“Tourism is like fire. Out of control, it can burn your house down. But if you harness that energy, you can cook your food with it.” With those words, we launched the World Legacy Awards in 2002.

Our goal was a simple one: Applaud, support, and raise the bar for nations and travel companies in the vanguard of sustainable tourism, at the time an emerging concept based on safeguarding the world’s natural and cultural treasures for future generations.

More than 100 entries were submitted from 51 countries. A global panel of 23 judges, coordinated by editor at large Costas Christ, scored the entries according to internationally recognized criteria for sustainable tourism. Also considered: innovation, visitor activities, and quality of service. The 15 finalists underwent a rigorous on-site inspection.

Those early ideas gave rise to a travel philosophy that continues to redefine how we explore the planet. Among the initiatives recognized in these profiles of the 2016 winners is GESG:

Conserving the Natural World—preserving nature, restoring habitats, and protecting rare and endangered species

WINNER: Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda, Mexico

For 29 years Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda, a grassroots nonprofit organization, has worked to protect one of the world’s loftier biodiversity enclaves—the Sierra Gorda, a lush mountain region some four hours’ drive north from Mexico City—by building a “conservation economy.”

Much of what the group does “focuses on improving the daily lives of women, so that they become the voice of conservation in their communities,” says Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo, the director. “This has created a network of 83 small ecotourism businesses, many led by village women who previously struggled in poverty.”

Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda also aided the establishment of the 950,000-acre Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, home to diverse ecosystems—including Cuatro Palos, where forest and desert meet, and Sótano del Barro, a massive sinkhole where endangered macaws nest—as well as the Franciscan Missions World Heritage site. Travelers see the conservation economy at work among local outfitters offering hiking and other excursions, and artisans such as Doña Dorotea, who runs a pottery studio.