It’s no secret that Australia is a pretty spectacular place. Our island home is full of an immense diversity of natural wonders and incredible landscapes. From verdant rainforests to snowy mountains to glistening turquoise reefs, the land Down Under is bursting with stunning natural beauty that we reckon everyone should check out at least once in their lifetime. And now, it seems like Forbes Advisor also agrees.
In a recently released list of the ‘50 best countries in the world for ecotourism’ , the big dogs over at Forbes awarded Australia third place as one of the world’s absolute best travel destinations for environmentally conscious travellers. In light of the climate crisis, and people’s rapidly growing concern for protecting our natural world, the desire to travel to places that are full of protected and pristine nature is more poignant than ever.
This list took this into account, putting together a ranked collection of the best countries for nature lovers to visit. Research measured a couple of key factors: the number of animal and plant species found in a country, the number of species per ten km-sq, the percentage of the country’s landmass that is protected, overall environmental performance (like air quality) and the number of UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites.
Brazil took out the top spot, and is considered the most biodiverse country of all the destinations involved – even despite large-scale deforestation in the Amazon. Mexico came in second, thanks to being home to more than 29,000 animal and plant species, including endangered animals like the Angel Island mouse and the fish-eating bat.
And coming in at third is our very own island nation. Australia is the only country in the top five located outside the Americas, and it boasts 16 UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites – the highest number out of all 50 countries researched. Around 20 per cent of Australia’s landmass is protected, and 101 of its 27,000 species of animals and plants are too. Now that’s something to be proud of.
Here are the top 10 destinations for ecotourism, according to Forbes Advisor:
- Brazil (index score: 94.9)
- Mexico (index score: 86)
- Australia (index score: 84)
- Ecuador (index score: 82.1)
- Costa Rica (index score: 81.2)
- Bhutan (index score: 81)
- Peru (index score: 81)
- Indonesia (index score: 80.1)
- Panama (index score: 79.6)
- Tanzania (index score: 79.3)