Exclusively for zoos.media – 26.11.2020. Author: Philipp J. Kroiß
Once more, the famous zoo Loro Parque, which is located on the Canary island Tenerife, has been decorated for its commitment to sustainability.
Loro Parque Confirms Leadership in Sustainability
Another Award for Loro Parque. Together with Siam Park in the south of Tenerife, the zoo in Puerto de la Cruz has once again been awarded the certificates “Biosphere Certified – Parks” and “Biosphere Certified – Animal Embassy” in the fields of tourism and environmental sustainability for its commitment in the battle against climate change and towards conservation. These certificates are awarded by the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI), which is linked to UNESCO. Loro Parque has received this award for the twelfth time already as an animal embassy and Siam Park as a water park for the fourth time.
Exhaustive Audit
Such certifications are not easily earned, and parks and animal embassies are scrutinised before receiving them. According to Loro Parque’s press release, “compliance with requirements based on the principles of sustainability and continuous improvement” is examined. This ensures “that the certified entity carries out an activity that is typical of a new model of non-aggressive tourism, which satisfies the current needs of its clients and users, without compromising future generations, bringing significant benefits for the entity itself, society and the environment.”
Loro Parque is the first and only zoo in the world to receive the “Biosphere Park – Animal Embassy” certificate. However, this certification is by no means the only one, as Loro Parque has been decorated with various national and international awards “such as the Plaque of Tourist Merit, awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the “Gold Medal for Tourism Merit”, presented by the same ministry, as well as the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands Government, the city of Puerto de la Cruz and the Cabildo Insular de Tenerife, among other awards. Loro Parque is also the only company in the Canary Islands to have been awarded the “Prince Felipe Award for Business Excellence”, in addition to being named the World’s Best Zoo twice in a row by the world-renowned travel portal, TripAdvisor, among many other recognitions.”
The entire Loro Parque Company “has once again been certified in ISO 9001, which determines the requirements for a Quality Management System, in ISO 14001, which determines the requirements for an Environmental Management Systemand in EMAS III, which recognises organisations that have implemented a well-defined Environmental Management System and have made a commitment to continuous improvement.” Through such third-party audits, the group can ensure a quality that is also part of the brand core of each company.
Loro-Parque-Group focuses on sustainability
The Loro Parque Group, which also includes Siam Park for instance, in addition to the zoo that gave the group its name, has long since committed to sustainability. “Following the philosophy of the Loro Parque Company, Siam Park, recognised by TripAdvisor as the Best Water Park in the World for seven consecutive years and to date, also works in the line of maximum respect for the environment, using the latest technological developments in every detail. In this sense, the water that feeds the Park forms part of a closed circuit that begins in the sea, from where it is extracted and transferred to the desalination plant built exclusively for this purpose. Furthermore, Siam Park’s philosophy includes the application of the Km 0 formula, which means that mainly local products are used in the catering industry, thus minimising the carbon footprint associated with the transport of imported products.”
To generate energy, so-called “green” sources are used: “In a firm commitment to non-polluting renewable energies and to contribute to the development of sustainable tourism in the Canary Islands, the Parks have their own photovoltaic system located in the south of Tenerife which, added to other photovoltaic investments on the island, represents a power of 2.75 MW. In addition, a 4 MW wind turbine has been installed on the island of Gran Canaria, increasing the overall capacity to offset CO2 emissions from 2,500 to almost 4,000 tonnes.”
