Hotels, holiday, camping grounds and similar accommodation

✓ Biodiversity

1. Contribution to conservation or restoration activities1.1. The activity contributes to conservation or restoration measures which comply with the technical screening criteria for activity “Conservation, including restoration, of habitats, ecosystems and species” set out in Section 1.1 of the applicable Delegated Act, in clearly identified areas, within or in the proximity of the same tourism destination(17) as the accommodation. The area can be any type of area with high nature conservation value covered by a management plan or an equivalent instrument such as a restoration plan (referred to “conservation area” below). 1.2. The activities contributing to conservation or restoration measures as referred to in point 1.1. are defined in a specific contractual agreement or equivalent instrument between the operator of the activity and the organisation in charge of the conservation or restoration of the area. The agreement covers a minimum of five years and is regularly reviewed, in any case at least every five years. It defines clear time-bound targets for contribution to the conservation or restoration area. The contribution to conservation or restoration measures as referred to in point 1.1. can be financial or in kind and may take one of the following forms:offer or organisation of visits to a conservation area where entrance or permit or user fees are applied; operation of concessions and leases for services directly related to a conservation area (issued by the organisation in charge of the management of the area);operation of tourist accommodation establishments within a conservation area but not subject to concession (in agreement with the organisation in charge of the management of the area); offer or management of volunteers for activities directly related to conservation (in accordance with the conservation objectives of the conservation area); offer or management of educational opportunities directly related to conservation and appropriate behaviour (in accordance with the conservation objectives of the conservation area); purchase of products of any kind, including food, beverages, handcrafts, for re-selling or for direct use, derived from sustainable practices in a conservation area, in agreement with the organisation in charge of the management of the area; purchase of merchandise from a conservation area for re-selling (or other commercial arrangements that guarantees that the revenue from selling of merchandise accrues to the conservation area); payment of copyrights, including images or names, directly to the organisation in charge of the management of a conservation area; collection of tourists’ voluntary donations to be transferred to a dedicated fund or account set up by the organisation in charge of the management of a conservation area on a regular basis.1.3. The percentage (%) contribution defined in the contractual agreement is at least equivalent to:1% of the annual turnover of an individual tourist accommodation establishment, where the contractual agreement includes only one establishment;0.7% of the annual turnover of an individual tourist accommodation establishment, where the contractual agreement or equivalent is collective and includes a group of two to ten establishments;0.5% of the annual turnover of an individual tourist accommodation establishment, where the contractual agreement or equivalent is collective and includes a group of over ten establishments.Mandatory financial contributions applied to the activity in the context of the national or local regulatory framework, including eco-taxes or tariffs, are not considered as a contribution to the conservation or restoration activity.2. Action plan for contributing to nature conservation2.1. The activity has developed and implemented an action plan specific to the tourism service or offer provided, which defines how the activity can be carried out in a way which is compatible with and contributes to the implementation of the management plan or equivalent instrument of the conservation area to which the activity intends to contribute. The plan includes all of the following measures relevant for the conservation or restoration objectives of the area:a clear set of objectives and activities aimed at avoiding or minimising direct negative impacts on biodiversity, including an analysis of the carrying capacity or limit of acceptable change(18) of the area developed by the organisation in charge of the conservation or restoration of the area or by the operator of the activity in cooperation with that organisation(19), including the following elements(20):for visits to natural sites: avoiding direct damage on ecosystems or habitats through management of tourist flows and movements;for wildlife interaction:avoiding direct harm and disturbance through detrimental actions such as animal feeding, destruction or damaging eggs and nests, destruction or removal of plants or corals;avoiding indirect harm and disturbance on species from tourists’ local movements, such as littering, noise, plastic, chemical or light pollution;prevention and avoidance of introduction of invasive alien species(21);for wildlife harvesting and trade(22): protected wildlife species are not harvested, consumed, sold;where applicable, a description of partnership agreements with conservation management entities, local NGOs or communities to contribute to the conservation or restoration of the area to which it intends to contribute;a biodiversity information and awareness plan linked to the specific impacts arising from tourism activities(23);a clear framework for the continuous monitoring and measuring of the effectiveness of the contribution, including an adaptive approach allowing for the identification of corrective actions, where necessary.3. Sustainable Supply Chain and Environmental Management System3.1. The establishment has a fair share of products in line with market best practices (such as food and beverages, wood, including furniture, paper, board and plastic products) certified according to environmental standards(24). The establishment commits to a continuous improvement of the share of the products certified by an independent third party.3.2. For accommodation establishments with over 50 employees, the activity complies with one of the following criteria: the establishment has an environmental management system (EMS) requiring third party certification, such as the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme(25) (EMAS), ISO 14001:2015(26) or equivalent, aligned with best environmental management practice and benchmark performances such as the EMAS Reference Document for the Tourism Sector(27) or equivalent national or international standard;the establishment was awarded with an EU Ecolabel for tourist accommodation or an equivalent EN ISO 14024:2018(28) type I Ecolabel or an equivalent voluntary label meeting equivalent requirements(29).4. Minimum requirements4.1. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or a screening(30) has been completed in accordance with Directive 2011/92/EU(31). Where an EIA has been carried out, the required mitigation and compensation measures for protecting the environment are implemented. The activity does not have significant adverse effects on protected areas (UNESCO World Heritage sites, Key Biodiversity Areas, as well as other protected areas than Natura 2000 sites) and protected species, based on an assessment of its impact that takes into account the best available knowledge(32). The activity is not detrimental to the recovery or maintenance of the populations of the species and of the habitat types protected under national law at a favourable conservation status. In the Union, in relation to Natura 2000 sites, the activity does not have significant effects on Natura 2000 sites in view of their conservation objectives on the basis of an appropriate assessment carried out in accordance with Article 6(3) of Directive 92/43/EEC.In the Union, in any area, the activity is not detrimental to the recovery or maintenance of the populations of the species protected under Directives 92/43/EEC and 2009/147/EC at a favourable conservation status. The activity is also not detrimental to the recovery or maintenance of the habitat types protected under Directive 92/43/EEC at a favourable conservation status.4.2. The introduction of invasive alien species is prevented or their spread is managed in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014.4.3. Recreational hunting and fishing activities are allowed only where they are explicitly included as part of the conservation or management plan of the conservation area as established by the management entity and carried out in accordance with applicable Union and national law.5. AuditAt the beginning of the activity and at least every five years thereafter, the compliance with the technical screening criteria is controlled by the relevant national competent authorities or by an independent third-party certifier, such as a dedicated certification or accreditation scheme, at the request of national authorities or the operator of the activity.The independent third-party certifier may not have any conflict of interest, in particular with the owner or the funder, and may not be involved in the development or operation of the activity.In order to reduce costs, audits may be performed together with any other audit.