About Us
WHAT WE DO
We are a membership organisation supporting a global community of purpose-driven tourism businesses to accelerate positive impact across a framework consisting of 4Cs:
CONSERVATION
COMMUNITY
CULTURE
COMMERCE
Committed to fairness, transparency, positivity, and creativity, we use innovative solutions and collaborative action to harness tourism as a force for good. We go about achieving this in three ways:
Support
→ Comprehensive technical and strategic sustainability support from a team of data, conservation, and social scientists.
→ Personalised and available online and onsite, this helps members improve their sustainability performance and address short and long-term challenges.
→ Regular check-ins and impact reporting templates allow members to develop, assess, and communicate their progress.
→ A guided journey towards the industry-leading Global Ecosphere Retreat® certification.
Exchange
→ Facilitating the transfer of knowledge and experience between members and experts.
→Continuous learning through webinars, a members-only forum, newsletters, and onsite exchanges.
→ Access to The Long Run’s network, providing opportunities to build new relationships and explore collaborative opportunities.
→ Annual member and regional meetings bring conservation and sustainable tourism leaders together for workshops, networking, and interactive experiences at member destinations.
Inspire
→ High trust and credibility by vetting every member through referrals, application calls, and due diligence.
→ A detailed Impact Report and online Impact Show showcase boundary-pushing collective impact and initiatives annually.
→ A trusted go-to for case studies and information for global organisations, media, trade shows, and academic institutions.
→ Supporting positive behaviour change throughout the tourism industry by connecting purpose-driven experiences with sales channels and customers.
The 4Cs — The 4Cs — The 4Cs —
The 4Cs is a framework that integrates sustainable and regenerative practices into any travel business. Designed by practitioners and experts, both proven and flexible, it makes strategic and holistic sustainability more accessible, breaking it down into four chunks:
CONSERVATION
Biodiversity
Climate action
Environmental Management
COMMUNITY
Employee Well-Being
Ethical Employment
Sustainable Development
Community Engagement
CULTURE
Cultural Diversity
Heritage
Ethical Exchange
COMMERCE
Responsible Business Practices
Long-Term Resilience
Funding Conservation
Community
Culture Projects
Progression Planning
Through 4C planning, The Long Run helps members to:
→ Consider and embrace external and internal stakeholders (such as employees, the wider community, and NGO partners).
→ Understand how each of the 4Cs interconnects with each other, and cannot be considered in isolation.
→ Ensure that the local context, critical in tourism, is considered and applied to strategic sustainability thinking.
→ Think long-term to ensure prosperity and health for people and nature in the long run.
The 4Cs has helped many of the world’s leading eco-lodges, travel businesses, and conservation projects to adopt holistic sustainability and a strategy for continuous improvement.
The Global Ecosphere Retreat® standard — The Global Ecosphere Retreat® standard —
A leading sustainability certification, The Long Run’s Global Ecosphere Retreat® standard is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and aligned to global frameworks including the Sustainable Development Goals and 2030 Biodiversity Framework.
Although certification is not suitable for everyone, and we view it as a milestone rather than end goal, the standard underpins the rigour and transparency that we're so proud of. To achieve Global Ecosphere Retreat® status, members must meet 91 criteria across the 4Cs (Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce). External auditors go onsite to verify that criteria are continuously met. Global Ecosphere Retreats® must submit annual data and undergo recertification every six years.
“One of the world’s best standards for privately protected areas”
— Dr. Jeff A. Langholz,
International Environmental Policy Professor
The Global Ecosphere Retreat® standard is unique in that:
Is more than just about compliance assessment; it is a way to support nature-based tourism businesses in continuous improvement.
It covers all the 4Cs — Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce — with equal weight.
The recognition is earned rather than granted following rigorous assessment by experts and professionals.
It is not only about businesses merely mitigating negative environmental impacts but positively impacting well-being of both planet and people.
Owning, directly managing, or influencing a significant land or seascape is an essential criterion that ensures focus remains on where tourism can have the greatest positive impact.
It requires a business to be — or become — commercially profitable. This demonstrates how conserving nature yields economic benefits beyond the ethical arguments for protecting the planet.
It awards nature-based tourism businesses that are motivated to be a force for the greater good and are, or aspire to be, the best of the best in sustainable tourism.
The Global Ecosphere Retreat® is renewed every five years and is currently undergoing revision.
Who are we?
A small, passionate global team of conservationists, economists, environmentalists, tourism specialists, and marketers.
Delphine King
TECHNICAL ADVISOR
Lynn Mumbi
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Tim O’Donoghue
REGIONAL HUB MANAGER FOR NORTH AMERICA
Holly Tuppen
COMMUNICATIONS
LEAD
Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ruth Crichton
REGIONAL HUB MANAGER FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA
Joy Mbatau
COMMUNITY COORDINATOR
Johanna Barba
REGIONAL HUB MANAGER FOR LATIN AMERICA
Irene Meca
REGIONAL HUB MANAGER FOR ASIA
Although we each come from different walks of life, we’ve come together under one unifying principle: