Making Nature a Stakeholder: An Interview with APT Valsugana on Sustainable Tourism
22nd July, 2025
A conversation between Gemma Buccella - Sustainability Manager at APT Valsugana and the GoNaturePositive! initiative
GoNaturePositive!: Welcome, Gemma. Could you start by telling us about Valsugana and what makes it special as a tourism destination?
Gemma Buccella: Thank you for having me. Valsugana is truly a unique destination in Trentino, Northern Italy. We're nestled between the pristine lakes of Caldonazzo and Levico - both Blue Flag certified - and the magnificent Lagorai mountain chain, one of the most natural areas in Trentino. What makes us special is our comprehensive approach to outdoor experiences: we offer everything from an 80-kilometre cycling path and 300 kilometres of mountain bike routes to thermal wellness at our iron-arsenical spa waters, alongside authentic hospitality traditions.
But what we're most proud of is becoming the first sustainable tourism destination in our region, certified according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria. This achievement represents our commitment to putting sustainability at the heart of everything we do.
GoNaturePositive!: That certification is impressive. What does a nature-positive economy mean for your sector, and what is one concrete step your organisation is taking (or recommends) to support it?
Gemma Buccella: A nature-positive economy in tourism means putting nature and local communities at the heart of decision-making. In Valsugana, we've embraced this vision by certifying our destination according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria. This process has helped us activate a wide and inclusive stakeholder engagement, where nature is not just a backdrop for tourism, but a stakeholder in its own right.
GoNaturePositive!: That's a fascinating concept - nature as a stakeholder. How does that translate into practical decision-making processes?
Gemma Buccella: When we consider nature as a stakeholder, we fundamentally change how we evaluate tourism development proposals and activities. For instance, when planning new trails or events, we don't just ask "what do tourists want?" but also "what impact will this have on local ecosystems?" and "how can this activity contribute to biodiversity enhancement?" Our GSTC certification process required us to engage with environmental groups, local farmers, hoteliers, tour operators, and municipal authorities - creating a dialogue where ecological considerations have equal weight with economic ones. It's about recognising that healthy ecosystems are the foundation of our tourism offering, not just an added benefit.
Gemma Buccella
Sustainability Manager | APT Valsugana
GoNaturePositive!: Looking at the broader policy landscape, how do current policies support or hinder your sector's efforts toward nature-positivity?
Gemma Buccella: Current policies send mixed signals for tourism's transition toward nature-positivity. At the EU level, frameworks like the Green Deal and the Tourism Agenda 2030 promote sustainability and biodiversity, but their non-binding nature limits their effectiveness. Locally, Trentino's Provincial Strategy for Sustainable Development (SproSS) has created an enabling environment, enhancing actions like Valsugana's GSTC certification. However, there is still a need to more clearly link tourism development with nature restoration goals—through shared responsibility, stronger cross-sector collaboration, and long-term commitments from both public and private actors.
“A nature-positive economy in tourism means putting nature and local communities at the heart of decision-making. In Valsugana, we’ve embraced this vision by certifying our destination according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria. This process has helped us activate a wide and inclusive stakeholder engagement, where nature is not just a backdrop for tourism, but a stakeholder in its own right”
GoNaturePositive!: You mentioned the importance of cross-sector collaboration. Can you give us an example of how this works in practice in Valsugana?
Gemma Buccella: Absolutely. One example is our "Adopt a Cow" programme, which might sound whimsical but represents exactly this kind of collaboration. We work with local alpine farmers to offer visitors the chance to adopt a cow and taste cheese produced in mountain huts with that cow's milk. This programme connects tourists directly with traditional farming practices, supports local livelihoods, maintains alpine landscapes, and educates visitors about sustainable agriculture.
It required collaboration between our tourism organisation, alpine farmers, accommodation providers, and local food producers. The result is an authentic experience that generates economic value while supporting traditional practices that maintain the very landscapes our tourists come to see.
GoNaturePositive!: How do you measure success in nature-positive tourism? What indicators tell you that you're moving in the right direction?
Gemma Buccella: The GSTC framework provides us with concrete indicators across four pillars: sustainable management, socioeconomic impacts, cultural impacts, and environmental impacts. We track things like energy and water consumption, waste reduction, local procurement percentages, and biodiversity monitoring in key tourism areas.
But beyond these metrics, we also look at qualitative indicators: are local communities actively participating in tourism planning? Are visitors leaving with a deeper understanding of our natural heritage? Are our tourism businesses proactively proposing nature-positive initiatives? The quality of stakeholder engagement often tells us as much as the quantitative data.
GoNaturePositive!: What role do you see initiatives like GoNaturePositive! playing in advancing sustainable tourism across Europe?
Gemma Buccella: GoNaturePositive! provides exactly what our sector needs: a platform for sharing best practices, learning from other destinations, and contributing to policy discussions at the European level. Tourism destinations often face similar challenges - balancing economic development with environmental protection, engaging diverse stakeholders, navigating complex policy frameworks - but we don't always have opportunities to learn from each other's solutions.
Through GoNaturePositive!, we can share our GSTC certification experience with other destinations while learning about innovative approaches being developed elsewhere. This kind of knowledge exchange is essential for scaling up nature-positive practices across the tourism sector.
GoNaturePositive!: Finally, what advice would you give to other tourism destinations looking to integrate nature-positive approaches into their development strategies?
Gemma Buccella: Start with genuine stakeholder engagement and don't underestimate the importance of certification frameworks like GSTC. The certification process itself is transformative - it forces you to examine every aspect of your destination through a sustainability lens and creates accountability mechanisms.
Also, remember that nature-positive tourism isn't just about adding green activities to your offering. It's about fundamentally rethinking how tourism development decisions are made. When you truly treat nature as a stakeholder with equal voice in the room, you discover that environmental benefits and economic benefits are often aligned - you just need the right frameworks to recognise and capture that alignment.
GoNaturePositive!: Thank you, Gemma, for sharing these insights. Valsugana's approach to treating nature as a stakeholder provides a compelling model for destinations across Europe.
Gemma Buccella: Thank you. We're excited to continue this journey and to learn from other destinations working toward the same vision of tourism that truly serves both people and planet.
This interview was conducted as part of GoNaturePositive!'s ongoing series exploring pathways toward a nature-positive economy. For more insights on sustainable destination management and community-led tourism approaches, view the tourism sectoral brief. Learn more about APT Valsugana at visitvalsugana.it and GoNaturePositive! at gonaturepositive.eu