Integrating Forest Conservation Contributions into Online Travel Agencies

Executive summary

Climate change poses significant risks to global ecosystems, economies, and public health. Forest conservation and reforestation offer effective and immediate opportunities for mitigating atmospheric CO₂. According to NASA, forests currently sequester roughly 7.6 billion tons of CO₂ annually — about 1.5 times the total emissions of the U.S. economy. This brief proposes integrating voluntary forest-protection contributions at checkout on online travel agency (OTA) platforms as an immediate, scalable, and low-cost way to slow atmospheric CO₂ accumulation.

Forest conservation is cost-effective and carries positive consumer sentiment. Many projects safeguard forests for as little as $5–10 per acre, and 99% of those protected forests remain intact. A 2017 study estimates that conserving and managing forests could prevent about 7 billion tons of CO₂ each year — comparable to taking every car on the planet off the road.

New experimental research demonstrates strong consumer preference for OTAs that offer an easy forest-preservation contribution. In a controlled study, 69% of participants chose to donate their own money toward rainforest preservation, and 75% said they would prefer a platform offering easy-to-use donation features. Critically, adding the feature did not harm consumer perceptions or booking intentions.

Implementation is straightforward and inexpensive, leveraging existing donation infrastructure. Even modest participation could generate nearly $950 million annually, preserving millions of acres of rainforest and sequestering billions of tons of CO₂ over time. Individual airlines already run voluntary donation programs, underscoring their feasibility.

Recommendation: OTAs such as Expedia and Booking.com should add a rainforest-protection contribution at checkout — directing roughly 5% of ticket cost to reputable organizations like Rainforest Trust. At about $10 per acre, these contributions meaningfully mitigate emissions and preserve biodiversity.

Introduction

Climate change requires a multidimensional solution. While long-term climate technology will be necessary, easy-to-implement near-term strategies should also be pursued. Protecting the world's rainforests is an immediate, cost-effective way to sequester CO₂: forests capture more CO₂ each year than the U.S. economy produces, yet are increasingly at risk. The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report emphasizes forestry's substantial mitigation potential, estimating that reduced deforestation could prevent over 4 billion tons of CO₂ emissions by 2050, with more than half achievable at less than $20 per ton.

This brief proposes integrating voluntary forest-based contributions into OTA platforms. It aligns with consumer preferences, builds loyalty, and delivers real environmental benefit.

Public opinion

Public concern about climate change is high. The 2024 Peoples' Climate Vote Survey (73,000 respondents) found that:

• 56% think about climate change daily or weekly
• 63% factor climate impacts into purchasing decisions
• 80% want increased climate action
• 81% support nature-based climate solutions

A 2018 poll reported that 57% of Americans would pay $1 monthly for environmental restoration, and 23% would contribute $40 monthly. In 2024, Andre et al. found that 69% of 130,000 respondents would donate 1% of their income for climate solutions. Yet only 3.6% of U.S. charitable giving supports environmental causes. The gap points to a clear need: easy, direct opportunities to give.

A 2025 survey by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council found growing demand for businesses that support climate action: up to 92% of travelers express interest in sustainable options, but only ~57% have used them — an awareness-to-action gap. 76% believe sustainable travel choices matter for future generations, 21% would pay 5% more for them, and 72% said they are more likely to use OTAs that offer sustainable options.

Why forest protection, and why now

Air travel's footprint

Air travel accounts for about 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions (~950 million tons per year), with growth expected as global wealth rises. A round-trip flight from New York to Los Angeles releases roughly 1.2 tons of CO₂ per passenger.

Rainforest protection is an effective, immediate solution

Reforestation and forest preservation are among the most cost-effective, scalable methods of carbon sequestration, identified by the IPCC as high-potential. Protected forests capture carbon immediately and offer co-benefits: biodiversity, water regulation, and climate resilience. Between 2001 and 2019, global forests absorbed about twice as much CO₂ as they emitted, a net sink of roughly 7.6 billion tons annually. Preserving rainforest requires no complex technology: Brazil's Menkragnotí Indigenous reserve absorbs about 10 million tons of CO₂ more than it emits each year, while adjacent unprotected lands have become net emitters.

Affordability and feasibility

A contribution of 5% of the ticket price would provide meaningful benefit. A $400 ticket yields a $20 donation, protecting roughly 2 acres of rainforest — which continues to sequester over 2 tons of CO₂ per year.

Worked example. As of 2019, each passenger-kilometer creates ~157 g of CO₂. A one-way NYC→LA flight is 3,944 km → ~0.62 tons per passenger, or ~1.24 tons round trip. It costs under $10 to preserve an acre of rainforest, and an acre sequesters 1–2.5 tons of CO₂ per year. So a 5%-of-fare contribution could protect ~2 acres and help sequester 2+ tons of CO₂ annually, per traveler.

The opportunity at scale

• Average round-trip flight (NYC–LA): ~$400 fare, ~0.6 tons CO₂
• A 5% contribution (~$20) could fund projects sequestering 2+ tons CO₂ annually
• Total U.S. airline ticket sales in 2024: $744 billion
• 51% of consumers book airline tickets through OTAs — which currently offer no environmental contribution at checkout

If just 5% of customers opted to donate 5% of their booking value:

$379B booked via OTAs × 0.05 (contribution) × 0.05 (participation) = ~$948 million annually.

At $10 per acre, that equates to 94.8 million acres preserved annually. Over 10 years, these forests would sequester approximately 1 billion tons of CO₂.

How conservation organizations deliver impact

Many organizations — Rainforest Trust, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Land Trust, and Conservation International — protect ecologically important land through purchase, legal designation, or long-term stewardship with local communities. Projects are selected for biodiversity value, carbon storage, and threat level. Were tropical deforestation a country, it would be the fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Yet remaining tropical forests still remove twice as much CO₂ as they emit each year. These contributions are best understood not as one-to-one offsets but as climate investments that reduce impact against a business-as-usual deforestation trajectory.

Rainforest Trust and the Peruvian Amazon

Rainforest Trust protects tropical forests by establishing and expanding protected areas with local partners and Indigenous communities. With its partner CEDIA, it has protected nearly 14 million acres in Peru and is working to protect 1.6 million more — an area larger than Maryland. At least 68 threatened species now thrive in the reserves; 189 Indigenous communities have gained legal title to ancestral lands; and the protected areas safeguard about 2.8 billion tons of carbon, roughly seven years of Germany's annual emissions.

Additionality

Groups like Rainforest Trust and The Nature Conservancy strengthen additionality by targeting frontier forests under acute threat — areas where conservation would not occur under business-as-usual. The urgency is real: in 2023 alone, ~9.1 million acres of primary tropical forest were cleared, releasing an estimated 2.4 billion tons of CO₂ — roughly ten soccer fields disappearing every minute.

Governance and monitoring

High success rates come from rigorous project selection, strong governance, and on-the-ground monitoring — partnering with trusted local NGOs and Indigenous communities, and securing tenure through land titles, easements, and government-designated protected areas. Rainforest Trust ensures 100% of public donations go directly to conservation, as board members and major donors cover overhead.

Contributions versus offsets

Traditional offsets claim to "neutralize" a ton of CO₂ elsewhere, but many forest offsets have been criticized for over-crediting and lack of permanence. Framing a contribution as a climate benefit rather than a license to pollute avoids these pitfalls. Forest-protection contributions should complement, not replace, emissions reductions. Airlines must continue investing in fuel efficiency, sustainable aviation fuels, operational improvements, and zero-emission aircraft.

Beyond carbon

Conservation also preserves biodiversity and regulates water. Tropical rainforests harbor more than half of Earth's species; protecting them shields thousands of plant and animal species from extinction, regulates regional rainfall, reduces flood risk, and protects watersheds that supply water to millions.

It already works at the airline level

No major OTA offers voluntary environmental contributions at checkout, but many individual airlines do. Qantas, Virgin Australia, Delta, British Airways, Jetstar, United, Air Canada, JetBlue, Air New Zealand, and Gulf Air all offer checkout contributions toward forest preservation and renewable energy. Per the 2024 SITA report, 65% of U.S. airlines have implemented passenger-paid offsets, with ~40 airlines worldwide offering such programs. Globally, aviation emissions are managed under CORSIA, anticipated to offset 2.5–4 billion tons of CO₂ by 2035.

A standout example is Air New Zealand's FlyNeutral program, which splits contributions between certified carbon credits and native reforestation. In 2024, participation rates of 3.4–7.1% raised NZD $998,000, mitigating 58,488 tons of CO₂ and enabling nearly 123,000 native trees to be planted. Extending similar programs to major OTAs, which handle 51% of airline bookings, could multiply this impact.

Conclusion

This brief does not try to quantify how much natural climate solutions could offset airline emissions; such calculations are inherently complex. Nor does it claim that contributions can fully neutralize the climate impact of flying. Achieving carbon-neutral aviation will require sustainable fuels, zero-emission aircraft, and operational efficiency.

What the evidence does show is that integrating rainforest-protection contributions into OTA checkout is a practical, low-cost, high-impact way to address part of the sector's emissions in the near term, reducing net emissions until longer-term solutions mature. Rainforests are among the planet's most effective carbon sinks, deforestation is accelerating, and consumer demand for visible climate action is strong. A well-designed contribution feature channels that willingness into funding for conservation, and strengthens brand affinity. With environmental urgency and consumer demand both high, OTAs have a clear opening to lead.

Recommendation

To online travel agencies such as Expedia and Booking.com:

1. Implement an option to donate to forest protection at checkout.
2. Partner with reputable nonprofits that offer transparency and measurable outcomes.
3. Communicate the sustainability commitment clearly to consumers.

Doing so enhances customer loyalty while delivering a meaningful benefit and contributing to climate resilience.

Related research

Subsequent Better Behavior Foundation experiments tested not just whether to offer a contribution but how to ask. Across three airline booking-flow studies, the design of the donation step — the imagery, the suggested amounts, and concrete statements of where the money goes — materially changed both how many travelers gave and how much. See Redesigning the In-Booking Donation Flow and the companion policy brief. The practical implication for OTAs: implementing the option is necessary but not sufficient; the design of the ask is itself a lever.

References

1. ACR Carbon. (n.d.). International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). https://acrcarbon.org/our-markets/international-civil-aviation-organization-icao/
2. Andre, P., Boneva, T., Chopra, F., & Falk, A. (2024). Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action. Nature Climate Change, 14(3), 253–259.
3. AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (2019). Is the Public Willing to Pay to Help Fix Climate Change?
4. Air New Zealand. (2024). Annual Results Report 2024.
5. Bergero, C., et al. (2023). Pathways to net-zero emissions from aviation. Nature Sustainability, 6(4), 404–414.
6. Busch, J., et al. (2024). Cost-effectiveness of natural forest regeneration and plantations for climate mitigation. Nature Climate Change, 14, 996–1002.
7. Griscom, B.W., et al. (2017). Natural climate solutions. PNAS, 114(44), 11645–11650.
8. Calvo-Rodriguez, S., et al. (2021). Dynamics of carbon accumulation in tropical dry forests under climate change extremes. Forests, 12(1), 106.
9. Chazdon, R.L., et al. (2016). Carbon sequestration potential of second-growth forest regeneration in the Latin American tropics. Science Advances, 2(5), e1501639.
10. Expedia Group. (2023). The Path to Purchase: Uncovering How Travelers Plan and Book Online.
11. Giving USA. (2025). U.S. Charitable Giving Grew to $592.50 Billion in 2024.
12. Global Sustainable Tourism Council. (2024). Trip.com Group's 2024 Sustainable Travel Consumer Report Insights.
13. Gullison, R.E., et al. (2007). Tropical forests and climate policy. Science, 316(5827), 985–986.
14. Harris, N.L., et al. (2021). Global maps of twenty-first century forest carbon fluxes. Nature Climate Change, 11(3), 234–240.
15. International Air Transport Association. (2024). 129 states are participating in CORSIA as of January 1, 2025.
16. Knutson, J. (2024). Efforts to curb deforestation around the world are stalling, report finds. Axios.
17. MIT Climate. (n.d.). How many new trees would we need to offset our carbon emissions?
18. Noon, M.L., et al. (2022). Mapping the irrecoverable carbon in Earth's ecosystems. Nature Sustainability, 5(1), 37–46.
19. Our World in Data. (2024). What share of global CO₂ emissions come from aviation?
20. Rainforest Alliance. (n.d.). Home.
21. Rainforest Trust. (n.d.). Fighting Climate Change.
22. Rainforest Trust. (n.d.). Rainforest Climate Action Fund.
23. Streiff, L. (2021). NASA satellites help quantify forests' impacts on global carbon budget. NASA.
24. UNDP & GlobeScan. (2024). The Peoples' Climate Vote Report 2024.
25. U.S. EPA. (2024). Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator — Calculations & References.
26. U.S. Geological Survey. (2022). Fifty Years of Landsat: Observing Global Forests from Above the Canopy.
27. World Resources Institute. (2018). Conserving forests could cut carbon emissions as much as getting rid of every car on Earth.