New Zealand has failed to hit the heights in Forbes Advisor's latest ecotourism rankings.
The list is billed as "the best holiday destinations for nature lovers".
In determining the rankings, Forbes Advisor first makes sure countries are listed as safe to visit by travelsafe-abroad.com. Those that are listed as red unsafe countries are automatically ruled out.
Six data points are then used to rank the countries and give them a score out of 100. These are:
- Number of amphibia, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and plant species
- Number of protected species
- Percentage of protected landmass
- Number of UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites
- Environmental performance determined by factors such as air quality and the protection of land and species
- CO2 emissions in tons per capita
New Zealand didn't fare particularly well after this criteria was applied, reaching just 40th place on the list, one below the UK at 39.
Looking further up the list, the United States came in at 16 with our trans-Tasman rivals Australia coming in a very respectable third place.
Brazil topped the chart at number one, closely followed by Mexico in second place.
"Brazil is the most biodiverse country of all the destinations we researched, with over 43,000 various animal species, and plants. This is despite large-scale deforestation of the Amazon," Forbes Advisor said of the winner.
"Around 30% of Brazil’s landmass is currently protected. This includes eight UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites, one of which is the Central Amazon Conservation complex, which protects threatened species such as the Amazonian manatee and the black caiman."
The breakdown of New Zealand's ranking score is as follows:
Biodiversity 3861, Biodiversity Density (10km2) 0.1, Protected Areas (% of landmass) 33.4, Protected Species 7, UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites 3, Environmental Performance 56.7, Ton CO2/cap 6.69, Total Score (out of 100) 66.7.
SHARE ME