Ten countries win Ethical Destinations Award

Grenada, Micronesia, Mongolia, Panama, and Tuvalu become first-time winners of the Ethical Traveler annual award.

Joining the quintet are repeat performers Cabo Verde, Dominica, Samoa, Tonga and Uruguay.

Seven of 2016's Ethical Destinations Award winners are island nations and all ten are credited for their environmental and human rights practices.

"We honor those that strive to build a better, more sustainable society," said co-founder Jeff Greenwald in a prepared statement. "Their neighbors can learn and benefit from their example -- and so can we."

Island nations are more exposed to the dramatic effects of climate change, explains the EDA announcement, and are therefore more likely to implement effective environmental policies.

A full report, with reasoning behind the EDA's selections and omissions, is available from ethicaltraveler.org/reports/destinations