@2024 Afarand., IRAN
ISSN: 2538-4384 Geographical Researches 2020;35(1):43-54
ISSN: 2538-4384 Geographical Researches 2020;35(1):43-54
Presentation of a Model of Site Assessment and Ecotourism Planning in Protected Areas with an Ecological Carrying Capacity Approach
ARTICLE INFO
Article Type
Original ResearchAuthors
Mahdi A. (1)Karimi D. (*1)
Farshchi P. (2)
Panahi M. (3)
(2) Department of Environmental Pollution, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
(3) Department of Environmental Economics, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Correspondence
Address: Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hesarak Martyrs Boulevard, University Square, End of Shahid Sattari Highway, Tehran, IranPhone: +98 (21) 44564323
Fax: +98 (21) 445643200
dkarimi1@gmail.com
Article History
Received: December 8, 2019Accepted: January 9, 2021
ePublished: February 10, 2020
ABSTRACT
Aims & Backgrounds
Today, ecotourism is referred to as a tool that seeks to realize the pleasures and benefits of tourism, but strives not to diminish the natural and ecological value of the area. The purpose of this study is to determine the effective criteria for ecotourism site evaluation and ecological board capacity to plan for ecotourism in Shahrood protected areas.
Methodology In the first step, site evaluation criteria were compiled and rated by experts. Fitting was done by LISREL software. The data layers were then weighted and overlapped by pairwise comparison. Subsequently, zoning was carried out to determine the area and capacity of the physical real and effective range for ecotourism.
Findings The final model of ecotourism evaluation consists of 8 dimensions and 20 criteria. The model fit was good and acceptable (GFI 0.942). It is also suitable for ecotourism at 66474 hectares. The study area consists of 3 areas of mountain forest, mountain and plain and desert. The effective range for the mountainous forest area is 1743 and for the mountainous and plain area is 1765 and for the desert zone is 3123.
Conclusion In Shahrood city protected areas, environmental board capacity is not observed and is more than threshold tolerance. As a result, ecotourism needs to be at the forefront of tourism planning in the area of conservation principles.
Methodology In the first step, site evaluation criteria were compiled and rated by experts. Fitting was done by LISREL software. The data layers were then weighted and overlapped by pairwise comparison. Subsequently, zoning was carried out to determine the area and capacity of the physical real and effective range for ecotourism.
Findings The final model of ecotourism evaluation consists of 8 dimensions and 20 criteria. The model fit was good and acceptable (GFI 0.942). It is also suitable for ecotourism at 66474 hectares. The study area consists of 3 areas of mountain forest, mountain and plain and desert. The effective range for the mountainous forest area is 1743 and for the mountainous and plain area is 1765 and for the desert zone is 3123.
Conclusion In Shahrood city protected areas, environmental board capacity is not observed and is more than threshold tolerance. As a result, ecotourism needs to be at the forefront of tourism planning in the area of conservation principles.
CITATION LINKS
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[2]Arsić S, Nikolić D, Živković Z (2017). Hybrid SWOT – ANP – FANP model for prioritization strategies of sustainable development of ecotourism in national park Djerdap, Serbia. Forest Policy and Economics. 80:11-26.
[3]Ashok S, Tewari HR, Behera MD, Behera MD, Majumdar A (2017). Development of ecotourism sustainability assessment framework employing Delphi, C&I and participatory methods: A case study of KBR. West Sikkim, India. Tourism Management Perspectives. 21:24-41.
[4]Bakhshi H, Namiranian M, Makhdoom M, Zahedi Amiri G (2010). The impact of recreation on regeneration, herbaceous cover and soil quality case study: Nur forest park. Journal of the Forest and Wood Products, Iranian Natural Resources Journal. 6(3):271-283. [Persian]
[5]Bazmara Balashti M, Tavakoli M, Soltanian S, Jafarzadeh K (2017). Development of sustainable ecotourism in protected areas with emphasis on the concept of environmental board capacity. Journal of Tourism Space. 7(25):19-32. [Persian]
[6]Bluwstein J (2017). Creating ecotourism territories: Environmentalities in Tanzania’s community-based conservation. Geoforum. 83:101–113.
[7]Borowy I (2014). Defining sustainable development for our common future. A history of the world commission on environment and development. (Brundtland Commission). 1st ed. Milton Park: Routledge.
[8]Brown LR (2011). world on the edge. earth policy institute. New York: Norton.
[9]Duarte P, Meneses R, Hawkins AJS, Zue M, Fang J, Grant J (2003). Mathematical modeling to assess the carrying capacity for multi species culture within coastal water. Ecological Modeling. 168(1-2):109-143.
[10]Eagles PFJ (2014). Research priorities in park tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 22(4):528-549.
[11]Eshaghi Rad J, Heidari M, Mahdavi A, Zeinivandzadeh M (2011). Impact of recreational activities on vegetation and soil in forest park case study: Choghasabz forest park-Ilam. Iranian Journal of Forest. 3(1):71-80. [Persian]
[12]Eusébio C, Carneiro MJ, Kastenholz E, Figueiredo E, Da Silva DS (2017). Who is consuming the countryside? an activity-based segmentation analysis of the domestic rural tourism market in Portugal. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. 31:197-210.
[13]Hammitt WE, Cole DN, Monz CA (2015). Wildland recreation: Ecology and management. 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley.
[14]James P, Magee L, Scerri A, Steger MB (2015). Urban sustainability in theory and practice: Circles of sustainability. London: Routledge.
[15]Jennifer K, Strickland-Munro JK, Allison HE, Moore SA (2010). Using resilience concepts to investigate the impacts of protected area tourism on communities. Annals of Tourism Research. 37(2):499–519.
[16]Jurado N, Tejada M, García A, González C, Macías C, Peña Gutiérrez F, et al (2017). Carrying capacity assessment for tourist destinations. Methodology for the creation of synthetic indicators applied in a coastal area. Tourism Management. 33(6):1337-1346.
[17]Laurance W, Alonso M, Lee M, Campbell P (2006). Challenges for forest conservation in Gabon, Central Africa. Futures. 38(4):454- 474.
[18]Liu AM, Lau WS, Fellows R (2012). The contributions of environmental management systems towards project outcome: Case studies in Hong Kong. Architectural Engineering and Design Management. 8 (3):160-169.
[19]Lucas-Borja ME, Bastida F, Moreno JL, Nicolás C (2011). The effects of human trampling on the microbiological properties of soil and vegetation in Mediterranean mountain areas. Land Degradation and Development. 22(4):383–394.
[20]Madden CJ, Goodin KL, Allee R, Finkbeiner M, Barnford DE (2008). Coastal and marine ecological classification standard (Draft). NOAA and NatureServe. p77.
[21]Martire S, Castellani V, Sala S (2015). Carrying capacity assessment of forest resources: Enhancing environmental sustainability in energy production at local scale. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 94:11-20
[22]Masum KM, Al Mamun A, Malekur Rahman ZM, Rahman M, Newaz S, Redowan M (2013). Ecotourism carrying capacity and the potentiality of the Safari Park of Bangladesh. Journal of forest and environmental science. 29(4):292-299.
[23]Moradi A, Daneshpour SA, Daneshvar M, Bahmanpour H (2019). Determine the carrying capacity of the tourism and recreational range of natural areas along the urban and sustainable urban planning. Geographical Researches. 34(3):445-454.
[24]Nejat SA, Dabiri F (2012). Management and legal challenges of protected areas of Zanjan province. Journal of environmental studies. 38(2):55-68.
[25]UNESCO (2017). Country strategy for the islamic republic of Iran 2017 – 2021. Tehran: UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office for Afghanistan, I.R. Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan. p30.
[26]Olive ND, Marion JL (2009). The influence of use-related, environmental, and managerial factors on soil loss from recreational trails. Journal of Environmental Management. 90(3):1483–1493.
[27]Reghunathan M, Joseph S, Warrier CU, Hameed AS, Albert M (2016). Factors affecting the environmental carrying capacity of a freshwater tropical lake system. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 188:615.
[28]Rashnam L, Randnor Z (2005). Learning to improve: Approaches to improving local government services, public money and management. 25(1):19-26.
[29]Rezaei P, Ghahramani N (2015). Assessing the capacity of the board in determining the uses of tourism complexes. Quarterly Journal of Tourism Management Studies. 10(31):85-102.
[30]Sayan MS, Atik M (2011). Recreation carrying capacity estimates for protected areas: A study of Termesson National Park. Ekoloji. 20(78):66-74.
[31]Serra G (2007). Ecotourism in the palmyra desert, syria a feasibility study. Cambridge: Birdlife International.
[32]Santos-Lobo HA, Trajano E, Marinho MD, Bichuette ME, Scaleante J, Scaleante O, et al (2013). Projection of tourist scenarios onto fragility maps: Framework for determination of provisional tourist carrying capacity in a Brazilian show cave. Tourism Management. 35:234-243.
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[34]Siem Reap (2019). Sustainable tourism observatories of asia and the pacific meet to discuss effective monitoring of tourism data. The international network of sustainable tourism observatories (INSTO) of the world tourism organization (UNWTO) hosted its latest Asia workshop in Siem reap. 2019, 25 November: Cambodia.
[35]Taheri Hosseinabadi M, Tayebi Sani SM, Fahiminejad A, Bahmanpour H (2019). Carrying capacity determine of the sports and recreational of the natural areas in line with sustainable planning (case study: The mountainous of Darakeh). Journal of Tourism and Development. 8(4):82-98.
[36]Thampi SP (2005). Ecotourism in Kerala, India: Lessons from the eco-development project in Periyar Tiger Reserve. International Ecotourism Monthly.13:6.
[37]Tselentis BS, Prokopiou DG, Gyalirakis EM, Bouga D (2011). Tourism carrying capacity assessment and environment: The case of Crete. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment. 144:177-189.
[38]UNWTO [Internet]. United Nations World Tourism Organization. Tourism facts and figures. [Published 2009, 15 February; Cited 2012, 9 September] Available from: www.unwto.org.
[39]Ye W, Xu X, Wang H, Wang H, Yang H, Yang Z (2016). Quantitative assessment of resources and environmental carrying capacity in the northwest temperate continental climate ecotype of China. Environmental Earth Sciences. 75:10.
[40]Zambrano AMA, Broadbent EN, Durham W (2010). Social and environmental effects of ecotourism in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica: The Lapa Rios case. Journal of Ecotourism. 9(1):62-83.
[41]Zhang H, Lei SL (2012). A structural model of residents’ intention to participate in ecotourism: The case of a wetland community. Tourism Management. 33(4):916-925.