Determining the Impact of Tourism on the Environment by Extracting the Carbon Footprint of Road Infrastructure in Natural Protected Areas – Case Study of the Učka Nature Park

Abstract

Purpose – The research is based on the thesis that if the impacts of tourism on the environment were reduced to a local carrying capacity of the environment, then the global impact of tourism on the environment would be fully sustainable. In this light, the purpose of this research is to measure the local impact of tourism related road traffic on the environment on the example of the Učka Nature Park. Methodology – The carbon footprint of road traffic in the Učka tunnel was calculated using the carbon footprint methodology. The footprint was measured in the period from 2015 to 2020 on a monthly basis in order to gather database for analysing the seasonality of CO2 emissions, taking into account the local biocapacity of the environment. Findings – The total carbon footprint of traffic in the Učka tunnel from 2015 to 2020 is the result of an average volume of 3,204,375 vehicles per year. This amount of road traffic emitted an average of 2934.3 tons of CO2 per year. On a yearly basis 4.45% of the total biocapacity of the Učka Nature Park or 687.9 lha is needed to absorb carbon emissions from the Učka tunnel. The share of tourism in the total carbon footprint of road traffic in the Učka tunnel during the observed period at the annual level is 30.5%. Contribution – The paper contributes to the discussion of the local impact of tourism related to road traffic. Specifically, the paper aims to raise awareness and encourage the scientific community to research more local case studies that will measure the concrete impact of tourism on the environment. The applied contribution of the work is expressed through the measured value of the total and specifically separated tourist carbon footprint and contributes to the expansion of the database that would enable objective, measurable and sustainable spatial management.