Estimation of Ecotourism Carrying Capacity for Sustainable Development of Protected Areas in Iran

Sobhani, Parvaneh; Esmaeilzadeh, Hassan; Sadeghi, Seyed Mohammad Moein; Marcu, Marina Viorela

doi:10.3390/ijerph19031059

Cited by 28 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Jajrud has been exposed to high levels of change and severe destruction from human activities, population growth, and urbanisation. These findings are confirmed by other studies [29,48], which demonstrate that the development of economic and physical activities spans across fragmented habitats and has caused species extinction. Overall, the major challenge for Jajrud is its proximity to the metropolis of Tehran and the growth and development of human activities.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Strategies to Manage Ecotourism Sustainably: Insights from a SWOT-ANP Analysis and IUCN Guidelines

et al. 2023

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Protected areas are prime areas for ecotourism development, attracting large numbers of visitors to an abundance of ecologically significant and often sensitive flora and fauna. The current study identified adverse impacts of ecotourism in four prominent tourist hotspots in Iran, namely Lar National Park, Jajrud Protected Area with Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, Tangeh Vashi National Natural Monument, and Kavdeh Wildlife Refuge. Impacts were compared against the IUCN guidelines according to the degree of ecological sensitivity and multiple managerial objectives. In addition, an analytic network process (ANP) was applied within a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis to identify optimal strategies for reducing threats and weaknesses and improving opportunities and strengths for sustainable ecotourism management. We found the greatest negative impacts of ecotourism in a Jajrud that was exposed to rapidly expanding urbanisation and the corresponding development of economic and physical activities. Conversely, the least negative impact occurred in a national park (Lar) that was managed based on conservation approaches, accounting for high ecological sensitivities, and adapting legal prohibitions. The SWOT-ANP analysis demonstrates that certain strategies can minimise impacts and should be adopted as conservation tools by protected area managers and land planners.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Strategies to Manage Ecotourism Sustainably: Insights from a SWOT-ANP Analysis and IUCN Guidelines

et al. 2023

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“…Human population growth is associated with numerous anthropogenic activities that substantially contribute to deforestation, such as socioeconomic conditions that lead to illegal logging, agricultural expansion to feed hungry mouths, and increased fuel wood collection to meet rising energy demands [49]. Although ecotourism determines the economic value of the forest ecosystem (50), unsustainable 11 tourism disturbance impacts the forest vegetation, and forest sites exposed to unsustainable tourism affect vegetation structure and diversity [51]. It is evident from different studies that unsustainable ecotourism have a negative impact on the environment including biodiversity and forest cover.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population growth poses a significant threat to forest ecosystems: a case study from the Hindukush-Himalayas of Pakistan

Alam,

Ullah,

Ahmad

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Human population growth and associated increases in anthropogenic activities pose a significant threat to forest ecosystems by diminishing the natural ecosystem services these systems provide. Malam Jabba is located in District Swat Pakistan's Hindukush-Himalayan temperate zone, which is renowned for ecotourism and skiing and is rich in timber-producing tree species, medicinal plants, and unique biodiversity; however, the majority of Swat Valley's population relies on Malam Jabba forests for their timber & fuelwood requirements. We examined how the deforestation rate increased with increasing human population density in Pakistan's Malam Jabba area of the Hindukush- Himalayas. To identify the forest cover, remote sensing, and geographic information systems were used (RS & GIS). The study area's vegetation was analyzed with the Normalized Divergence Vegetation Index (NDVI) using multitemporal satellite images for the years 1980, 2000, and 2020. The deforestation rate from 1980 to 2020 was then determined using the decay model, and the MATLAB program was used to predict the deforestation rate for the following two decades in relation to the anticipated growth in the human population. Our result revealed that, in the last two decades, the average rate of deforestation increased from 0.7% to 1.93% per year, while the human population of District Swat increased from 1.2 to 2.3 million at a rate of 9% per year. The decay model predicts that the study area's deforestation rate will increase to 2.5% per year over the next two decades due to the forecasted 11.6% per year population growth rate. Human population growth in District Swat, Pakistan has seriously threatened the nearby forest ecosystems, and a future increase in human population will further accelerate anthropogenic activities like unsustanible tourism, fuel and timber wood collection and urbanization. Based on our results, we recommend that: (i) in addition to reforestation programs and sustainable use of forest resources, the government should implement a long-term forest management plan (ii) where the density of forest cover can be sustained at an equilibrium level dependent of population growth pressure (iii) and areas with extreme human pressure should be designated as most important for in situ conservation approach.

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“…Por otro lado, y en lo que respecta al cálculo de la capacidad de carga o acogida de visitantes, encontramos diversas metodologías de estudio, la mayor parte de las cuales están centradas en el cálculo de recursos recreativos concretos tales como senderos, áreas recreativas, infraestructuras, entre otros (Cifuentes et al, 1999;Gil & Gil, 2014;Gómez-Limón & García, 2014;Matos & Pérez, 2018;Sobhani et al, 2022;Tudela & Giménez, 2009).…”

Section: Propuesta Metodológicaunclassified

Propuesta metodológica 360ª para la evaluación de la masificación en cimas de montaña. Un caso de estudio

Dorado

Torbidoni

Morera³

2022

pirineos

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La actividad del turismo de naturaleza ha mostrado un crecimiento constante a nivel mundial que, acentuado por la situación de post confinamiento, ha puesto en evidencia la problemática de masificación de algunos entornos tan vulnerables como son las cimas de montaña. El objetivo de este trabajo se centra en presentar una propuesta metodológica integral de evaluación de la masificación en dichas cimas. En este caso, la metodología se aplicó en la Pica d’Estats, Parc Natural de l’Alt Pirineu. La propuesta metodológica 360º para la Evaluación de la Masificación en Cimas de Montaña (EMCM) fue elaborada teniendo en cuenta la consideración de cinco etapas: i) identificación de la afluencia de visitantes; ii) caracterización del perfil genérico del visitante; iii) determinación de la capacidad de carga turística; iv) cuantificación objetiva de la masificación; v) transferencia de conocimiento y toma de decisiones. Entre los principales resultados obtenidos en la aplicación de la EMCM propuesta en este caso de estudio cabe destacar: i) la identificación de la presencia objetiva de niveles de masificación en la cima durante los meses estivales de julio y agosto, que permitieron avanzar en el diseño participativo de tres grandes líneas de acción: a) consolidación de la oferta b) despliegue de la oferta c) regulación de vehículos a motor en la pista de acceso y ii) en cuanto al diseño metodológico en sí, la comprobación de la viabilidad y funcionalidad de la propuesta que sustenta la EMCM como una herramienta óptima y efectiva en el monitoreo y gestión del uso público en las cimas de montaña.

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Estimation of Ecotourism Carrying Capacity for Sustainable Development of Protected Areas in Iran

Cited by 28 publications

References 73 publications

Strategies to Manage Ecotourism Sustainably: Insights from a SWOT-ANP Analysis and IUCN Guidelines

Strategies to Manage Ecotourism Sustainably: Insights from a SWOT-ANP Analysis and IUCN Guidelines

Population growth poses a significant threat to forest ecosystems: a case study from the Hindukush-Himalayas of Pakistan

Propuesta metodológica 360ª para la evaluación de la masificación en cimas de montaña. Un caso de estudio

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