Determining the Range of Influence of Tourist Trails Users on Naturally Valuable Areas: A Proposal of a Method and a Practical Example

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present the proprietary methodology for determining the area range of anthropopressure to areas of natural value located along tourist trails and to the entire area where those trails are located. Design/Methodology/Approach: A method of critical analysis of information obtained from various dispersed sources was used to determine the widths of the buffers of the impact of tourists using various types of tourist trails on the environment. Current geodetic and cartographic studies as well as geoportals and thematic websites available on the Internet were used to properly define the course of tourist routes. Spatial analyzes were performed using the ArcGIS software environment. Findings: The results of the research confirm that the proposed simple, cheap and effective methodology allows to take into account many elements of nature and to consider the range of pressure on valuable natural areas as a whole or only on their selected element. It also allows to choose the form of tourist activities in the analyzed area. Practical Implications: The proposed method can be helpful in the management of protected areas, including, for example, the assessment of the tourist capacity of the area and the development of opinions on the creation of new and updating or correction of the existing tourist trails. Originality/Value: Authors presented an algorithm of the most important activities and types of spatial analyzes necessary to identify the extent of the impact of people using various types of tourist trails on naturally valuable areas