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

Author

Listed:
  • Parvaneh Sobhani

    (Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran)

  • Hassan Esmaeilzadeh

    (Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran 1983969411, Iran)

  • Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi

    (Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Şirul Beethoven 1, 500123 Brasov, Romania)

  • Marina Viorela Marcu

    (Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Şirul Beethoven 1, 500123 Brasov, Romania)

Abstract

Estimating the ecotourism carrying capacity (ETCC) in protected areas (PAs) is essential for minimizing the negative impacts of ecotourism and sustainable environmental management. PAs are one of the prominent ecotourism locations and many of these areas have been created to protect biodiversity and improve human wellbeing. This study has identified and prioritized negative impacts of ecotourism in Lar national park, the Jajrud protected area with the sustainable use of natural resources, and Tangeh Vashi national natural monument. For this purpose, physical carrying capacity (PCC), real carrying capacity (RCC), and effective carrying capacity (ECC) were estimated using the ETCC model. The results indicated that due to these areas’ ecological sensitivity, the most negative impacts of ecotourism are related to the environmental-physical dimensions. In contrast, the lowest impacts have been observed in the economic-institutional dimensions. Moreover, the results revealed that the highest PCC is related to Lar national park, and the lowest PCC is associated with Tangeh Vashi natural monument. There are more tourists in the Jajrud protected area with the sustainable use of natural resources than other areas in RCC and ECC due to low levels of restrictions and legal instructions. In contrast, in Lar national park and Tangeh Vashi natural monument, due to the short duration of ecotourism in these areas (from June to October), high level of restrictions, and ecological sensitivity, the number of tourists is less than the RCC and ECC. As these areas have a limited ability to attract visitors and ecotourism, the protection of these areas requires the implementation of sustainable management to control the negative impacts of ecotourism and estimate the number of visitors.

Suggested Citation

  • Parvaneh Sobhani & Hassan Esmaeilzadeh & Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi & Marina Viorela Marcu, 2022. "Estimation of Ecotourism Carrying Capacity for Sustainable Development of Protected Areas in Iran," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:3:p:1059-:d:727729
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yirui Zhao & Tongsheng Li & Julin Li & Mengwei Song, 2022. "Study of Township Construction Land Carrying Capacity and Spatial Pattern Matching in Loess Plateau Hilly and Gully Region: A Case of Xifeng in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Parvaneh Sobhani & Hassan Esmaeilzadeh & Isabelle D. Wolf & Marina Viorela Marcu & Michael Lück & Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi, 2023. "Strategies to Manage Ecotourism Sustainably: Insights from a SWOT-ANP Analysis and IUCN Guidelines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-23, July.
    3. Milena Cvetković & Jovana Brankov & Nevena Ćurčić & Sanja Pavlović & Milica Dobričić & Tatiana N. Tretiakova, 2023. "Protected Natural Areas and Ecotourism—Priority Strategies for Future Development in Selected Serbian Case Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-31, November.
    4. Qianhong Quan & Yijin Wu, 2024. "Integrating Entropy Weight and MaxEnt Models for Ecotourism Suitability Assessment in Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-25, August.
    5. Parvaneh Sobhani & Hassan Esmaeilzadeh & Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi & Isabelle D. Wolf & Yaghoub Esmaeilzadeh & Azade Deljouei, 2022. "Assessing Spatial and Temporal Changes of Natural Capital in a Typical Semi-Arid Protected Area Based on an Ecological Footprint Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-16, September.

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