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Assessment of Ecotourism Environmental Carrying Capacity in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China

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  • Qinqin Du

    (Gansu Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Prediction and Control, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China)

  • Qingyu Guan

    (Gansu Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Prediction and Control, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China)

  • Yunfan Sun

    (Gansu Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Prediction and Control, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China)

  • Qingzheng Wang

    (Gansu Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Prediction and Control, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China)

Abstract

Ecotourism is the main trend of global tourism development, and evaluating the ecotourism environmental carrying capacity (EECC) of ecologically fragile areas can provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of regional tourism. This study uses the typical fragile mountain area, the Qilian Mountains (QLMs), as an example and analyzes the spatial and temporal changes in EECC by constructing an evaluation indicator system of EECC, which is based on the framework of “natural ecological environment support—socio-economic pressure—tourism activity pressure”. In the results, it is found that the natural ecological environment support, socio-economic pressure, and tourism activity pressure in the QLMs all present a spatial distribution pattern of higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest. From a temporal perspective, most of the indicators of different subsystems show an increasing trend. The whole area of EECC in the QLMs shows an increasing trend in 85.4% of the region, while the EECC in some areas in the southeastern and northern parts shows a decreasing trend. Comparing different time periods, it is found that the EECC in the whole region shows an increasing trend from 2000 to 2010, while the proportion of areas with a decreasing trend in EECC from 2010 to 2018 reaches 67.1%. The research results can provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of ecotourism in the QLMs and other similar regions in the world, and they further contribute to the protection of the ecological environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Qinqin Du & Qingyu Guan & Yunfan Sun & Qingzheng Wang, 2024. "Assessment of Ecotourism Environmental Carrying Capacity in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:1873-:d:1345386
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Xiaofan Ma & Haifeng Zhang, 2023. "Land-Use/Land-Cover Change and Ecosystem Service Provision in Qinghai Province, China: From the Perspective of Five Ecological Function Zones," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-21, March.
    2. Lili Pu & Chengpeng Lu & Xuedi Yang & Xingpeng Chen, 2023. "Spatio-Temporal Variation of the Ecosystem Service Value in Qilian Mountain National Park (Gansu Area) Based on Land Use," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-19, January.
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