Ecotourism 02
Ecotourism 02
Ecotourism 02
ECOTOURISM ASSESSMENT: AN
OVERVIEW
Sue Geldenhuys
ECOTOURISM ASSESSMENT
Frameworks have been developed to assist managers in preventing,
combating or minimizing the effects of recreational use on natural
environments.
Carrying capacity (CC), the recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS), tourism
opportunity spectrum (TOS), limits of acceptable change (LAC), visitor impact
management (VIM), visitor activity management process (VAMP), tourism
optimization management model (TOMM).
CARRYING CAPACITY
The central idea is that environmental factors set limits on the population that
an area can sustain. When these limits are exceeded, the quality of the
environment suffers and ultimately, its ability to support that population.
Subdivided carrying capacity as follows:
ECOLOGICAL CAPACITY (ecosystem partners)- to quantify the type and degree
of disturbance that an animal community is receiving from visitors.
PHYSICAL CAPACITY (space parameters)- level beyond which visitor satisfaction
drops as a result of overcrowding.
FACILITY CAPACITY (development parameters) accommodation carrying
capacity is fixed by bed space and transport carrying capacity by the
number of passengers who can be transported.
SOCIAL CAPACITY (experience parameters) host social carrying capacity is
the level beyond which unacceptable change will be caused to local cultural
stability and attitudes towards tourists.
CARRYING CAPACITY = Area use by tourist
Average individual standard
RECREATION OPPORTUNITY
SPECTRUM (ROS)
It promotes recreational diversity that provide a
broad array of recreational opportunities for users.
TOURISM OPPORTUNITY SPECTRUM
(TOS)
The TOS constitutes a continuum ranging from primitive and undeveloped conditions to
an urban environment which is intensively developed and consists of a human-built
environment.
THE ADVANTAGES OF USING A TOS ARE THAT:
It constitutes a planning and management matrix approach that is both rational and
comprehensive
It indicates what tourism opportunities are already provided or sustained
It links supply with demand in a practical planning process
It provides a framework to evaluate the regional tourism alternatives and consequences
of changing development levels
LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE CHANGE
(LAC)
Recreation Carrying Capacity (RCC) ‘the maximum
number of people who could use a resource without
damaging the social or biological conditions stated in
the area’s objectives’.
The main difference between the RCC and the LAC is
that in the LAC process, the focus is shifted from the
number of users involved to the degree of change which
is acceptable in each specific zone or ROS class I given
protected area .
THE LAC PLANNING SYSEM CONSISTS OF EIGHT STEPS, NAMELY:
Identification of concerns and issues
Definition and description of opportunity classes
Selection of indicators of resource and social conditions
Specifying standards for the resource and social indicators
Identification of alternative opportunity class allocations
Identification of management actions for each alternative
Evaluating and selection of an alternative
Implementation of actions and monitoring condition