The Walk for a Day trail will pass over land, the Water Quality Protection Lands, established to protect the sensitive karst aquifer. The trail requires specific management due to the sensitive nature of the karst landscape. This paper explores access management techniques and case studies to develop recommendations for management of the Walk for a Day trail. This paper concludes that by utilizing techniques such as Limits of Acceptable Change and spatial management strategies, and encouraging strong stakeholder participation it is possible to develop a recreational trail on sensitive public land. / text

Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and bears significant weight in global economic terms. However, there are concerns about the sustainability of the industry from an environmental and social/cultural perspective. One of the world’s top ten international tourism destinations, Thailand, had a record-breaking 39 million international tourists in 2019 but is expected to fall to around 14 million in 2020, the lowest level in 14 years, due to COVID-19. These impacts can be especially severe in small tropical islands where the land base is small, resources scarce, and local populations have low incomes and limited opportunities for livelihood diversification. Especially amid a global pandemic and the impending risks of climate change, it is crucial to reset, carefully consider concerns about sustainable tourism development, and move forward with management regimes that better embrace sustainability principles. This thesis examines the application of sustainable tourism using Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, and Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand as case studies to aid in sustainability planning for the future, particularly for island tourism destinations. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire administered to 1261 tourists visiting the three islands during the peak tourism season (January to March) of 2018. The findings are presented within this thesis in three papers. The first paper focussed on the behavioral approach and compared visitors to each island, noting differences in tourist demographics, travel characteristics, motivation factors, and areas of management concern identified. The second paper focussed on the limits of acceptable change approach and used cluster analysis of visitor motivations to identify three types of visitors that were described in terms of the specialization concept: Cluster 1 (“very high importance generalists”), Cluster 2 (“high importance generalists”), and cluster 3 (“mixed importance”). While cluster 1 had the greatest mean importance scores for all environmental, social, economic, and logistical factors, it identified the most areas of concern whereas cluster 3 identified the least. The third paper explored scenario planning as a vehicle for sustainable tourism planning on the island of Koh Phangan and was framed within the Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC), Tourism Opportunity Spectrum (TOS), and Ecotourism Opportunity Spectrum (ECOS) models. Most respondents preferred the “green scenario” in terms of accessibility, amount of visitors, development, food and accommodation, transportation around the island, traffic, waste management, water storage, and the scale of tourism. Collectively, these findings suggest that tourists can play an important role in identifying management priorities and that tourists tend to support a more sustainable tourism industry, as opposed to a focus on “mass tourism”, sometimes referred to as “sun, sea, sand” tourism. The study argues for adopting place-based planning practices and creating educational opportunities to ensure that the benefits of tourism are not outweighed by the costs. Especially as the tourism industry continues to expand, there is often a push to enhance visitation and the economic benefits that tourism provides; however, it is important to consider the environmental, social, economic, and logistical capacities of a tourism destination. / Graduate / 2021-08-21

Submitted by Vasti Diniz (vastijpa@hotmail.com) on 2017-08-01T14:18:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 3231125 bytes, checksum: d17516574da400ba65d2fef897324a71 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-01T14:18:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 3231125 bytes, checksum: d17516574da400ba65d2fef897324a71 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The reef environments are ecosystems endowed with expressive diversity that provide a range of environmental goods and social services, including the tourism and recreational use. The practice of tourism unordered on fragile and vulnerable environments such as the reefs may undermine the environmental quality of ecosystems making it necessary to adopt tourism planning strategies based on principles of sustainability. The methodology of Acceptable Change Limits LAC is a management tool, which is determined as a function of selected indicators, as the environment supports changes so that appropriate management actions are suggested and implemented to achieve or maintain the conditions seek. The Marine State Park of the Red Sand PEMAV, located in the municipality of Cabedelo, PB, is an Integral Protection Conservation Unit consists of a sandbar called "Red Sand" bordered by reef formations of sandstone origin and natural pools where has tourist visitation during low tide. Along with the PEMAV Picãozinho and Seixas reefs have suggestions Tourist Load capacity as a management proposal. This study have as goal: Diagnose the tourist activity in PEMAV and analyze the environmental awareness of the users; Propose the use of bioindication through macroalgae to assess the level of environmental disturbance in the study area; Identify Acceptable Change Limits for tourism / leisure activity (LAC) on the basis of selected indicators; Propose planning and management measures for tourism / leisure in the reef environment studied and Rolling back the efficiency of the proposed Tourist Load Capacity set to Picãozinho reefs, Seixas and Red Sand. The methodological processes comprised bibliographic searching and visits to field carried out during low tide in the period December 2014 to January 2016. For characterization of human interventions in the area were used assessment procedures adopted by Costa et al., (2007), involving the VAI (Arbitrary value of impacts) and the IP (VAI x weights assigned to each impact). For the process of identifying priority activities for visiting places for implementation of management actions was employed Visitation Impact Management methodology (BRAZIL, 2011). As regards the characterization of the user and perception these were applied 100 questionnaires structured by electronic means. To sample the richness of the marine macroalgae community were selected three study areas with similar environmental characteristics (Reef Red Sand I and Red Sand Reef II) and subjected to different tourist uses. The collection of biological material in situ was performed using square PVC, measuring 30cm x 30cm. To establish the acceptable limit of change was identified the average richness of the three areas under study for that richness value in the area least affected by tourism were identified. The species "rare" low frequency (below 5%) were excluded in order to formulate an index of tolerance that takes into account only the most common species and not those that occur rarely. The following significant human interventions were recognized: (1) Pollution from solid waste; (2) Change the scenic landscape the large number of boats; (3) Change the scenic landscape by the high number of tables / umbrellas and (4) trampling. Regarding the perception of users the main environmental impacts from the tourism / leisure activity were: (1)Pollution from solid waste; (2) Trampling on the reefs; (3) the high number of users and (4) inadequate anchorage. The minimum acceptable of richness proposed for PEMAV is 15.7 macroalgae and represents a value raised from an area "control" (Golden Sand) with characteristics similar to the areas with tourism. The survey data indicate that the area "control" showed no significant differences in richness in relation to areas of influence of tourism (Reef Sand Red I and Red Sand Reef II). It is possible that the descriptor richness is not an effective variable to analyze the trampling in such a situation and the use of variables such as biomass and coverage are best suited to assess the degree of environmental disturbance. The analysis of the carrying capacity studies for coastal reefs of Paraiba pointed out that the methodology in question is endowed with great subjectivity compromising the expected results and this may be reduced from the definition of sensitive biological indicators. / Os ambientes recifais constituem ecossistemas dotados de expressiva diversidade que fornecem uma gama de bens e serviços sócio-ambientais, dentre eles, o uso turístico e recreativo. A prática do turismo não ordenado sobre ambientes frágeis e vulneráveis como os recifes pode comprometer a qualidade ambiental desses ecossistemas tornando necessária a adoção de estratégias de planejamento turístico baseada em princípios de sustentabilidade. A metodologia de Limites de Mudanças Aceitáveis – LAC é uma ferramenta de manejo, na qual determina-se, em função de indicadores selecionados, o quanto o ambiente suporta de alterações para que ações de manejo adequadas sejam sugeridas e implantadas para alcançar ou manter as condições almejadas. O Parque Estadual Marinho de Areia Vermelha – PEMAV, localizado no município de Cabedelo, PB, é uma Unidade de Conservação de proteção integral constituída por um banco de areia denominado “Areia Vermelha” margeado por formações recifais de origem arenítica e piscinas naturais onde tem-se visitação turística durante a maré baixa. Junto com o PEMAV os recifes de Picãozinho e Seixas possuem sugestões de Capacidade de Carga Turística como proposta de manejo. Este estudo tem como objetivos: Diagnosticar a atividade turística no PEMAV e analisar a percepção ambiental dos usuários; Propor o uso da bioindicação através das macroalgas para avaliar o nível de distúrbio ambiental na área em estudo; Identificar Limites de Mudanças Aceitáveis para a atividade turística/lazer (LAC) em função dos indicadores selecionados; Propor medidas de ordenamento e gestão para atividade turística/lazer no ambiente recifal estudado e Rediscutir a eficiência das propostas de Capacidade de Carga Turística definidas para recifes de Picãozinho, Seixas e Areia Vermelha. Os processos metodológicos envolveram levantamento bibliográfico e visitas à campo realizadas durante a maré baixa no período de dezembro de 2014 à janeiro de 2016. Para caracterização das intervenções antrópicas na área foram utilizados os procedimentos de avaliação adotados por Costa et al., (2007), associando o VAI (Valor Arbitrário dos Impactos) e o PI (VAI x Pesos atribuídos a cada impacto). Para o processo de identificação das atividades por lugares de visitação prioritários para implementação de ações de manejo foi empregada a metodologia de Manejo de Impactos de Visitação (BRASIL, 2011). No que se refere a caracterização do usuário e a percepção destes foram aplicados 100 questionários estruturados via meio eletrônico. Para amostrar a riqueza da comunidade de macroalgas marinhas do parque foram selecionadas três áreas de estudo (Recifes de Areia Dourada, Recifes de Areia vermelha I e Recifes de Areia vermelha II) com características ambientais similares e submetidas a diferentes usos turísticos. A coleta de material biológico in situ foi realizada utilizando quadrado de PVC, medindo 30cm x 30cm. Para estabelecer o limites aceitável de mudança identificou-se a média de riqueza nas três áreas em estudo para que valor de riqueza na área menos afetada pela atividade turística fosse identificado. As espécies "raras" com baixa frequência (abaixo de 5%) foram excluídas de maneira a formular um índice de tolerância que leve em consideração apenas as espécies mais frequentes e não aquelas que ocorrem raramente. Foram reconhecidos as seguintes intervenções antrópicas expressivas: (1) Poluição por resíduos sólidos; (2) Alteração da paisagem cênica pelo elevado número de embarcações; (3) Alteração da paisagem cênica pelo elevado número de mesas/sombrinhas e (4) pisoteio. Referente a percepção dos usuários os principais impactos ambientais oriundos da atividade turística/lazer foram: (1) Lançamento de lixo; (2) Pisoteio sobre o platô recifal; (3) Elevado número de usuários e (4) Ancoragem inadequada. O limite mínimo de riqueza aceitável proposto para o PEMAV no setor de embarque e desembarque durante o período do verão é de 15,7 espécies de macroalgas, e representa um valor levantado a partir de uma área “controle” (Areia Dourada) com características similares as áreas com atividade turística. Os dados da pesquisa indicaram que a área “controle” não apresentou diferenças significativas de riqueza em relação às áreas com influência da atividade turística (Recifes de Areia vermelha I e Recifes de Areia vermelha II). É possível que o descritor riqueza não seja uma variável eficaz para analisar o pisoteio em tal situação e o emprego de variáveis como biomassa e cobertura sejam mais indicadas para avaliar o grau de distúrbio ambiental. A análise dos estudos de capacidade de carga para os recifes costeiros da Paraíba apontou que a metodologia em questão é dotada de grande subjetividade comprometendo os resultados esperados e esta pode ser reduzida a partir da definição de indicadores biológicos sensíveis.