Abstract
This paper aimed to present a model of natural environment management in national parks in Poland in the context of increased tourist traffic. The research area comprised Polish national parks as they are characterized by barely altered nature, little human impact, and undisturbed natural phenomena. The methods involved the observational method, literature analysis and criticism, and the in-depth interview method employed in November 2019. The respondents included national park management staff. The questions were prepared in accordance with the Berlin Declaration principles of sustainable tourism development and were extended with the authors’ own items. The questionnaire contained 17 questions, grouped in four parts: science and documentation; tourism; cooperation and education; environmental threats. The results indicate that in order for actions to prove efficient in a park, a conservation plan should be carefully developed. Its correctness requires monitoring the state of the environment, tourist traffic size and trends, and tourists’ impact on the environment. An important condition for effective tourism management in parks is to increase the competences of the administering bodies and knowledge regarding individuals’ responsibilities. Boards should be able to evaluate and modify conservation plans, spatial development plans, municipality development strategies, and projects for investments within the parks.
Highlights
One of the basic contemporary problems is to maintain balance between tourism development and the need to preserve the valuable natural heritage
More than half of the total tourist traffic in Poland is generated by mountain parks; most of the tourist traffic is seasonal in nature
The principal objective is to ensure conservation and gain certainty that resources will remain available for future generations, as well as to improve the adverse effects of human activity and the overall state of the natural environment
Summary
One of the basic contemporary problems is to maintain balance between tourism development and the need to preserve the valuable natural heritage. The best known form of nature conservation, embracing areas of the most valuable nature and landscape, are national parks. Modern tourism is often oriented towards short-term income and contributes to the destruction of what it was originally supposed to profit from This is caused by excessive concentration of tourist traffic, an improperly located tourist base, often in places of highest natural value, inappropriate forms of organizing recreation, and a lack of tourist culture. Beautiful scenery is a magnet that attracts visitors and second home owners The latter can make a significant contribution to the local economy; a high demand for moving can increase the prices of local products and real assets, which in turn may affect the quality of life of local residents. A sustainable approach should be adopted in regions attractive in terms of their natural environment to prevent overtourism [5]
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