Developing a non-compensatory approach to identify suitable zones for intensive tourism in an environmentally sensitive landscape

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the suitability of Torghabeh Shandiz in Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran, for intensive tourism development. Due to having a sensitive and fragile ecosystem, consisting of mainly erodible soils and vulnerable vegetation, a non-compensatory framework was developed and applied. To do so, a complete list of 60 evaluation criteria were screened by the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method, resulting in 25 criteria divided into four categories including environmental, economic, socio-cultural, and managerial. The Fuzzy AHP procedure presented by Mikhailov (2003) was then utilized to weight the screened set of criteria. Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) was separately employed to evaluate the suitability of land in terms of economic, socio-cultural and managerial criteria. Simultaneously, the environmental suitability of the land was assessed through modifying an ecological model developed by Makhdoum (2001). Finally, by using AND logic, suitable areas chosen on the basis of economic, socio-cultural and managerial land evaluation were eliminated in regions environmentally unsuitable. The results showed that limitations in some criteria such as soil erosion and soil fertility resulted in no highly suitable regions for intensive tourism development, such that about 85% of the region was not suitable for intensive tourism development. However, this kind of tourism is more than extensive tourism development in the study area, thereby highlighting the importance of adopting land-use planning strategies aiming at sustainable development.