Ecotourism risk assessment in Yaoluoping Nature Reserve, Anhui, China based on GIS

Abstract

As tourism development and human disturbance increase, they have been affecting the functional structure distribution, sustainable utilization of resources, and ecological benefits of nature reserves. At the same time, ecological risk has increased significantly. This study proposes ecotourism development patterns for risk areas at each level, to provide a basis for stabilizing and promoting the ecological sustainable development of nature reserves. Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve in China is used as a study case. Based on GaoFen-2 satellite data within the reserve area in 2017, ENVI, Fragstats and ArcGIS10.2 are used for land use classification as well as evaluation indicators selection and analysis. The ecotourism risk assessment model of the reserve is constructed, which is also imbedded with analytic hierarchy process and Ecological Risk Index. The model consists of landscape ecology, topographic hydrology, land use and human activities factors, and it can produce the distribution map at the ecotourism risk level of the reserve. Results show that the high ecotourism risk areas in the reserve are mainly located around rivers and roads, and they are distributed in strips. Overall, the ecotourism risk level in the northern part of the reserve is higher than that in the southern part. Nearly 90% of the regional ecotourism risk is at the middle or low level, implying the reserve in a healthy level overall. However, except for low-risk areas, the proportion of risk areas at all levels in the core zone is higher than that in the buffer zone.