Abstract
Since demand for outdoor recreation in forests has been increasing, a structural planning framework for sustainable use while minimizing ecosystem degradation is needed. Utilizing the recreational opportunity spectrum (ROS) and carrying capacities (CC) have been long-standing tools in management outdoor recreation and tourism. Therefore, this study proposes using FROS (forest recreation outdoor system), LAC (limits of acceptable change), and CC for outdoor recreation in forest wetland in Youngam-gum, South Korea. An analysis of the spatial characteristics of the site—geological features, elevation, slope, viewshed, water system, forest age class, etc.—was carried out. Based on this analysis, an outdoor recreation planning and management framework was developed, including expert elicitation and a field survey of the site. This study found that (1) FROS classified the site as “rural developed” (zone 1), “rural natural” (zone 2), and “semi-primitive” (zone 3); (2) LAC considered spatial characteristics and tourism attractions network around the site by each zone; (3) and ecological CC (104.1–485.5 people per day), physical CC (130.9–445.1 people per day), and social CC (25 people for “PAOT,” or “persons at one time”) were proposed for sustainable management of the site. Compared to previous studies, this study has the novelty of suggesting an integrated outdoor recreation model for sustainable planning and management by introducing systematic zoning and coping with the changing environment. This result can be useful for policy-makers who are concerned with the outdoor recreation of forest wetland to conserve and utilize the site and to prioritize suitable sites depending on the determining variables used in this study.
Highlights
Outdoor recreation demand for forests is continuously increasing due to recent changes in the social environment, such as increased leisure time, increased interest in forest health and healing functions, and increased leisure activities (Agimass et al 2018; Elands and van Marwijk 2012; De Valck et al 2017)
Particularity, the areas distributed in first grade means that it has a rich ecological environment that needs to be conserved, and it can be a critical standard for determining Forest Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (FROS) boundaries
We suggested an outdoor recreation planning and management framework focused mainly on a resource-based aspect analysis, we could find the clues for specific landscape guidelines based on the results from Peña et al 2015, who suggested that open viewsheds are preferable to accessibility for recreational potential
Summary
Outdoor recreation demand for forests is continuously increasing due to recent changes in the social environment, such as increased leisure time, increased interest in forest health and healing functions, and increased leisure activities (Agimass et al 2018; Elands and van Marwijk 2012; De Valck et al 2017). Recreation, especially in forests, takes the form of nature-based tourism or eco-tourism based on natural environments and nature experiences, and has proven its value by many researchers (Komossa et al 2018) in terms of its health, ecological, and educational aspects. Due to this shortcoming, the flow of studies has been changing from ROS-based recreational planning to developing ‘Recreation Suitability’ (Beeco et al, 2014; Caglayan et al, 2020) This approach enables us to select a suitable site from the viewpoint of conservation and use by applying various environmental and human use indicators and weights as well. The research question arises whether ROS based analysis, which is desirable for resource management, and the indicator-based analysis (GIS), which is desirable for location analysis can be combined in terms of sustainable forest conservation and use
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